Bunny care help

[Shelby Burwell]

Hey everyone!

I just recently rescued my mini lop, Miso, from a family who got him as an Easter present for their young daughter a year ago(he’s one now). The family is friends with my parents and I had overheard a conversation that sounded awfully like they were giving him to someone that breeds rabbits in her backyard. They made it seem like this breeder wasn’t doing this as anything more than a hobby and a way to make money. My heart dropped.

I have always made animals a huge part of my life and was always rescuing them even as a little girl. So when I heard that I told them I would take him and they seemed happy with that. Come to find out they had kept him in a small cage in their crowded and dirty basement. The cage was not nearly big enough for a rabbit his size. Besides that he had never eaten hay, been over fed things like apples and other foods rabbits shouldn’t have that often, rarely been played with or socialized, and his cage had at least 2-3 weeks of filth in it.

When my dads friend took him out of the cage he did it so roughly that he ended up causing a nail (that was so long it curled under his paw) to be torn and split. I nearly broke down seeing all of this but held it together since I was afraid if they thought I was being judg

 

[Shelby Burwell]

Part 2

I was afraid they would think that if I was being judgmental I wouldn’t be able to save him. So the point of all of that back story is even though I did as much research as I could about mini lops or rabbits in general, I didn’t have enough time to fully educate myself like I normally do before taking on a pet I’ve never had before.

The main problem I’ve noticed is he itches a lot. He does seem to be molting and I can’t find any dry skin or marks from mites. He does have some yellowish and sorta tan build up right near his ear canals. He mostly scratches one ear and licks his hind legs several times over an hour. The yellow stuff might be kind of flakey but I don’t know what wax should look like. And he had one cut in the middle of his back. It’s kind of small and maybe had a little bit of dry skin near it but not in the surrounding areas.

I have no idea of his grooming habits since I’ve only had him for four days. I might be a little paranoid and an overprotective bunny parent because of the conditions he was in but I just want to get the most information I can on the breed and make sure I can give him the best life possible.


Wooo! that was a lot. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read and reply it really means a lot. I already love him so much and the last thing I want is for him to be sick or uncomfortable.

 

[SableSteel]

Good on you for saving him! It always breaks my heart to see rabbits end up in conditions like that.

Mini lops can be prone to ear conditions (infections and mites) but they are also known to get a lot of wax buildup in their ears. Wax should be smooth and evenly colored; mites will likely just look nasty, darker colored and flaky. Wax shouldn't be itchy; if he's itching it there's likely a problem. If you can get a picture of the ear we might be able to give you a better idea of how they're doing.

If you can get a picture of his fur too, it might be helpful; often rabbits on poor diets and conditions just get really ugly looking coats, but there's also a chance that there's a problem. I took in a stray cat, that ended up having ringworm it spread to me + the 4 rabbits that were living in my house, so I'm a bit paranoid about skin issues when I'm bringing anything in now.

If you can get it to a vet that'd be best; there's only so much that can be done through internet descriptions and pictures.

 

[Shelby Burwell]

Good on you for saving him! It always breaks my heart to see rabbits end up in conditions like that.

Mini lops can be prone to ear conditions (infections and mites) but they are also known to get a lot of wax buildup in their ears. Wax should be smooth and evenly colored; mites will likely just look nasty, darker colored and flaky. Wax shouldn't be itchy; if he's itching it there's likely a problem. If you can get a picture of the ear we might be able to give you a better idea of how they're doing.

If you can get a picture of his fur too, it might be helpful; often rabbits on poor diets and conditions just get really ugly looking coats, but there's also a chance that there's a problem. I took in a stray cat, that ended up having ringworm it spread to me + the 4 rabbits that were living in my house, so I'm a bit paranoid about skin issues when I'm bringing anything in now.

If you can get it to a vet that'd be best; there's only so much that can be done through internet descriptions and pictures.

I did the best I could for his ear picture. The wax or build up of some kind is very close to the canal.

 

[JBun]

That's a lot of build up in the ears. Usually you won't ever see ear wax, or maybe just a tiny bit. I would bet it's ear mites. I would go ahead and want to treat for them since that is the most likely thing causing the excessive scratching, and if it is ear mites then it definitely needs treatment right away as it can end up damaging the ear if left too long. You also don't want a secondary bacterial infection developing.
http://medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/earmite/Psoroptes.htm

Ivermectin and selamectin are the two meds used to treat ear mites in rabbits. Ivermectin can be bought otc as an injectable(though can be given orally) cattle med, but just be aware that there are some rabbits that rarely can have a negative reaction to ivermectin. The better and safer one of the two is the spot on topical Revolution(selamectin), but it is rx. I would suggest just to go ahead and make an appointment for a check up. The vet will be able to check for mites, make sure there isn't a bacterial infection, and can also check your rabbits teeth to make sure there is no overgrowth occurring, which could be a possibility since he was fed so poorly. Just make sure the teeth are checked, and if you want the revolution you may need to request it over the ivermectin(which is the more common one used). This link has a list of rabbit vets, but I would still do additional research to find the best one. Though they are all considered relatively rabbit savvy, some are better than others.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

I'm so glad you were able to save this poor bun, and hope he has many happy and fun filled years with you.

 

[Shelby Burwell]

That's a lot of build up in the ears. Usually you won't ever see ear wax, or maybe just a tiny bit. I would bet it's ear mites. I would go ahead and want to treat for them since that is the most likely thing causing the excessive scratching, and if it is ear mites then it definitely needs treatment right away as it can end up damaging the ear if left too long. You also don't want a secondary bacterial infection developing.
http://medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_diseases/Parasitic/earmite/Psoroptes.htm

Ivermectin and selamectin are the two meds used to treat ear mites in rabbits. Ivermectin can be bought otc as an injectable(though can be given orally) cattle med, but just be aware that there are some rabbits that rarely can have a negative reaction to ivermectin. The better and safer one of the two is the spot on topical Revolution(selamectin), but it is rx. I would suggest just to go ahead and make an appointment for a check up. The vet will be able to check for mites, make sure there isn't a bacterial infection, and can also check your rabbits teeth to make sure there is no overgrowth occurring, which could be a possibility since he was fed so poorly. Just make sure the teeth are checked, and if you want the revolution you may need to request it over the ivermectin(which is the more common one used). This link has a list of rabbit vets, but I would still do additional research to find the best one. Though they are all considered relatively rabbit savvy, some are better than others.
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

I'm so glad you were able to save this poor bun, and hope he has many happy and fun filled years with you.

Okay. Thanks for the help. Can the mites be passed to humans? I’ve gotten insanely itchy since the first time I pet him. He had to spend another night at the old owners place and I got him the next day and wasn’t itchy again until petting him. I’m wondering if I have a minor allergy to rabbits or if he has mites they got passed to me. The itching for me is usually worse while I’m petting him and for a bit after. Just need to be certain since a couple other family member have pet him as well

 

[JBun]

Typically they can't live on humans but you can be bit by them. A skin allergy is also possible(that would suck), though if it was this I would suspect it would result in itchiness that lasts longer. When you get him treated for mites then I would also suggest a thorough cleaning of the environment where you keep him as well, including throwing out any hay and bedding that he has had contact with.

 

[Shelby Burwell]

Typically they can't live on humans but you can be bit by them. A skin allergy is also possible(that would suck), though if it was this I would suspect it would result in itchiness that lasts longer. When you get him treated for mites then I would also suggest a thorough cleaning of the environment where you keep him as well, including throwing out any hay and bedding that he has had contact with.

Okay. I am so happy I found this website. I was going mad with all the googling I was doing and not really coming to any answers. I’ve already requested an appointment with my vet who I know has treated rabbits( I have seen them in there several times) and should hear back soon

 

[Shelby Burwell]

Okay. I am so happy I found this website. I was going mad with all the googling I was doing and not really coming to any answers. I’ve already requested an appointment with my vet who I know has treated rabbits( I have seen them in there several times) and should hear back soon

Can they crawl from where the bunny is staying? Like on books, clothes, and bedding near by? My bedroom floor is being redone and I plan to let him free during the day when it’s done so thankfully if it’s mites he’s been in his pen the entire time. Minus the couple times he ran around after hopping at the open door. It was only a few mins each time. I also had him on the carpet for 5-10 mins this am while I checked his ears and fur. I plan on vacuuming and washing my bedding and his pen etc. How throughly should I clean my room after the vet confirms or denies mites?