Ear mites...how do they get them??

[wendymac]

Kitty got Jack out today, to groom him. The first thing she saw was a tiny crusty spot toward the base in the one ear (ear mites, in the early stages). Anyway, I dosed him with Ivermectin, and we're going to put a few drops of oil in his ears when we go back down. But my question is: How the hell did he get them??? He's the only rabbit with them, and he's the only one that has NEVER left the rabbitry (for any reason). From what I read it can only be transmitted rabbit to rabbit. So where in the bugger did he pick them up at?

 

[gmas rabbit]

from the hay, cats, mice or did they share some of the bedding that you didn't know about without washing in between animals?? I would be curious too.

 

[gmas rabbit]

according to the internet they can jump from animal to animal with the briefest of contact. Cows and ferrets are also a culprits.

 

[wendymac]

No cows or ferrets here. And the hay is the same hay we've been feeding, and he's the only one (we're still feeding last year's hay, before starting on our crop from this year). We have cats and dogs, but none of those have ear mites...and the cats/dogs aren't usually anywhere near the buns, much less touching them.

 

[luvthempigs]

are you sure its ear mites?

 

[wendymac]

Very sure. It's the same crusty crud that's in every ear mite picture out there, only not nearly as severe as most of them. It's just working it's way up the base a bit...you had to really look down to even see it.

 

[Sweetie]

Do you have other rabbits? They may have ear mites as well. I know when Prince got ear mites, Sweetie got them from him. This was the first time. The second time she got them was when he passed away. So stress could bring them on also. When you do the mineral oil, do it for the whole life cycle of the ear mite, which is three weeks. That is what I had to do for Sweetie when she got them the second time.

 

[wendymac]

Yes, we have a LOT of other rabbits. We checked them all last night and everyone else has clean ears. We treated him with .2cc of Ivermectin last night and will repeat that weekly for 3 weeks. We also moved him away from all the other rabbits, disinfected his old cage and anything else he might have touched (including the one Xpen). We moved the other boys that were caged with him to yet another part of the barn, and thoroughly disinfected the ground where they were (I used bleach, in a sprayer, on all the cement even close to where they were).

I did find a baby mouse this morning, in the feed room...if I see even a hint of another one, all NINE barn cats are getting fired (re-homed) and I'm using poison!

 

[wendymac]

Oh, and I forgot to add that we didn't go with mineral oil because we didn't want him to become a smorgasbord for all the flies, gnats, etc.

 

[ZRabbits]

wendymac wrote:

Oh, and I forgot to add that we didn't go with mineral oil because we didn't want him to become a smorgasbord for all the flies, gnats, etc.

Smart move.

Did you every use DE in your barn and enclosure? It's really good stuff. Have to say it really cut down on our bug population.

K

 

[wendymac]

Not in the barn, because it's all cement and we sweep it every day. I had thought about putting some in the barn yard, though. The stalls and the aisles all have automatic fly misters, but there are still some flies buzzing around. Will that cut back on flies?

 

[ZRabbits]

I've seen less flies and definitely less gnats.I think it couldbenefit if put in the barn yard.

You will never get rid of all of them, but it does feel good to not be swarmed upon.

K

 

[wendymac]

We just came back up from the barn. It's definitely ear mites, but caught it before they got nasty. Kudos to my daughter, Kitty! She's the one that saw it. We also re-checked the bucks that were housed with him, and nobody else has any signs at all. We'll obviously keep checking, and I'm going to get more needles tomorrow and treat everyone with a dose of Ivermectin. It won't hurt anything even if they don't have any ear mites.

 

[wendymac]

Here's a close-up of his ear in question.

 

[wendymac]

 

[wendymac]

If not for her doing her weekly bunny "physicals", it probably would have gotten very bad, very quickly. But every week (at the very least) she does a very thorough check...looking for snuffles, dirty ears, lumps, bumps, scrapes, etc. The ones we're actively showing get handled every day, but the ones that aren't get check-ups. We don't usually even pick up the bucks, because it's just as easy to put the Xpen around their cages and let them come and go as they want, because their cages aren't stacked.

 

[ZRabbits]

You instilled good working skills and a responsible commitment to animals in your children. They follow through. Something most children have no idea about, or even commit to. Congratulations! Hats off to Kitty, too. She knows her animals. I do exactly what you are doing with the rest of your herd with the Ivermectin.

K

 

[wendymac]

Thanks, Karen! I'm proud of all my kids. Most of the kids I've seen at shows probably never even enter their rabbitry, letting the parents do all the work and they just plop them on the table. And now that we're getting so many, I can't possibly give everyone (mine AND hers) the individual attention they need. I just feel so bad for poor old Jack. He's such a trooper, and never moved or screamed when I gave him his shot.

 

[ZRabbits]

Though you have many, which usually breeder do, they do get what they need. It's not quantity of time, it's quality. I know the difference of a show rabbit and a pet. And so do you. You can be a breeder and a pet person.

You are taking care of your rabbits as well as I am. But in a different way. Jack is a trooper because of your TLC.

I've enjoyed reading your posts from the very first. I've learned a lot. Not just about the shows, but body, depth, teeth, ears, etc. Also birth and you are definitely going to have to help me sex my kits.

Thanks for putting time into your blogs and your posts. Wishing you and yours continued success in your endeavors.

K

 

[wendymac]

Thanks, Karen! I've learned so much, and I've barely touched the surface. I do have to buy more Xpens, because once those babies are weaned there won't be enough hours in the day for everyone to get time out to run and stretch.

I will gladly help, but sexing is so easy you're going to be surprised when you start looking. Or "molesting" as Kitty calls it. LOL

I've found it quite challenging to juggle between a pet owner and a breeder. If I ever get so many rabbits that they're not getting handled daily then I'll be done as a breeder. I'm just lucky I don't work!