Ear wax and bumps

[kemmannark]

Hi everyone! I've just joined and I am concerned about my buns' ears. His name is Twix; he's a 10 month old pure Holland lop. One of his ears has always stood up while the other one flops.
A few days ago I noticed two red bumps in his floppy ear only.
Today when I checked the ear, it looked like there was a yellowish scab on both red bumps. They're pretty deep into the ear but not so that you'd need a tool to look into them. Both ears are shedding at the tops- no bald spots or thinning yet. At the tops of the inner ear in both there's what looks like very thin- almost clear dandruff flakes when you rub it gently. He seemed to like it when I rubbed some off it didn't hurt and they came off easily. He's not itching his ears, tilting his head, or acting differently. The only thing is I've noticed he's been holding his ear that usually stands up floppy more than I've seen. I've only had him for 2 months so it's possible he has always taken breaks from keeping his ear up but I'm not sure and I'm worried he has mites. He is eating, drinking, and using the bathroom as usual. He's still insanely curious and very playful. No redness, swelling, or teeth grinding. I have to leave him with a friend in 2 weeks for vacation. She has a bunny and I'm worried he'll spread it if it's ear mites. I don't know whether to take him to the vet for possible ear mites or if he just has a wax buildup and his ears are shedding. Has anyone had this happen before?

 

[LassieBunBun]

Welcome to the forum! The only advice I can give is take him to the vet, just to be safe but I haven't personally dealt with anything like this so I might not be the right person to give advice.

 

[kemmannark]

That's ok! I haven't found any other explanations for the flakes. They only come off when rubbed- its not like he has flakes just sitting loose so it might be a wax buildup or lack of grooming. I see him groom everywhere but his ears it seems so I'm hoping it's just that. Thank you for the help anyways!

 

[JBun]

It could be ear mites, or it could be something else like a mosquito bite. The only way to know for sure is wait and see if symptoms worsen, or have a knowledgeable rabbit vet check your rabbits ears. If it is ear mites, ivermectin or Revolution (selamectin) are the usual rabbit safe treatments. I prefer Revolution (selamectin). It's a topical spot on treatment and usually only needs to be administered once. Ivermectin takes 3 oral or injection treatments 2 weeks apart.

Medirabbit: ear mites

https://rabbit.org/veterinarians/

 

[kemmannark]

This is what the brown spots in his ears look like. They're not scaly or raised. I have no idea what they are or why they're so far up in his ear- they're only at the top. And only on the inside whitish/pinkish skin.