Fur mites?

[Delph]

Hello everyone!
i have a Dutch rabbit that I adopted 1 year and a half ago. She’s 3 and is seriously molting for the first time. With that, I’ve noticed a lot of dandruff’s , which seem to be a sign of fur mites . I do not see them moving though . She’s, other than that, acting her normal self. It doesn’t seem to bother her at all. Here’s a picture
Should I take her to the vet or has anyone tried food gradé DE for that? I’m reading very mixed opinions that!
also, she’s an indoor rabbit mostly,but does spend some time outside regularly
Thank you!!

 

[JBun]

You won't really be able to see mites. It takes the vet doing a skin scrape and looking under the microscope. That's not a ton of dandruff, so it's possible it could just be some dry skin or it could be mites. if you start seeing it worsening with more fur loss, more dandruff, excessive itching, then definitely have your rabbit checked by a knowledgeable rabbit vet to get the appropriate diagnosis and treatment. Or if you have concerns now, get your bun in for a check up.

I would not recommend using DE due to the ingestion and inhalation hazards it presents. If your rabbit does have mites, it's best to stick with reliable rabbit safe treatments like ivermectin and selamectin, administered by the vet. With Revolution(selamectin) topical spot on being my preference for it being a single treatment(usually) and a bit safer.

Medirabbit: fur mites

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Mites
https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/

 

[Delph]

So I took her to the vet and they said that they dont see signs of mites, just dandruffs... they said it's dry skin, and to shampoo her with moisturizing shampoo...that sounded very weird to me! This vet is an exotic animal vet, but it sounded like I was getting recommendations for a dog! Is there ever a time when shampooing is recommended??

 

[John Wick]

I strongly disagree with that vet's recommendation. Exotic vets see a wide-range of animals, so while preferable to a dog/cat vet, exotic vets too can have limited rabbit experience, depending on their clientele.

Based on the amount of flakes, I also do not think this is mites and if from dry skin, I do not see it as a concerning amount that merits any topical treatment at all. I recommend monitoring it and seeing if the flake production persists.

There are supplements like Oxbow Skin and Coat, though I cannot vouch for their effectiveness.

 

[JBun]

If a vet is telling you to wash and shampoo your rabbit for something as simple as a little bit of dry skin, that's not a vet I would ever go back to. It's not unheard of for a rabbit to go into shock or cardiac arrest from the stress of a full bath. So because of this, only in very specific circumstances should a rabbit ever be bathed, and usually that should only entail a butt bath because of severe soiling that can't be removed any other way. I would strongly urge finding a better vet for anything in the future.

If it really isn't mites or any other serious skin condition, then there's nothing that needs to be done at this point. A little bit of dry skin doesn't hurt anything. If it worsens and there starts to be more severe dandruff and fur loss, that would indicate it actually is mites or another medical condition that needs checking out(eta: which treatment doesn't involve bathing at all).

 

[Delph]

I agree . Im gonna wait it out, since she seems healthy otherwise , and definitely go somewhere else next time!
It started when she started molting , so maybe it’s related? She has never molted like that since we’ve got her a year and half ago … and hair is regrowing just fine