Help! Diagnose this young rabbit

[jamesedwardwaller]

JBun wrote:

You will also want to treat the dad rabbit as well, even though he's not showing signs of earmites, because if he does have them, he could reinfect the baby after he's been treated. I know with ivermectin you have to retreat in 2 weeks or the mites will come back. I'm not sure if you do with Revolution. You'll want to ask the vet about it.

--i cannot read much anymore,pictures tell alot-but not the whole story,,--?has this rabbit been examined by an exotic dvm specialist.??--this is a serious case of parasitical infestion,--i am going to have nightmares,,what jbun advised --i agree with but i don,t see a worthy spot to apply anything,--this little guy needs meds,parasitic meds,and lots of tlc for several months please utilize this website for help http://www.medirabbit.com --i am so sorry--keep us posted,,--sincerely james wallerray::shock:

 

[cornflakes]

Thanks for the link. No, this rabbit has not been examined by any vet. I've applied revolution to both rabbits and if after 2 weeks the baby rabbit is not showing signs of improvement, I'll apply a 2nd dose of revolution again.

IF the baby rabbit is getting scratched or bitten by the dad rabbit, will the tiny wounds (small red dots or marks) exposed to the environment they are in possibly be reinfecting or the cause of the infection in the first place?

I'm just wondering and using some common sense that normally an open wound exposed can be more susceptible to contracting an infection or something more easily than if there was no wound and completely covered in fur. What do you think?

I'm trying to debate if the next step should be to separate the baby rabbit from the dad or if that sort of stuff is normal and shouldn't pose any risk to further infections?

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

cornflakes wrote:

Thanks for the link. No, this rabbit has not been examined by any vet. I've applied revolution to both rabbits and if after 2 weeks the baby rabbit is not showing signs of improvement, I'll apply a 2nd dose of revolution again.

IF the baby rabbit is getting scratched or bitten by the dad rabbit, will the tiny wounds (small red dots or marks) exposed to the environment they are in possibly be reinfecting or the cause of the infection in the first place?

I'm just wondering and using some common sense that normally an open wound exposed can be more susceptible to contracting an infection or something more easily than if there was no wound and completely covered in fur. What do you think?

I'm trying to debate if the next step should be to separate the baby rabbit from the dad or if that sort of stuff is normal and shouldn't pose any risk to further infections?

---absolutely seperate and treat wounds with betadine (walmart,etc.)-these affected rabbits require perhaps more than you can do at home--they require a proper examination,treatment--it will not be an easy task,---i know you will do the proper thing or you would not be here--our job is to help and direct--all bunz..-please keep us informed as time permits,--sincerely james waller-- http://www.medirabbit.com

 

[JBun]

You should still reapply in 2 weeks with both rabbits, even if the baby shows signs of improvement. New eggs can hatch in 2 weeks, that the revolution hasn't killed off, so you need to reapply to get the last of these hatched eggs or he'll become reinfected. A third treatment would be even better, but at least do a second, and do it with both rabbits.

I'm not sure if separating the baby from his dad right now, would be a good idea. I'm just thinking that if they really are close to each other and do get along, separating them might cause the baby to become stressed, and that could affect his recovery. If you were absolutely sure the dad was fighting with the baby and attacking him, and it was scaring the baby, then yeah, it would be good to separate them. But with them snuggling together and seeming to get along, I just think the stress from separation wouldn't be a good thing right now.

 

[missyscove]

If they're both unneutered males and you do separate them, you will probably never be able to safely house them together again.

 

[cornflakes]

Thanks for those tips. Okay, I'll leave them together since the baby does seem to show attachment to the dad rabbit as he goes up to him a lot to snuggle or sit beside him.

I just ordered 2kg of Timothy Hay so it should be coming next week since I couldn't find it in stores here had to order online.

I'll take a picture tomorrow (friday) to just show how the rabbit is progressing. I think I can see the crust has definitely begun to fall off the ears as there's more pink skin showing and the skin color on the back used to look very bright red/pink but it looked a little lighter today...perhaps indicating the skin is recovering first before the fur grows back.

Now it's getting very cold here and I know that rabbits can do fine in the cold (heat is more of the issue), but I'd still like to try and put in a little sheltered house in the pen. They have an old plastic or rubberish tub in there right now and both rabbits seem to like sitting in there a lot as oppose to the cement. I had made a cardboard house and put it in there on Monday but within minutes, the dad rabbit went in and looked around then he started tearing it up. The cardboard had ink printing on it so i didn't want it to chew and eat all the ink up so I took the house out.

Does anyone have any good ideas or suggestions as to what I can put in there that would serve as a nice little sheltered house for them during the cold winter season here? I know cardboard is a huge hit with rabbits but im a bit worried these ones have never seen it before and might eat it all up and get sick? Or should I just try and find cardboard that has ZERO printed ink on it and not worry about how much they wanna chew/eat it up?

Is there a different material I can use that is safe for rabbits even when they try to bite/chew/eat it?

I threw some toilet paper rolls (i cut up into small rings) for them to play with but the worker got upset with me for doing that and said not to put it in there. I read that rabbits like toilet paper rolls to chew up and i saw that the rings I put in had been all chewed up, possibly eaten.

Other ideas?

 

[cornflakes]

One more question. Can rabbits tell people apart like dogs and cats? Do they smell your scent or recognize your voice or visually see you distinctly from others? The reason I ask is everyday I go to feed them, when I lean over to say hello, the dad rabbit seems to automatically know its me and the last 4 days he's been standing up on 2 feet to look up at me and he even starts to paw the glass barrier. I'm hoping that with more contact, I can go inside the pen and have them come to me so that next time I apply revolution, I wont need to have the worker come in and grab and hold them to ground while I apply. It seems very stressful and scary to them. I'd much prefer they come to me by their own will knowing it's me and then i can easily apply the medication on their necks.

 

[whitelop]

Yes rabbits do recognize you, they know who you are. They associate you with good food and treats. So its a good thing that you feed them special things, so they get used to you and you'll be able to be around them better when the time comes.

As for something they sleep in, you could get them a big plastic storage container thing and cut a hole in the side of it for a door. Then stuff it with hay. If you didn't want to get a storage container then you could get a cardboard box and it would be fine. They will chew it, but it will be okay. They usually don't eat the cardboard, but if they don't have hay, they might be craving the fiber.

This is the storage container I'm talking about. Flip it over and cut a hole in the side.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/8282894?a...1=g&wl2=&wl3=14084541790&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem

If the worker that cleans the enclosure didn't like the toilet paper rolls in there, how is going to feel about hay being in there? Hay is a mess, it gets everywhere. They sleep in it, they eat it, they potty in it. So is the guy going to let them have the hay, even though its a bit of a mess? I really hope so.

Have you thought about taking them anywhere? They don't seem to be anyone's pets, they just seem to be animals that are somewhere. Could you look for a place for them to go where they'll get proper care and proper attention? Don't get me wrong, you're doing a great job, but the situation they're in doesn't seem ideal.

 

[cornflakes]

The plastic bin sounds like a good idea. Less likely i think they'll try chewing on that. The cement floor is pretty cold. What makes for a good padding other than hay? I don't think I can order too much hay, just enough for some food. They are already given a bowl full of pellet food and water so I just thought as bonus treats and such I'll toss in my timothy hay when I get it and continue giving them cucumber slices.

Would any sort of wool or fleece blanket make for good padding or would those be a danger to rabbits (if chewing on them etc).

I'll take pictures in an hour or so for update. I checked the young rabbit today and good news is each day its looking better. The crust is definitely falling off. The fur still has to grow back but i think if im seeing a lot more pink skin, that's a good healthy sign. I'm just worried that with so much fur loss, he might be cold or catch a cold since the weather has gotten very cold the last couple days.

 

[Imbrium]

fleece is safe for rabbits even if they chew on it/ingest it as the fibers are very short and won't cause an obstruction (one of my bunns ate some of it just last week while ripping up her temp cage after being spayed) - lots of people use fleece as flooring. I'm not totally sure, but I'm guessing wool probably isn't safe.

someone correct me if I'm wrong, please, but I'm pretty sure cardboard boxes with printing on them are ok as long as it's black and white ink (no colors).

 

[cornflakes]

here are 3 updated pictures. Today is Friday. I administered the medication on Monday. Still has a ways to go but it's definitely improving. The crust is falling off and u can see lots of the pink skin. The other positive thing I noticed is the baby rabbit is moving around more and is a lot more active since treatment. He normally never responds to me but the last 2 days now he's also standing up on 2 feet looking up at me when I arrive.

 

[JBun]

Aww, that's so great!!! He does look a lot better, a lot less crusts. Thank goodness Poor little guy, I'm glad he's feeling better

The plastic bin sounds like it might work well for a bunny home. Just put the lid on and cut a little hole in the side. You'll just want it big enough for both of them to fit in there with enough room to move around. And using fleece for the bedding would work too. You would probably want to do seversl layers so it insulates from the cold floor well. I'm excited for these buns! I'm glad st least someone, mainly you, cares about them, enough to help them out.

 

[Imbrium]

cornflakes wrote:

He normally never responds to me but the last 2 days now he's also standing up on 2 feet looking up at me when I arrive.

aww, it's almost like he KNOWS you're the reason he's starting to feel better!

 

[cornflakes]

I hope so! I don't want them to be afraid of me if I try to go in the pen. I watched them several times every hour or so and they were both resting together side-by-side in the sun. The pen gets some direct sunlight for most of the day and i noticed they sit or lay down right where the sunlight is shining. I assume that's because they get warmed up and it must feel nice, esp. in the cold weather.

It's Friday afternoon now so I won't get to see them until next Monday. I'll update again on Monday. Hopefully I'll have a nice little house made for them too!

I should add a note that the day after i gave the rabbit revolution, i decided to put a few drops of olive oil on the ear (right side only) and the neck/back. I think I dropped a total of 8-10 drops (3-4 on ear and 4-6 on neck/back). I had to do it from outside the pen while the young rabbit was sitting beside the barrier. I leaned over, aimed the bottle and landed the drops perfectly one by one on the ear and back. It didn't notice until about the 4th drop and it started to shake and wiggle its ear. Then the next day I noticed that's when so much of the fur was coming off. I wasn't sure if it was due to the oil or due to the revolution process taking effect. But now that I took the pictures today, the ear that I dropped the olive oil onto looks significantly more improved with less crust than the other ear that I didn't drop any olive oil onto. I'm not sure if this means the olive oil was also effective in helping remove the crust faster or if it was just the case that the other ear was actually worse and had more crust. You don't see the other ear in my pictures but it's got more crust (and thicker) still on it, but the right ear has got lots of skin visible and noticeable crust reduction.

I'm wondering if I should try to drop some more olive oil on the ears or not.

 

[JBun]

I think Geoff was suggesting not putting oil on the ears because touching them would be painful for the rabbit, but if you are just squeezing some drops on there with out touching, I don't think that will hurt. You would want to try and make sure you aren't getting much on the rest of the fur. I don't know how easy it is for rabbits to clean oil off their fur. But the oil on the crusts seems like it would soften them up so they fall off easier, as well as helping get rid of the mites.

 

[cornflakes]

Today is Monday morning here. It's been exactly 1 week since giving them both revolution. To my pleasant delight, the baby rabbit's ears' crust has almost all fallen off! It's improved significantly over the weekend and now the only thing left is for the fur to grow back. Here's some more updated pics from just a few minutes ago.

I also gave them timothy hay and the dad seems to like it a lot more than the baby but maybe he's not used to it yet or wasn't hungry. I also put the cardboard box house back in just to see if they can get more comfy with it. They were both exploring and examining it right away. I took a video of them also which I'll post here in a moment.

 

[missyscove]

He looks so much better! I'm so glad you were able to help this little guy.

 

[Imbrium]

he's definitely improving quickly!

again, thank you so much for being a good samaritan and taking the time and money to do something to improve the quality of life these bunnies have! it's so sad for bunnies to be neglected by their owner to the point that someone needs to intervene the way you have. I'm sure they can't even begin to express their thanks for the hay, hidey house and most of all the much-needed medical treatment.

 

[cornflakes]

Video of rabbits 1
Exploring the cardboard house video 2

 

[Imbrium]

I can't believe how much fur is missing off the baby's back - those mites were BAD!!

it was SO cute when the dad was grooming him! and it looks like the cardboard house is a hit