Need some help

[Callaway]

Hey guys! Here with a question about that released bun I caught. As he is starting to get comfortable I am able to do a check on him little by little. I found these things on his neck. He has them on both sides. My first thought are ticks but hubby says they wouldn't be white. Before I try to pull them off wondering if anyone has insight and if its something a vet needs to look at. They are on his neck in the folds. As fare as I can see he has two on the one side and one on the other.




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[missyscove]

They look like engorged ticks to me. If you feel comfortable removing them, I'd do so, and I'd also talk to your vet about a rabbit-safe parasiticide like Revolution (selamectin) to put on him.

 

[Callaway]

I know we believe they are ticks. I looked up some ways to remove them that we're less painful. I tried one and it just wasn't working. I moved the tick in a circular motion. I guess the premise is to make it release, which it did in the video. I had no luck. However I'm more concerned about them now that I got a closer look. She has lumps under her skin near them that makes me believe they are burrowed farther under the skin than normal. One of them (the smaller looking in the picture) has a large lump under it. Should I just take her to the vet instead of removing them myself? I've never seen tick bites this bad but since she's been outside by herself for so long, you never know how long they've been there :/ were just a little on the low side of money lately and vet bill will be hard, but this needs to get taken care if its an emergency situation.




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[Maureen Las]

It would be best to take her to the vet and have them do a thorough exam. They definitely appear to be engorged ticks, however since she has been outside she could have other parasites like bot fly larvae/ worms etc. Just make sure the vet is rabbit knowledgeable so that a rabbit safe anti-parasitics are used.
She May also have infections from the ticks and vets are very used to removing them correctly.
Look at the list of Rabbit saavy vets from your state in the introduction to the health / Wellness part of the forum.

 

[Maureen Las]

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f21/tn-rabbit-savvy-vets-10106/

 

[Azerane]

I agree that they're ticks. They can be removed yourself, but if you don't know what you're doing, the head of the tick can remain inside and you can squeeze them so that any venom they may have goes into the rabbit. I would agree with a vet visit, certainly won't hurt to get him checked over anyway.