Rabbit Ear Problem
I have something weird going on in the rabbitry. A few of the rabbits look like their ears have been bitten and chewed on. Wednesday I was able to grab the worst and we took photos of its ears. They're not the best quality photos, because it's surprisingly difficult to photograph a rabbit's ears. No flash, and they're blurry. Flash, and they wash out. ANYway.
Here's another shot of that same ear. I thought perhaps the problem was overcrowding, and they were nibbling on one another's ears. I have about 21 or 24 rabbits in there, plus one litter coming above ground. Now that I've beat the rat problem, I have lots of rabbits. I have some ready to butcher this weekend or next, so that will relieve some of the stress from crowding.
But then look at this. This doesn't look like chewing on ears, does it? I'm not sure what I'm dealing with. Maybe a fungus or a parasite?
Another shot of that right ear. I'm going to ask my rabbit buddies on the Homesteading Today forums what they think.
I have about 5 rabbits affected by this, but only this one has the bad spot in the middle of the ear, and only this one looks so chewed up. The others are just slightly chewed looking and for the most part it's right on the tips. I do have one other one that has a naked spot on its ear where the fur has come out but it's totally naked, not messed up like this one.
Labels: rabbits
posted by Leslie @ 12:10 PM
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Ugh, that looks terrible. They may have ear mites
They may be ear mites. I'm not 100% sure but it's a good possibility.
Actually, it kind of looks like ring worm to me, which is terribly contagious, and could even be the kind that can be spread from animal to human.
The good news is, if it is ring worm, it's treatable with over the counter antifungal ointments, for both your bunnies and you.
I thought ear mites were in the ear, not on the back, on the outside?
The folks on the rabbit forum at Homesteading Today think it's ringworm, too.
I went to the drugstore and got some athlete's foot spray (fights ringworm), some rubbing alcohol (to clean my hands with after messing with these buns), and some surgical gloves.
I've got all the visibly affected ones isolated except for one, the worst one. That one refuses to come near me after I traumatized it with the photo session. So I'm being patient and offering lots of treats.
I also plan to get some Vanodine to spray down the colony.
There are oral drugs for ringworm, which is attractive because I could treat the entire colony, even those which are asymptomatic, but they cause birth defects so should not be given pregnant or nursing animals.
Um, these are rabbits living in a colony. They are ALWAYS pregnant or nursing!
Thanks for the commetns, you guys! We'll see how the foot spray works. The directions say to treat for four weeks. That seems like forever.
You might want to consider some organic spray just for sanitation use at the colony. I just learned from my organic farmer neighbor. Unlike me - he is a real farmer. Its called pygonic (?) - derivative from chrysanthemum. It is all organic and so you can spray while they are there as well.
Thats odd. I have nothing to tell you, i've never seen that before!
Hi Leslie,
A little late here, but better late than never:
I thought ringworm right off the bat myself, but rabbits lick themselves so you would be better off to get a cat preparation that treats ringworm.
You can also make a wash using gentian violet. I use a recipe very similar to this:
16 oz. bottle isopropyl alcohol
4 tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 drops Gentian Violet 1% Solution
You can get both the boric acid and the gentian violet online, just look around. I keep boric acid on hand for ants just because it's safer than insecticide.
It will stain the bunnies' ears purple, but I have a cat who is very prone to ear fungal infections, and it works a treat on her.
Gentian violet is also good for jock itch, athletes foot AND ringworm, and if you make the full quantity, you can use it to wash around the cage--again, bearing in mind that it will stain everything purple.
For inside the ear, I use a teeny needle-less syringe, fill it up and just squirt it into the ear and rub, just like you would with mite medicine. I wipe out as much as I can with a wad of soft toilet paper then I wait for the cat to shake her head and wipe her ears out again.
You could probably apply this with a cotton ball on the external sores, and if it wasn't actually ringworm, it is still a good and reasonably gentle anti-infective/anti-fungal.
Since it does stain, wear old clothes--although with 12 cats, knowing whose ears I did is an advantage for me!
Zola, great tip, thank you! I definitely appreciate the purple stain and knowing whose ears have been treated.
As it turns out, I got some spray-on athlete's foot spray from the pharmacy and sprayed their ears twice daily for about three weeks.
It cleared up REALLY fast, and I just did that last week to be sure.
WF, somehow I missed your comment and only noticed it when replying to Zola - sorry!!
I've not heard of pygonic. It's turning out to be pretty difficult to get Vanodine - everyone is out of stock.
Insecticide made out of Chrysanthemums is called pyrethrum:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrum
It produces the familiar pyrethrins that are often seen in over-the-counter flea products.
One advantage of using the pyrethins is that they break down quickly.
I have used spot treatments of Shultz's plant spray on plants that are under serious insect attack since it can be used even on fruit, but I don't know if their formula uses natural or synthetic pyrethins.
It's important to keep in mind that even the pyrethins obtained from natural sources are poison and any preparation containing them must be treated accordingly, be it organic or natural or synthetic.
In any event... Leslie, I don't know if you saw my post way back, but I also live in WV and stumbled across your site when I was looking for information about Buckeye Chickens. :)
We have a baker's dozen of them now, they are doing well, so if you still want some perhaps we work out a trade if any of my hens go broody this next spring/summer.
I'm in Lewis County, btw. What county are you guys in?
Zola, I knew about pyrethrum but as far as I know that's for treating insects but not fungi. Our Speckled Sussex are doing great... it's awfully tempting to re-consider Buckeyes, though.
We're practically neighbors - we're in the Gilmer/Ritchie/Calhoun area
Ringworm, is not the first thought I had. Any topical ringworm treatment could have them foaming from the mouth. If you plan to eat these rabbits, whatever they consume, so will you. Why not just take to the vet, or look up common ear problems with rabbits on the web. It doesn't look like ringworm, but I could be wrong. Let us know what you find out.
Maybe, it's ear mites, a common parasite, if not treated the rabbit will scratch their ears.
Diane,
A vet bill would be more expensive than I care to spend on these buns unless the entire colony were affected.
As it turns out, the Athlete's foot spray did clear it up just fine.
I'm not too concerned about the rabbits ingesting the wormer because I don't plan to butcher the rabbits right away so it should have plenty of time to work out of their systems.
Some folks inoculate and worm their livestock as a matter of routine, but I choose only to treat problems if they arise. So far that's worked well for me.
Well, glad to hear that you worked it out, oh no, there's that butcher word again ohhhh... you got me again. Well, alls well that ends well. Good for you.
I hear you on the 'b' word. That has been the single most difficult thing about moving to the country, by far. I still dread it but it's getting to be more of a really bad chore than a huge unsurmountable test of who I am.
Diane, I hear you on the 'b' word. That's been the single most difficult aspect of moving to the country and living a more natural, self sufficient lifestyle. I still dislike it and probably (hopefully) always will.
GOOOOO TOO A VET YOU MORON!!!!!!!!!!
Hi Leslie, I got an idea, you can give up the rabbit meat all together and avoid all the complicaitons associated with it.
It's cheaper to live a vegan life style. I'm always trying to stick with the vegan diet, but I like a little meat here and there. But heck, if I was in the country, I'd find it very easy to stick with a vegan diet. Maybe stock up on the canned meat. I'd have chickens though, and eat their eggs only. I wish I had a home in the country.
Anon, the rabbits are all better and have been for some time. Thank you for your perspective.
Diane, vegan is totally not for me, but I can see why a lot of folks do adopt that kind of diet. Your comment on stocking up on canned meat perplexes me. Those animals in the can were raised in wretched conditions, pumped full of antibiotics and steroids, butchered sometimes while still alive, and many parts (not just the "good stuff") goes in the can.
I do stock up on some canned meat from the store for variety or emergency (tuna, Spam) but much prefer my own.
Hi Leslie, "that's what I'm talking about,(tuna & spam) you're gooood". You can find canned meats that are free of antibiotics,hormones,& handled with care.
but not in your everyday supermarket. That's what I'm referring to. Sorry I left that out.
Hi,
I happened upon this site and saw your rabbit ears. Plain Isopropol Alocohol applied with a q-tip or cotton ball 2-3 times a day will kill the fungus. Unfortunately, fungus survives on the ground, so you may have to move your colony to a new location in order to prevent re infestation. Even if you cull the entire colony and eat them then start fresh, your new rabbits will also become infected if they live in the same place on the same ground. If they are on concrete covered with hay then you might be able to clean it out, bleach, then reintroduce rabbits to the same area. But fungus lives in the dirt.
Using Alcohol to control the fungus (ringworm) has the added benefit of not being poisonous to the young nor affecting the meat. You could also try vinegar, but alcohol works faster. Either way, it won't affect the babies or the meat. I would use that long before buying an OTC fungicide or athlete's foot type ointment or spray.
Wow, Anon, thanks for that information! I haven't seen any re-infestations but if I do I'll definitely try the alcohol rather than the Athlete's foot spray.
I hear you about stuff living in the soil. I hope to expand my setup so I have three pens - one for the buck, one for does and kits, and one lying fallow at all times. I think if a pen could just get exposed to sun and rain for several weeks it should help a lot. That's the principle behind intensive rotational grazing and it works wonders to control parasites and illness.
Something I've not tried but that looks very promising is Vanodine. It's non-toxic and controls a plethora of problems. It can even be added to their drinking water - but I'd most likely use it for spraying down a fallow pen.
Thanks again for your comments, I really appreciate the info.
cure them, i hv this experience before when i still stayed in malaysia my homelands, all my rabbits attacked by this skin problem end up 50 over bunnies dead within a month,
bchai
It's sad that you have to butcher the little angels, but rural life is a chore. It would be too much for me. My grandparents ate all kinds of varmints during the Depression. My mom and my uncles would hunt squirrel and rabbit in the '50s, but I've never eaten the sweet little creatures. Still I can see how a cow is also innocent and how eating burgers is sad too.
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