Treating Ear Mites in Rabbits
(c) Gryph- if you repost this article, please post with a link back to my website.
SPECIAL NOTE: I am a huge proponent of natural treatments; however, mites are one of the few things that I automatically treat with medications because they can be so contagious and so time-consuming to treat naturally.
Rabbit ear mites (Psoroptes cuniculi) are very common parasite in rabbits and most breeders will have a run in with them at one point or another. Because they are so common, having a reliable remedy for them is important. An early infestation is not usually serious, but if left untreated it can lead to secondary bacterial infections which can extend into the middle and inner ear causing head tilt, loss of balance, and even fatal meningitis. In advanced cases, the ear mites can leave the ears and expand their populations across the rabbit’s body resulting in severe, generalized body scratching and widespread skin redness, trauma-induced hair loss, widespread scabbing and dermatitis.
Mites are oval-shaped with moderately short legs and long segmented suckers. They pierce the skin at the base of hairs and use those bell-shaped suckers to feed on the host's lymphatic fluids. They have several different life stages- egg, larva, protonymph and adult mite. The complete cycle runs about 21 days, with eggs hatching after 4 days. Ear mites often infect only one ear. The ear mites start out by invading the deeper regions of the rabbit's external ear canal, living deep down where they cannot be easily seen. Because of this, early infestations are often missed by the breeder. In early stages, you may notice a waxy build up inside one or both ears. As the ear mites multiply, the infestation expands and extends from the ear canal onto the outer ear flap. The mucus and fecal material that ear mites leave behind usually leads to an inflammatory reaction that leads to the rabbit scratching its ears. The blood that comes out of the scratched lesions serves as a source of nutrition for the ear mites. You can have an infestation without ever seeing the actual mites.
Symptoms of ear mites include itching ears, frequently shaking the head, and scratching. In early stages, skin scales appear deep in the ear canal and earlobes and can be very difficult to see. These yellow-gray scales (sometimes called canker) can become very thick and carry large numbers of the parasites, feces from the mites, skin cells and blood. They may also be un unpleasant odor coming from the ears. If not treated at this stage, the scales will grow into a crust and extend up the ear. The ear can sometimes droop. This crust should NOT be removed- the skin a rabbit's ears is very thin and delicate, and removing the crust can cause permanent injury and extreme pain to the rabbit. Instead, the crust will fall off on its own after successful treatment.
Ear mites are very contagious and can survive away from their host animal for days up to three weeks depending on humidity and temperature. They can be spread in the following ways:
It is imperative that you sanitize your rabbit's environment to prevent reinfestation. Ear mites can fall off of or crawl off of the rabbit and contaminate the environment and when mite-infested rabbits shake or scratch their ears, flakes of the mite-infested crust can spread to neighboring rabbits. While treating ear mites, carefully and thoroughly cleaning the cage, hutch, feed dishes, toys, water bottles and anything the rabbit can come into contact with is necessary. Remove any potentially contaminated bedding. This is another reason I do not care for wood hutches where the rabbit can come into contact with the wood- they are difficult to sanitize after exposure to parasites or disease.
Checking for ear mites should be a regular part of your rabbit husbandry. Use a flashlight to shine deep into the ear canal, watching for the beginnings of crusty yellow scales. Treat at the first sign of parasitic infection. While all breeds are susceptible to ear mites, lop-eared rabbits are more susceptible than most breeds because they have a weak point in the ear canal where it folds, allowing the ear to flop down. It can also be harder to spot infestations in lop eared rabbits since the interior of the ear is not usually visible without manipulating the ear.
The best treatment in my experience for ear mites is applying an avermectin drug, such as ivermectin. Avermectins will not kill the eggs, but with an appropriate dose, the drug remains in the tissue long enough to kill the larvae that emerge from the eggs. I recommend injectable ivermectin (such as this one). Note: this is an off-label use. You will need a syringe and a needle (I recommend a 20g or larger needle) to draw the drug out of the bottle (note: I also find that the needles can help slow down the application, making it easier to use only a few drops). Apply several drops to each ear. Repeat in 10-14 days if necessary. You can also give the drug orally. I have found that injecting it is no better than applying it externally, and any time you inject a rabbit you risk an abscess. I do NOT recommend pour-on avermectins because they are composed primarily of alcohol which burns and stings open sores, which can cause unnecessary discomfort and pain for your rabbit.
DO NOT USE HORSE PASTE. Horse paste is designed to treat a much larger animal and the medication is mixed into the paste, but is often not mixed so thoroughly that a pea-sized drop (as some people will tell you to use) might have none of the medication in it, or might have a dangerous dose in it. I cannot tell you how many horror stories I have heard (from close friends and people I trust) about rabbits who were exposed to toxic doses from using even a pea-sized dollop of horse paste. Some of the rabbits recovered, and some did not.
Ivermectin works by stimulating excessive release of neurotransmitters in the peripheral nervous system of parasites. It paralyzes the parasite and inactivates the parasite gut. Overdose of ivermectin (which is a neurotoxin) leads to continuous "firing" of the nerves. Problems can include limb paralysis, seizure, coma, tremor and sometimes death.
If you prefer not to use chemical treatments, another treatment option is to treat with oil. First of all, quarantine the infected rabbit- this is very important to prevent further infestation. Mineral oil, baby oil, olive oil, almond oil, canola oil, corn oil, and even vegetable oil can all be used. Do NOT use motor oil. Add a few drops at a time into each ear (don't overdo it- more will be unhelpful and could make the rabbit uncomfortable), and massage the oil into the ear canal. The oil will suffocate the mites and kill them, although this takes time. Oil treatment should be done daily for 14 days, and then again on day 21 and again on day 28 so that you can break the life cycle of the mites. Again, remember to disinfect anything the rabbit may have come into contact with during the infestation.
To prevent infestations in the first place, there are a couple of things you can do. None of these will guarantee that you will never have an infestation, but these steps can help lower your odds.
Mites are oval-shaped with moderately short legs and long segmented suckers. They pierce the skin at the base of hairs and use those bell-shaped suckers to feed on the host's lymphatic fluids. They have several different life stages- egg, larva, protonymph and adult mite. The complete cycle runs about 21 days, with eggs hatching after 4 days. Ear mites often infect only one ear. The ear mites start out by invading the deeper regions of the rabbit's external ear canal, living deep down where they cannot be easily seen. Because of this, early infestations are often missed by the breeder. In early stages, you may notice a waxy build up inside one or both ears. As the ear mites multiply, the infestation expands and extends from the ear canal onto the outer ear flap. The mucus and fecal material that ear mites leave behind usually leads to an inflammatory reaction that leads to the rabbit scratching its ears. The blood that comes out of the scratched lesions serves as a source of nutrition for the ear mites. You can have an infestation without ever seeing the actual mites.
Symptoms of ear mites include itching ears, frequently shaking the head, and scratching. In early stages, skin scales appear deep in the ear canal and earlobes and can be very difficult to see. These yellow-gray scales (sometimes called canker) can become very thick and carry large numbers of the parasites, feces from the mites, skin cells and blood. They may also be un unpleasant odor coming from the ears. If not treated at this stage, the scales will grow into a crust and extend up the ear. The ear can sometimes droop. This crust should NOT be removed- the skin a rabbit's ears is very thin and delicate, and removing the crust can cause permanent injury and extreme pain to the rabbit. Instead, the crust will fall off on its own after successful treatment.
Ear mites are very contagious and can survive away from their host animal for days up to three weeks depending on humidity and temperature. They can be spread in the following ways:
- Coming into direct contact with another infected rabbit- they will climb from one rabbit to another
- Spending time in an environment where an infected rabbit has been
- Through the hands and clothes of the rabbit caretaker from handling more than one rabbit
It is imperative that you sanitize your rabbit's environment to prevent reinfestation. Ear mites can fall off of or crawl off of the rabbit and contaminate the environment and when mite-infested rabbits shake or scratch their ears, flakes of the mite-infested crust can spread to neighboring rabbits. While treating ear mites, carefully and thoroughly cleaning the cage, hutch, feed dishes, toys, water bottles and anything the rabbit can come into contact with is necessary. Remove any potentially contaminated bedding. This is another reason I do not care for wood hutches where the rabbit can come into contact with the wood- they are difficult to sanitize after exposure to parasites or disease.
Checking for ear mites should be a regular part of your rabbit husbandry. Use a flashlight to shine deep into the ear canal, watching for the beginnings of crusty yellow scales. Treat at the first sign of parasitic infection. While all breeds are susceptible to ear mites, lop-eared rabbits are more susceptible than most breeds because they have a weak point in the ear canal where it folds, allowing the ear to flop down. It can also be harder to spot infestations in lop eared rabbits since the interior of the ear is not usually visible without manipulating the ear.
The best treatment in my experience for ear mites is applying an avermectin drug, such as ivermectin. Avermectins will not kill the eggs, but with an appropriate dose, the drug remains in the tissue long enough to kill the larvae that emerge from the eggs. I recommend injectable ivermectin (such as this one). Note: this is an off-label use. You will need a syringe and a needle (I recommend a 20g or larger needle) to draw the drug out of the bottle (note: I also find that the needles can help slow down the application, making it easier to use only a few drops). Apply several drops to each ear. Repeat in 10-14 days if necessary. You can also give the drug orally. I have found that injecting it is no better than applying it externally, and any time you inject a rabbit you risk an abscess. I do NOT recommend pour-on avermectins because they are composed primarily of alcohol which burns and stings open sores, which can cause unnecessary discomfort and pain for your rabbit.
DO NOT USE HORSE PASTE. Horse paste is designed to treat a much larger animal and the medication is mixed into the paste, but is often not mixed so thoroughly that a pea-sized drop (as some people will tell you to use) might have none of the medication in it, or might have a dangerous dose in it. I cannot tell you how many horror stories I have heard (from close friends and people I trust) about rabbits who were exposed to toxic doses from using even a pea-sized dollop of horse paste. Some of the rabbits recovered, and some did not.
Ivermectin works by stimulating excessive release of neurotransmitters in the peripheral nervous system of parasites. It paralyzes the parasite and inactivates the parasite gut. Overdose of ivermectin (which is a neurotoxin) leads to continuous "firing" of the nerves. Problems can include limb paralysis, seizure, coma, tremor and sometimes death.
If you prefer not to use chemical treatments, another treatment option is to treat with oil. First of all, quarantine the infected rabbit- this is very important to prevent further infestation. Mineral oil, baby oil, olive oil, almond oil, canola oil, corn oil, and even vegetable oil can all be used. Do NOT use motor oil. Add a few drops at a time into each ear (don't overdo it- more will be unhelpful and could make the rabbit uncomfortable), and massage the oil into the ear canal. The oil will suffocate the mites and kill them, although this takes time. Oil treatment should be done daily for 14 days, and then again on day 21 and again on day 28 so that you can break the life cycle of the mites. Again, remember to disinfect anything the rabbit may have come into contact with during the infestation.
To prevent infestations in the first place, there are a couple of things you can do. None of these will guarantee that you will never have an infestation, but these steps can help lower your odds.
- Keep clean living conditions and try to keep dirt and dust at a minimum
- Do not use straw as bedding or in nest boxes (straw tends to harbor mites)
- Avoid use of wood hutches
- Avoid overcrowding
- Reduce stress to your rabbits
- Provide balanced nutrition
- And MOST IMPORTANTLY- quarantine any new rabbits coming into your rabbitry for a minimum of 30 days
