← Health section See a vet Contagious Medium risk Affects kits
Ear mites
psoroptic mange
The Psoroptes cuniculi mite lives inside the ear and builds up thick brown crusts. It spreads quickly through contact with infested rabbits and shared bedding. Left untreated, infection can reach the middle ear and cause a head tilt.
When to call a vet
See a vet
A vet chooses the treatment — don’t give medicines yourself. Until then, give first aid.
See a vet quickly if the head tilts, there is blood or pus from the ear, or the rabbit stops eating
Symptoms
- Head shaking and frequent ear scratching
- Brown, layered crusts inside the ear
- A drooping ear, bad smell and scratch wounds
- Restlessness, weight loss and, in severe cases, a head tilt
What to do
- 1 Move the affected rabbit to a separate cage and wash your hands after handling it
- 2 A vet will prescribe a mite treatment; all rabbits in contact must be treated together and the cages cleaned
- See a vet quickly if the head tilts, there is blood or pus from the ear, or the rabbit stops eating
What not to do
- Do not pull the crusts off — it is painful and makes the ear bleed; they soften and fall away with treatment
- Never put kerosene, diesel or crop pesticides in the ears
When it strikes
Worst in winter and early spring, when coats are thick, sheds are closed and feeding is poorer, and often milder in summer; any age can be infested, and does pass the mites to their litters.
Tap a badge to see other diseases in that group.
Prevention
- Look inside the ears of every rabbit each week
- Check new rabbits during quarantine
- Clean cages regularly and fully disinfect them at least twice a year
- Do not buy rabbits with crusts in their ears
Causes
- The Psoroptes cuniculi mite
- Contact with infested rabbits, and passing from doe to kits
- Shared bedding, cages, carriers and equipment
- Adding a new rabbit to the herd without checking it