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Mange
sarcoptic mange, fur mites
Tiny mites living in the skin or the coat cause intense itching, crusts and fur loss. Mange mites attack the nose, lips, skin around the eyes and the feet, while fur mites cause heavy "walking dandruff" along the back. Both are contagious and can also cause temporary itching in people.
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 if the rabbit loses weight, stops eating or has infected sores; see a doctor if family members start itching
Symptoms
- Intense itching; the rabbit keeps scratching and chewing itself
- Grey-white crusts on the nose, lips, eyelids, ear edges and paws
- Heavy dandruff and thinning fur on the back and shoulders
- Thickened, cracked skin and infected scratch wounds
- Weight loss and poor appetite
What to do
- 1 Isolate the affected rabbit, handle it with gloves and wash your hands afterwards
- 2 A vet will examine a skin scraping to tell mites from a fungal infection, and treatment depends on the result
- 3 Only a vet should prescribe the mite treatment, and all rabbits in contact are treated together
- 4 Clean the cage and burn the old bedding
- See a vet if the rabbit loses weight, stops eating or has infected sores; see a doctor if family members start itching
What not to do
- Do not rub kerosene, diesel, used engine oil or crop pesticides on the skin
When it strikes
Builds up in winter and early spring, when coats are thick, rabbits are kept shut in and feed is poorer; it spreads by contact at any age, and nursing does pass it to their litters.
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Prevention
- Check the skin and coat of new rabbits during quarantine
- Keep cages clean and dry and avoid overcrowding
- Keep stray cats, dogs and other animals out of the rabbitry
- Handle rabbits regularly and look at their skin
Causes
- Sarcoptes and Notoedres mites (mange) and Cheyletiella mites (fur mites)
- Contact with infested rabbits, shared bedding and equipment
- Dirty, damp and crowded cages
- Stress and weak immunity, which let mites multiply faster