Do Rabbits Get Eczema
By Brian
@wolfie34 (26771)
United Kingdom
April 15, 2007 5:04am CST
I am concerned about our rabbit Della, I have found on her underside a very pink patch which has formed scabs across it. Usually she is an indoor rabbit, but because of the good weather we have let her run in our back garden which is completely closed off so she can't escape but has the freedom of the garden.
Are there any plants to be wary off, that could harm her? Is there anything I can give her, how did she get the scabs, I have checked for flea and mite dirt but she is clean.
It might mean taking her to the vets, but if it's a simple case of changing her husbandry or accepting that she may have eczema.
Any tips, suggestions would be most welcome!
3 people like this
5 responses
@patootie (3592)
•
6 May 07
Well I suppose it could be ringworm .. that breaks out in sore patches .. or mange ..
If you have a magnifying glass you can check to see if anything is 'moving' by scraping a small patch of the sore and checking it out ..
Even if it is 'just' excema your bunny will need some cream from the vet so ease the itching or the sore patch will just get bigger ... so it's a trip to the vets for you and bunny ...
1 person likes this
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
15 Apr 07
Well wolfie, - truly I don't know. I have never heard if it, but I guess there are lots of skin diseases out there that can become worse in the sudden warmer weather. I would advise a trip to the Vets - always better to be safe than sorry. By the way - how does the rabbit cope with all your cats? With my cats I would be continually scared they would harm her:-((
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
15 Apr 07
Well that's good to hear. My next door neighbours used to have a black rabbit. She lived in a hutch, but used to have a fenced in "run", and occasionally could have the freedom of the garden when they were there to supervise. And my old tabby cat Caspar (the one who was run over last year) used to sit on the fence and glare at her with such total longing in his eyes! He wanted her soooooo much;-(( Glad Della is happy.
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
15 Apr 07
Yes Wolfie Pets can get Eczema so I suggest you take her to Vet
My little Dog suffers with his Skin bad and when gets really bad he actually needs Antibiotics and Steroids
So get the poor thing to the Vet
There should not be anything outside affecting your Rabbit we used to let ours run around in the Garden
@ariesflame (188)
• United States
17 May 07
Hi there wolfie, my guess is that your bunny has ear mites..or some kind of mites. it is treatable with antibiotic drops from the vet. (My siblings used to raise show rabbits for their 4-H group) They had to contend with ear mites a lot because they were such sedentary creatures (mostly lop ears). Anyway, call your vet and make sure you sanitize her cage with boiling water and a good disinfectant or they will come back. Wash anything that has come in contact with her including yourself. We may not be able to get them but Mites can survive for a couple of weeks on us without eating and then they just jump back on the bunny. Treat her areas like you would someone with lice. Clean it all up! She will appreciate the nice clean home too :) :) Don't worry, mites happen to rabbits all the time and it doesn't mean her area is dirty it just means she was exposed to them from something! Hope this helps!
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
18 May 07
Antibiotics for ear mites? Umm... no.
Antibiotics are for bacteria, not for parasites. You'd need to treat with an antiparasitic, preferably ivermectin.
Ear mites aren't caused by being sedentary either, although, show rabbits may have poorer immune systems than most and be especially susceptible to pick up the mites at shows.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
18 May 07
But mites aren't bacteria. I've seen some bad cases where the rabbit didn't even have ears anymore, and yes, that would absolutely warrant the need for antibiotics. But why would someone let their pet rabbit's ears get that bad? The ones I've seen that bad were neglect cases.
Sanitizing the area does help for mites. I use bleach and it's pretty effective. But that's because bleach will kill them, even though they're parasites. Mites are NOT bacteria.
You should always wash your hands and arms after handling an animal with mites, and change your shirt as well. I usually take the extra precaution and shower too, using a spray bottle of bleach over my hands and arms before showering.
@ariesflame (188)
• United States
18 May 07
Bacteria can be treated with antibiotics. The vets we used prescribed them for the worst cases. There are some bacteria that do respond to antibiotics...my husband is on them now for a bacterial infection that is going around. They use them to make the bacteria stop growing from what I understand. The reason I suggested sanitizing the area is because that is what we were told to do to make sure they don't come back. It's one of those things that the Vet told us to do to make sure that the mites were gone. (And then we had to wash our hands before we treated the rabbits etc and after we handled them (which we did anyway..but antibacterial soap was recommended).
