An ear tick (aka ear scabies) is a common rabbit disease caused by the parasite Psorotes cuniculi, a yellowish oval tick. That is why the disease officially became known as "psoroptosis."
The effects of ear scabies
The habitat of such small pests (only 0.6 mm in size) is the auricles of rabbits, in which there is a large number of blood vessels under the skin that is not covered with wool.
The result of tick activity is itching and severe irritation, causing great inconvenience to the animal. An unnoticed ear tick in rabbits, the treatment of which will begin too late, can cause serious consequences for the pet:
- significant weight loss;
- refusal of the male from mating, and females from feeding the hatched offspring;
- a brain tumor;
- death of an animal.
Therefore, it is important to take all possible measures to prevent a dangerous disease and timely treatment when it is detected. Otherwise, the ear mite can quickly penetrate the ear canal and further into the middle ear. And this is fraught with the occurrence of otitis media and the inflammatory process of the brain with the inevitable damage to the nervous system.
Ways of infection with psoroptosis
Psoroptosis infection occurs in several ways:
- from an infected animal to a healthy individual through dandruff and skin flakes falling from the ears along with ticks;
- from rabbits to rabbits;
- from the remaining parasites in the cracks of the cell where the infected animal was previously kept;
- from the owner through work clothes or care items.
Also, the spread of the disease, especially when activated in winter and spring, can be affected by crowded content of eared pets, increased humidity, poor feeding, the presence of helminth infections and other infections.
Most often, the ear tick in rabbits, the treatment of which we will describe in our article, affects individuals over the age of 4 months. Asymptomatic incubation stage of the disease lasts 5 days. Then the bites of the parasite become inflamed, the formation of wounds and reddish tubercles occurs with the release of the anemone. When it dries up, sulfur lumps accumulate in the ears, which can subsequently completely block the ear canal.
Signs of the presence of an ear tick
You can detect the presence of an ear tick by the restless state of the pet. Trying to get rid of scabs - dried pus secretions formed after a tick bite, the rabbit scratches its ears, rubs them on the cage, tries to scratch its legs, shakes its head. In addition, the animal loses its appetite and when it worsens, it completely stops eating.
When examining the auricles, brown peels can be easily detected, sometimes covering their entire inner surface. The ears of the animal are thickened and very hot to the touch. Such a visual examination can immediately help to diagnose an “ear tick” in rabbits. Treatment does not take much time, but sometimes requires a repetition of the procedure.
To confirm the presence of an ear tick, you can conduct a laboratory examination by taking a scraping from your ears. Then it is required to warm up to 40 ° C liquid paraffin, in which to put the sample taken. Using a magnifying glass, you can easily and independently detect the pathogen - an ear mite - in rabbits.
Home Treatment: Medications
The treatment of scabies described is required by careful treatment of the inner walls of the shell and ear passages, with the removal of ticks and scabs. For such manipulations, a mixture and several ingredients in equal proportions are usually used:
- kerosene;
- creolin;
- turpentine:
- glycerin or vegetable oil.
If an ear tick is detected in rabbits, treatment with folk remedies is a fairly effective measure to get rid of it. In particular, camphor oil helps well , which, using a syringe without a needle, needs to irrigate the inner surface of the ears. The best result will be achieved with the earliest possible processing.
If there are abundant scabs in the ears of rabbits, the latter must first be softened with a mixture of iodine and glycerin (1/4) or with hydrogen peroxide. The procedure must be performed every 2 days.
In no case should you scrape off these formations with hard or sharp objects.
Ear mite in rabbits: drug treatment
Also, when removing an ear tick in combination with folk remedies, medicines should be used. These are the sprays "Acrodex", "Psoroptol", "Dicresil", "Tsiodrin" and "Dermatozole", which, from a distance of 10-20 centimeters, need to treat the affected auricles for 1-2 seconds.
To consolidate the effect, this manipulation should be repeated after half a month. In this case, the animal is guaranteed to be spared from such a dangerous and harmful parasite as an ear tick.
In rabbits, in addition, treatment can be carried out with drops of Dekt and injection solutions of Ivomek or Baymek. Effectively the action of the drugs "Ivermectin" and "Selamectin", intended for the treatment of dogs and cats and well tolerated by rabbits. After a single use, cure is observed in 80% of cases.
When treating with Valexon emulsion, the treatment should be done 2 times, which is guaranteed to relieve such a parasite as an ear tick in rabbits.
Treatment (you can see the photo of the procedure in the article), many rabbit breeders are repeated - after 5-7 days - even if this is not indicated in the instructions for the drug used. This precaution is justified, since manufacturers for advertising purposes quite often indicate the instant destruction of parasites with a single use.
The winter season is considered to be the most favorable for treatment and preventive measures: ticks located outside the body of rabbits cannot withstand low temperatures.
Disease prevention
Any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, you need to inspect the ears of the pets as often as possible and clean them. It is recommended to do this twice a month.
In this case, sucral females must be treated 2 weeks before the offspring, even in the absence of signs of an ear tick. And in contact with infected animals, it is necessary to wash your hands well so as not to accidentally infect healthy individuals.
For prophylactic purposes, it is recommended to disinfect cells, feeding devices and working tools twice a year. Acquired newcomers should be quarantined for several weeks, without contact with the main herd, to prevent the appearance of such a dangerous parasite as an ear mite in rabbits.
Treatment at home with folk remedies is quite effective with the timely detection of the disease, so you should always pay attention to the behavior of pets, especially during feeding.