# Fur mites or..? *pics*



## hadley. (Nov 19, 2012)

hi guys..
Ugh my female lop is having a repeat of what I initially THOUGHT was fur mites..

I noticed her hair on her lower back/bum area above her tail felt matted, and upon further inspection I was able to effortlessly pull out clumps of fur from one spot. The fur came out in loose clumps with dandruff attached to the ends. She now has a bald spot there, and I would be able to pull out more fur if I tried... You can see around the bald spot that she has more "dandruff".

She had this months back and I brought her to the vet and she was treated for fur mites with two doses of Ivermectin injections 2 weeks apart. They did NOT find any mites on the fur sample however..

I've looked at pics of fur mites and she doesn't have the typical thick scaly flakes- it's exactly like a layer of dry skin/dandruff.. then the fur just falls out easily.

Last time her fur grew back rather quickly even before the shots. I honestly think it wasn't truly fur mites though and that the problem never really went away..

Is this normal? Do some bunnies have dry skin/dandruff especially around molt time??

Here's some pics of what i pulled out & the (now) bald spot..



























Edit: the area in the pics is right beside her tail on her bum/ lower lower back. She can't clean/lick this area very well since it is kind of out of her reach.. could this be the cause?


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## funnybunnymummy (Nov 19, 2012)

This time of year it could be dandruff from dry skin combined with moulting. What type of heating do you have in your house? Do you use a humidifier?

I treat Gus with Revolution every spring and fall and that seems enough to keep any nasty critters at bay.

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## hadley. (Nov 19, 2012)

We have central heating. She is kept in my bedroom but I don't have a humidifier. It was summer weather when i found this on her before..Same area.

I am reluctant to have her dosed with ivermectin again beause we lost our older bun 4 days after he received his shot (vet recommended we have all rabbits in the house treated after my girl was..)

So now I am terrified she could have a reaction to it.

What can I do about the dandruff? She seems to have it all over that area (but no thick crusty scabs or anything...)


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## funnybunnymummy (Nov 19, 2012)

If she didn't react to it before, she most likely won't now. But certain breeds of rabbits, Dutch in particular, can have negative reactions to Ivermectin. Many breeders swear by it, but I'm not a big fan for that reason.

Have you looked into Revolution? It's more expensive, but I've found for house rabbits not necessary more than twice per year (in the spring and fall when the buggies are at their baddest). I've never heard of a rabbit having a bad reaction to it either.

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## hadley. (Nov 19, 2012)

Thanks for your replies..

I am really just weary of treating her for something she doesn't have or just doesn't work. Not to mention the costs for the check up & rounds of injections. She didn't react at all to them before but I don't want to take an unnecessary risk with them if she doesn't actually have mites.. Also ivermectin is not approved for use in rabbits so that doesn't make me feel much better.

I inquired about Revolution before she got the shots. The vet didn't have much to say about it.. just went on to say that the ivermectin was far more effective.

It it's not fur mites what could it be?


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## JBun (Nov 19, 2012)

I don't know if this is a possibility, but horses can get a type of worm that will cause them to loose hair in patches like that, with the dead skin on the hair. It's usually up along the back spine area, but I don't know if rabbits can get that worm. The other thing it makes me think of is maybe a fungal infection on the skin. I agree though, that it doesn't look like the typical results from having mites. Ivermectin would take care of it if it's a worm problem. I'm not sure what is done for a fungal infection on the skin. Ivermectin can also be administered orally as well.


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## hadley. (Nov 19, 2012)

I have two horses too . Usually patchy hair loss is associated with rain rot (which is a fungus). They can get ringworm as well.

I don't see any similarities though.

I wish i could just scrub her up with some head&shoulders shampoo ..but that's not bunny-safe, is it?


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## Nancy McClelland (Nov 19, 2012)

I'd have the vet do a culture to see if it might be ringworm. @ of ours got it and had reddish, bald spots and a bunch of waxy looking flakes. Culture came back and we treated for ringworm and it's never came back.


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## Geoff (Nov 20, 2012)

from the photos it certainly looks like a lot of dry flaky skin, a typical finding when bunnies have Cheyletiella infestation (but not diagnostic for one). Usually these mites are easy to find, so if there have multiple 'scrapings' and no mites or eggs were found, perhaps there is something else going on (a dermatophyte infection is also a possibility- aka Ringworm or skin fungus). 

If it is a mite infestation, both Ivermectin and Revolutions (very closely related product called Selamectin) work equally well (pretty sure one is not more or less effective than the other). Usually I treat rabbits every 1-2 weeks with these medications for mites and cure rates are near 100% (most mites are very easy to get rid of... but not that easy to get out of your house so reinfection is a common problem). 

If it turns out to be a dermatophyte, these are generally fairly easy to treat as well, but require more work than a simple topical, oral or injectable treatment. Most require at least one or two dips, and some require oral medication for a period of up to a month. 

Dermatophytes are less easy to diagnose, as black lights (aka Woods Lamps), sometimes used to detect ringworm in cats, rarely if ever work for rabbit fungi. So cultures are usually done and they can take many weeks to get either a positive or negative finding. Usually, but not always, dermatophytes cause a scaly skin (more than just a simple dandruff) along with hair loss in bunnies. But really, dermatophyte infections can look many different ways (including a totally normal hair coat in some 'carrier' rabbits). Dermatophyte infections also require a lot of environmental cleaning as well (more even than do Cheyletiella infestations). 

Both these situations involve the potential of zoonosis (spread of the problem to us)


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## woahlookitsme (Nov 20, 2012)

totally agree with the above. You can ask your vet to perform a DTM culture and this will allow them to see if its fungal. It takes about 1-2 weeks to actually grow so it's a long process but may help. 

Many rabbit breeders use ivermectin religiously and I know dutch being the example are some breeds that are more sensitive to being treated by it. I would almost second the re infestation. Sometimes mites can be as bad as fleas. If it is mange I know it can be very hard to find under the microscope and some of my vets will do another one if they are totally sure but cant seem to find them. When my rabbit had a bald spot we gave her selamectin(Revolution) just as a preventative because I didn't know what it was and it cleared her up within a week and fur started to grow.


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## Ilovemyrabbit (Nov 20, 2012)

ray:


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## hadley. (Nov 25, 2012)

The dandruff is now worse and back with vengeance. It's getting thicker and scalier and her hair is still falling out. Her bald patches of skin are very red and irritated. I am making a vet appointment ASAP.

I'll update this week... really hope this gets sorted out.


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## Imbrium (Nov 25, 2012)

ray:


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## mshill90 (Nov 26, 2012)

There is something I buy at Tractor Supply called "Horseman's Dream Fung-A-Way" 

http://www.tractorsupply.com/horseman-s-dream-reg-fung-a-way-32-oz--5022552

I had the same issue with my female flemish when she was only a few months old. I used this, and once dry I used a little bit of Se7en Dust Powder for fleas/ticks/mites, and it worked like a charm. 

Good Luck!


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## Joyce Guardado (Oct 11, 2018)

hadley. said:


> hi guys..
> Ugh my female lop is having a repeat of what I initially THOUGHT was fur mites..
> 
> I noticed her hair on her lower back/bum area above her tail felt matted, and upon further inspection I was able to effortlessly pull out clumps of fur from one spot. The fur came out in loose clumps with dandruff attached to the ends. She now has a bald spot there, and I would be able to pull out more fur if I tried... You can see around the bald spot that she has more "dandruff".
> ...


It’s often fur mites and sometimes you can’t see them my bunny got them from hay.
Our hay is fresh from the farm and they can often have all kinds of things
Even snakes or snake skin
Hope this helps


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## Popsicles (Oct 11, 2018)

@Joyce Guardado This post was from 6 years ago, keep an eye out for the date when replying to threads.


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