Ear Scratching

Question
Hi Dr. Krempels

I have an appointment with my Vet in a matter of hours but I wanted to ask a question and see what your take on the situation.

I have a 5 year old Holland Lop (the love of my life).

She is acting normal eating drinking and carrying on like a happy bunny then all of a sudden she will start scratching her one ear violently!  I am afraid she is going to draw blood with how aggressive she gets with herself.

When I look in her ear I just see a little bit of ear wax and its not brown its more like the light orange/ yellow.

What do you think is going on with her?

I have a few other questions too if you dont mind addressing them as well...

She use to like timothy hay but cant really be bothered with it anymore and on the rare occasion she gets alfalfa hay she devours it... is it ok to give her more alfalfa?

My vet recommended giving her a 1 1/2cup of fresh veggies daily and she gets bok choy and carrots do you see any issues with this?

What veggies do you recommend for rabbits?

Thank you for your time

Alexis and Meadow :)

Answer
Dear Alexis,

Holland Lops are prone to dental problems, and picky eating habits can be the first sign.  She might like alfalfa hay so much more than timothy that she's willing to put up with the discomfort to have it.  But please read:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/dental.html

You'll need a vet who is really familiar with rabbit medicine and dental problems in particular.  I hope you can find one here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

though it seems that rabbit-savvy vets are few and far between in the Great White North.  :(

We give all our bunnies fresh veggies daily, and you can find a complete overview of healthy rabbit diet--including veggie list--here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/diet.html

Hope this helps.

Dana