My rabbits ear!

Question
My Bunnies ear is really heavy, it is discolored to a grey like crust over the entire ear. It is swollen. It starts at the base of the ear and covers the entire ear. What can this be?

Answer
Dear Natocha,

Without seeing it, I cannot say for sure, but a common cause of ear thickening with crust is mange, caused by parasitic mites:

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

If the ear itself is swollen and not crusty, then the bunny may have banged his ear while playing and running around, and gotten a hematoma (blood swelling) in the ear.

Either of these conditions needs to be seen and treated by a good rabbit vet:

www.rabbit.org/vets

because there are certain medications that are safe for rabbits, and others that are very dangerous.  The article above explains some of that.  Please get your bunny to the vet ASAP for treatment.

Dana