Dwarf rabbit problems

Question
Hi!

My daughter has had a dwarf rabbit for about a year.  We keep her indoors in a wire cage and she is litter-trained.  Several times over the past year, she has developed a dark, crusty substance in her ears.  I checked with a local pet store and they told me that it was probably ear mites and to use mineral oil.  The mineral oil always seems to help, but I was wondering what causes this and how can we avoid it in the future.  

Also, we recently noticed that she has lost a small dime-sized patch of fur on her back.  The skin underneath doesn't look red or irritated and we haven't seen this anywhere else on her body.  Is this something we should be concerned about?

Thanks for your help.

Mary Anne Fry

Answer
Dear Mary Anne,

Don't go to the pet store for veterinary advice.  They are not experts, and in this case, they gave you very, very old and practically useless information about how to treat ear mites.

The most effective, safe treatment is Revolution (selamectin) from your vet:

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

The mineral oil will help remove the crusts, but it won't kill the mites.  Revolution kills them.  DO NOT use Frontline, which can be deadly to rabbits.

To find a good rabbit vet, please use the list linked here:

www.rabbit.org/vets

Hope this helps!

Dana