Tornado Update

Just a video update for all of our family and friends to know how we are doing. Thanks for all your continued prayers and support!

Canton Tornado 2017

Days after posting or latest rabbit offerings for sale on many different Facebook pages, our rabbitry in Canton, Texas was hit by a tornado. They tell me that the wind speeds were 140+ miles per hour. From the damage that our small homestead revived as a result of these winds I believe it. Essentially the farm has been destroyed and most of the buildings, greenhouse, and chicken pens were destroyed. We are safe, and miraculously we only lost 2 adult American Blues (a male and a female) and one of the American Blue litters (8, 10-week old kits).

To say we were at a loss as to what to do next is an understatement. A fellow breeder (Bonita Hunt of Bailywick Rabbitry) whom we have bought breeding stock before contacted us and offered to come and house our rabbits for us. She drove more than two hours and brought her truck and horse trailer and took the whole herd to their home. She refused to take any money for feed to house or livestock, she is truly a good Samaritan and we can thank her enough.

Needless to say, all rabbit sales have to be put on hold at this time. Thank you for all the prayers and messages and calls that we have received in support. We will keep you updated on the status of the farm. I have included a link to the video that I shot we we first arrived on the scene. Thanks again.

If you need a good source for rabbits please contact our friends below:

Steve Coyne (Texas Bunny Barn) Forney, TX 972-742-4922

Bonita Hunt (Bailywick Rabbitry) Honey Grove, TX 903-946-4666

Basgil/Borden, John Gillis Lines

We have eight New Zealand White (NZW) Basgil/Borden and John Gillis lines males and females for sale. Both the sire and dam come from strong winning bloodlines. We can pair any females with our two remaining Basgil/Borden bucks (see our other post) for a great trio of NZW that will start you on the road to success in breeding your own meat rabbits. These rabbits would be a great addition to your rabbitry if you are looking to add a new blood to your heard. They are $35 each, or $30 each if you purchase them both. These guys are good lookers and will not last long.

We are loated in Canton, TX, If interested you can send me a PM, or give us a call (469) 526-3665 and leave a message as I am unable to answer my phone during working hours, and I will get back with you as soon as possible.

Basgil/Borden Bucks

We have two New Zealand White Basgil/Borden males remaining for sale. Both the sire and dam come from strong Basgil/Borden bloodlines. These guys would be a great addition to your rabbitry if you are looking to add a new blood to your heard. They are $40 each, or $35 each if you purchase them both. These guys are good lookers and will not last long.

We are loated in Canton, TX, If interested you can send me a PM, or give us a call (469) 526-3665 and leave a message as I am unable to answer my phone during working hours, and I will get back with you as soon as possible.

Self-Injury In Rabbits

Here on the TAP Homestead and Rabbitry, we are a small working farm. The primary goal here is to provide for ourselves as much fresh fruits (blackberries, apples, and pears) vegetables, eggs, and meat (rabbit and chicken) as possible. As well as supplement our income with rabbit and chicken sales. We have taken the Blue Bell approach in that “we eat all we can, and we sell the rest.” Because of this predation, injury or disease that causes us to lose a productive animal is not something that we like to experience. Unfortunately, it happens, and such is the circle of life on the farm.

The purpose of this article is to share with you the rare experience that you may have when you embark on raising rabbits for meat and or sales. We have been raising meat rabbits now for three years, and this was he first time that we have had a rabbit engage in the process of self-injury or mutilation. It is my hope that this article will shed some light on this subject and although rare, if you happen to experience this in your herd, you will know that you are not alone. Included at the end of this article is a picture of the self inflicted injuries that our New Zealand Red (NZR) buck had inflicted upon himself. They are quite graphic, but I felt the need for them to be included so that you could see the extent of what he did to himself in just a few days.

Possible Causes

There are many theories as to why a rabbit begin to chew on their feet, but there is no definitive test that can determine the exact cause of this behavior. For the owner of a 'pet' rabbit, the first step would be to take their animal to the veterinarian to have it examined, and a multitude of tests run. However, for the meat producer or small homesteader, this is most often not a fiscally reasonable option. Spending $100 or more for a breeder that can be easily replaced by another for $30 - $50 is somewhat wasteful, even if the rabbit was of exceptional quality. So what causes a rabbit to engage in self-injury? Self mutilation by rabbits may be caused be any one, or a combination of the following.

According to the Textbook Of Rabbits Medicine, 'The cause of self-mutilation is not clear and it is likely that a number of conditions may result in this type of behavior. Obsessive/compulsive behavior., hypersensitivity, harvest mite infection, atopy and contact dermatitis are among the causes that have been considered. Many rabbits carry Cheyletiella parasitovorax and/or Leporacus gibbus mites and hypersensitivity is a possibility' (Varga p. 240). In addition, the authors indicate that 'self-mutilation sometimes appears to be a psychological disorder. Active, sociable animals seem most susceptible. Environmental enrichment, including the opportunity to exercise and a bonded companion can be successful in preventing the syndrome' (Varga p. 240).

A five year study conducted by scientists regarding the problem of self-mutilation of laboratory rabbits began with the basic assumption that this behavior was caused by poor nutrition, caging, social contact, and or environment and care. The initial outcome of their study indicated that there was no specific trigger for self mutilation. 'No other behavioral abnormalities or signs of disease were evident. Self-mutilation was seen both in stock, breeding and experimental animals, in rabbits kept singly in cages and in those housed in groups on the ground, in rabbits kept in different buildings and under the care of different staff members. This behavioral abnormality of Checkered crosses has also been observed in animals after being placed into other institutions or private homes. No evidence of an agent responsible for the occurrence of self-injury could be found with parasitological, mycological, histological, clinical or haematological examination' (Iglauer, et. al). Their conclusion after completing their five year study was that the cause of the self-mutilation in theses cases was of a psychological not physical condition. Once 'the condition was recognized as an obsessive-compulsive behavioral disorder. Thereafter, animals were hindered from inflicting further self-injury' (Iglauer, et. al).

It would appear that the evidence strongly suggests, that when there is no physical cause, that self-mutilation is rabbits comes as a result of a psychological disorder, but other environmental, age, or stress related factors cannot be totally ruled out. Some of the other factors that have been discussed as possible causes for self-injury or mutilation include:

• Pain from arthritis (primarily in older rabbits)
• Nerve damage related to previous injury or injection site
• Stress and boredom, a rabbit may chew on it's own foot when bored or stressed
• Contact Dermatitis
• Presence of a foreign body in the foot or fur
• Contaminated food supply (rare)
• Hereditary conditions (psychological disorders)
• Infestation of the skin by parasites such as fur mites or burrowing mites
  
  

Prevention

So how do you keep your rabbits from self-mutilation? The problem is that without being able to identify the exact trigger or cause of the foot chewing or self-injury, it is rather difficult to prevent the problem. Having said that, there are some overall strategies that you can implement to possibly minimize any potential self-mutilation problems in the future. As I mentioned in some of my earlier articles on rabbit nutrition, a diet high in fiber is important to rabbit health, supplying your rabbit(s) with something to chew on other than themselves is important to relieve boredom. 'Chewing through a mound of hay or grazing grass prevents boredom as well as providing indigestible fiber. Toys, such as cardboard boxes or branches of wood will also provide entertainment' (Varga p. 240). If however, the problem of self-mutilation develops as a result of a psychological disorder, there is really no way for you to prevent the problem from occurring.

The Solution

We examined all the possible things that we believed that could have led to this condition in 'LER'. My wife treated his wounds, but he continued to chew on his feet on a daily basis. Our initial observation was that he did not have any pain and this activity did not keep from from eating. In fact, because he exhibited no outward signs of pain or distress, we did not notice this practice until he had be doing it for a few days. Attempting to determine the cause, we examined all the things which we discovered in our research regarding self-injury in rabbits. There has been no change in his diet, environment, and we do not believe that any new stressors were apparent that would have been a factor. It could have been related to arthritic pain, but he was only three years old, and he had no other outward signs of physical injury that we could see upon examination. We could not find any foreign object in either of his back legs or hocks that would have caused him pain. Honestly, we were stumped as to the cause, and whether it was physical or psychological in nature.

Unfortunately, we could not allow him to continue this practice. For us, as breeders of meat rabbits and small time homesteaders, the only viable and humane option was to euthanise our NZR buck LER. It is not something that we wanted to do, or an action that we took lightly. LER had been a really good breeder for us, and fortunately we had a son of his from a prior breeding. In addition, we bred him the morning that we had to put him down with one of our NZR females 'Dottie' so we will keep the best male from this litter as well.

Conclusion

When you live on a working farm, regardless of size, any and all livestock that you have need to be able to perform at their designated function in order for you to make ends meet. Any and every farmer I have known hates to lose livestock to predators or disease, however both are an inevitable part of farming and ranching. While our chickens and rabbits are working animals, there is always a bit of angst when you have to dispatch of an animal that you have become attached too.

Unfortunately, we have no idea what caused our NZR buck LER to start to process of self-injury, but nothing that we did could stop him from hurting himself. When we look back on all the possible causes, I am left to wonder if it was indeed more of a psychological problem than a physical one. Even with his self inflicted injuries, he never displayed any discomfort and was able to breed this morning without any problems. Whether it physical or psychological, at this point is really not up for debate. I simply wanted to share with you our experiences regarding this problem though rare as it is, it sometimes happens. All you can do is to take the necessary precautions to ensure that your rabbits have access to proper nutrition (food and water), a clean home in which to live, and as stress free environment as possible.

Of course all is not lost, as I mentioned, we have a breeding male from a previous litter of LER's that was intended as his replacement, and we were able to breed him this morning to one of our other red doe's, so his genetic line will continue. So ends another day on the farm with both the beginning and end of life. We will miss you LER. I encourage you to do any additional research that you think may be necessary regarding self-injury in rabbits. As always, if you have enjoyed this article or have found it informative, then please share it with your friends. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook or Google+ so that you will not miss any of our latest articles.

Author's Note: By clicking on the link below you can download a free PDF version of the 'Textbook Of Rabbit Medicine'. It may be a bit technical, but the information is quite through and something that every raiser of meat rabbits should have in their library.

References:

Haddon, Celia, Rabbits Which Chew Their Feet or Body, 2007, Accessed April 20, 2017

F. Iglauer, C. Beig, J. Dimigen, S. Gerold, A. Gocht, A. Seeburg, S. Steier and F. Willmann. Hereditary Compulsive Self-Mutilating Behavior In Laboratory Rabbits. Lab Animals, 1995, 29:385-393

Patry, Karen, The Rabbit Raising Problem Solver, Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA, 2014.

Van Pragg, Ester PhD., Self-Mutilating Behavior In Rabbis, MediRabbit.com, Accessed April 23, 2017.

Varga, Molly BvetMed, CertZooMed, DzooMed, MRCVS, Textbook Of Rabbit Medicine, Butterworth–Heinemann Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP 225 Wildwood Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801-2041, 2002.

American Blue Breeding Pairs

We have two litters from different bloodlines of American Blue rabbits for sale. These gorgeous little guys and gals will be available for purchase on May 31^st (10 weeks old). The sire and dam of both litters are pedigreed and from different bloodlines so pedigrees are available. These bunnies would be a great addition to your rabbitry if you are looking to add a new breeding pair(s) to your heard. If you are just starting out breeding meat rabbits these guys will get you started out right! They are $30 each, or $25 each if you purchase two or more. These guys are good lookers and will not last long.

If interested you can send me a PM, or give us a call and leave a message as I am unable to answer my phone during working hours, and I will get back with you as soon as possible. You can check them out on the video below.

Ear Mites

 

One morning while doing your rabbit chores, you notice that your rabbit is shaking it's head, or scratching it's years. Upon closer examination of the rabbits ears you may notice small blisters and small areas of yellow crusting scabs in the lower portion of the ears known as 'ear mange' or 'ear canker'. At this point there is only culprit responsible for this condition, the common ear mite. Ear mites are a member of the Psoroptes or Chorioptes family. They are a blood sucking parasite that burrow into the flesh of the rabbits ears and lay their eggs in small tunnels as they suck blood from the skin. When your rabbit feels the mites biting it's ears it begins shaking it's head and scratching at it's ears which can cause more damage to the ears.

The good news is that by themselves ear mites are not deadly, however, untreated they can cause significant damage and discomfort to your rabbit and they can easily be spread from one rabbit to another unknowingly by you the breeder. In worse case scenarios, the infestation can cause the rabbit's immune system to weaken making it more susceptible to other bacterial infections. If the inner or middle ear becomes infected the rabbit(s) infected may develop wry neck (torticollis) which usually results in the death of the rabbit.

So how did your rabbits get infected with ear mites? There are many vectors that could be responsible. Mites can be transported by a number of rodents including mice and rats, as well as your barn cat if you have one. They can live in straw and or the cracks of wooden hutches for a long time and continue to re-infest your herd. They can be transmitted by the breeder by unknowingly rubbing or scratching the head and ears of a rabbit that has mites and then handling another rabbit without washing their hands in between. Your rabbit can even acquire them from any activity in which there are a large amount of rabbits present such as a rabbit show, after all it only takes one newly infected bunny to spread the mites to many others. However, the most common way mites gain access to your rabbitry is when you bring a newly infected rabbit into your rabbitry that has mites, but does not yet show any signs or symptoms of the infestation. This is what happened in our case. Fortunately, we soon discovered the problem and because the rabbit was isolated, we were able to eradicate the mites without any problem, and the rabbit involved is doing fine.

Now there are many different ways to treat ear mites. The most common non-medication treatment option is the use of mineral or olive oil (way to expensive, keep it in your kitchen) to coat the scabs and drown the mites. There are also a few different “off-label” medications that can be used to effectively kill the mites as well as their eggs. Each technique has it's advantages and disadvantages whether it be cost, length of treatment time, or possible side effects. The goal of this article is to share with you the many alternatives that you may choose to eradicate the mites from your herd should you find that you have a rabbit with ear mites.

Non-Medical Treatment

The most common non-medication type treatment for ear mites is called the 'triple 3' or 3-3-3 treatment. This treatment involves coating all the scabs on the ear with mineral oil once a day for 3 days to drown or smother the mites. The easiest way to do this is to use a small medicine dropper to place 3 or 5 drops of oil in ear year and then gently massage the ear. If there are a significant amount of scabbing noted, then dip a q-tip in the oil and gently coat the scabbed areas and carefully remove as many of the scabs as possible without causing further injury to the rabbit.

Then apply the mineral oil every other day for three applications. By this point the ears should be looking much cleaner. After three applications, continue to apply oil to the ears once a week for a total of three more weeks. Hence the name 'triple 3' or 3-3-3. This technique not only kills any active mites that may be infesting the rabbits ears, it will also kill any mites that may hatch from eggs that were still in the ear.

This process works by actually drowning the live mites with mineral oil causing them to die, the reason you have to perform so many applications of the mineral oil is that the initial application does not destroy any eggs that may be in the tunnels of the skin in which they are laid. These eggs incubate for a total of four days then new mites are hatched. So while one dose of mineral oil may kill the adult mites, four days later any eggs left in the ear will hatch and the process will continue unabated. Therefore to be effective you most perform multiple applications of mineral oil as directed.

Mineral Oil

Strength: Do not dilute

Dose: 3 to 5 drops (Enough to coat the scabs on the initial treatment)

Cost: $2.00 for 16 ounce bottle (more doses then I want to count)

Availability: Can be purchased at any drug store or supermarket.

The advantages of this form of treatment is that it is extremely cheap and relatively easy to perform. The disadvantages are that it is labor intensive, and the process takes the longest time to eradicate the mites, and you may have to perform the compete process more than once for severe infestations. If you have a lot of animals it will take you along time to treat them all.

Medical Treatment Options

There are several fifferent medications that can be used to treat ear mites in rabbits, with the exception of 'Eradimite' all of them are considered 'off-label'. That is that the medication or treatment option is effective for treating ear mites in rabbits, but that is not what the original intended use of the medication was created for. Other than Eradimite, the two most common forms of medical treatment used to treat ear mites in rabbits is the use of the anti-parasitics ivermectin and selamectin.

Eradimite

Is a topical ear solution that uses pyrethrins (0.15%) and piperonyl butoxide (1.50%) as it's active ingredients to kill the mites in dogs, cats, and rabbits. Pyrethrins come from the chrysanthemum flower and have been used in many insecticides since the 1950's, piperonyl butoxide is a chemical that keeps the insects from being able to degrade the posion therby enhancing the effectiveness of pyrethrins. The remaining ingredients (98.3%) is essentially aloe vera. Pyrtethrins are a form of nerve agent which excites the nervous system of any insect that eats or touches it. This quickly leads to their paralysis and eventually kills them. My research into this product indicates that it does nothing to destroy the mites eggs, therefore it has to be repeated several times in order to kill all of the mites in your rabbits ears.

The recommended dosage is to place 8 – 10 drops of the mediation in each ear, which means that a 1 oz bottle will probably only be good for two to four applications before you need to purchase another bottle. The instructions for use state “Repeat every 2 days until the condition has cleared up or as directed by your veterinarian.” As far as I can tell, eradimate will kill mites in their various stages of growth, but it does not effect the eggs which is why multiple applications are needed.

I have read on may forums that pet owners claim that 8 to 10 drops are way to many for their dog, cat, and or rabbit and they usually recommend only 3 to 4 drops. As I have never used this medication, and do not know of anyone who has done so, I cannot verify if the lesser dose is effective or not. There appears to be no specific 'weight based' instructions for this medication, the only caveat is that it is not to be used on dogs, cats, and rabbits less than 12 weeks old.

Eradimite (Fort Dodge)

Strength: Do not dilute

Dose: 8 to 10 drops per ear

Cost: $17 – $20 for a 1 ounce bottle (about two to four applications)

Availability: Can be purchased on-line or at some pet stores.

Ivermectin 1% (Anti-parasitic)

Some would say that the use of anti-parasitic agents is the easy way out, however it does require the purchase of medication as well as syringes, and you need to know the proper way to administer the medication to your rabbit. The medication of choice is Ivermectin (Stromectol). Ivermectin is a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic used to treat head lice, scabies, and ear mites among other things in both humans and animals. The effective dosage of ivermectin for rabbits is 0.018 to 0.025 ml of a premixed 1% sterile solution for each pound that the affected rabbit weighs. While a smaller dose may be effective, for rabbits with a severe mite infestation, it is recommended that the dose used be 0.025 ml's for each pound your rabbit weighs. Some of the brand names for ivermectin that you will find not only on the internet, but at retail farm supply stores such as Tractor Supply include: Ivomec 1%, Vetrimec 1%, and Agri-Mectin among others.

Name: Ivermectin 1% Injectable

Strength: 10mg/ml

Dose: 0.018 – 0.025 ml per pound of rabbit

Cost: $25 – $35 for 50ml bottle (about 400 – 450 doses)

Availability: Can be purchased on-line, or locally at Tractor Supply, or at almost any farm and ranch supply store.

Of the three medical treatment options, this is the cheapest as a 50ml bottle of ivermectin will supply you with enough medication for about 400 – 450 doses for a 10lb rabbit making the cost around $0.065 per application. The advantage of this treatment is that it 99.6% effective after the administration of three doses. In addition to killing ear mites, it also eradicates any fur mites the animal may have. The disadvantages is that you need to also purchase insulin syringes (which are relatively cheap) and you need to know how to give a subcutaneous injection to your animal as you will need to administer this treatment once every two weeks for a total of six weeks.

 

Breeders Note: Using insulin syringes to administer ivermectin is just about the only accurate way to administer the correct dosage of medication to your rabbit. Insulin syringes are broken down into a scale known as units. There are 100 units in 1 ml (millileter). I have taken the original recommended doses from the chart in the book 'The Rabbit Problem Solver' and added a column to the chart indicating the number of units of medication you should administer to your rabbit based on the rabbits weight. If you want to perform your own calculations simply take the dose in ml's and multiply by 100 (0.25ml x 100 = 25 units), it that simple.

Ivermectin should be administered subcutaneously once every two weeks for 6 weeks (total of 3 doses). To administer a subcutaneous injection, pinch up the skin over the shoulder blades of the rabbit and clean the area with a q-tip dipped in alcohol, or with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol. Then inject the required amount of medication into the tented area of the skin that you have just cleaned. Keep in mind that ivermectin is a thick and viscous medication and it takes a while to fill the syringe, and it will take a bit of pressure to inject it into to nape of your rabbits neck. Having a partner to hold the rabbit you wish to medicate is definitely an added bonus.

Breeders Note: There are a couple of other forms of ivermection such as pour-on, pastes, and even powders, none of which I have used. While there are a number of videos on YouTube from people who have given their rabbits ivermectin 1.87% horse de-wormer orally to treat ear mites, I cannot validate the effectiveness of the dose which is often described as "pea sized." I may delve into these other types of ivermectin in a future article, but for know, know that the subcutaneous route is safe and effective when administered correctly.

Revolution (Selamectin 15mg topically)

Revolution for dogs and cats can be used as an 'off-label' medication to treat ear mites in rabbits. According the article 'Efficacy and safety of Selamectin (Stronghold / Revolution) used Off-Label in Exotic Pets' in The Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine (JARVM), Stronghold and Revolution for puppies and kittens (5lbs and under) can be used as an effective treatment for ear mites in rabbits.

In two independent clinical trials a 15mg application of selamectin killed all of the mites in rabbits whose ears were infested. In the first study, when applied to the skin at the base of the neck either once or twice after a single application of 15mg of selamectin (1 tube) no live mites were recovered from day 7 through day 56. In the second case study four 4-month-old dwarf rabbits who shared a cage all with ear mites were treated with 15mg of selamectin, no mites were detected after 7 days.

Revolution (Mauve Colored Box)

Name: Revolution for Puppies and Kittens < 5lbs (Mauve Colored Box)

Strength: 15mg per tube, 3 tubes per box.

Dose: 1 15mg application (3 doses per box)

Cost: $25 – $30 (about $10.00 per application)

Availability: Can be purchased on-line, or locally from Pet supply stores such as Petsmart, Petco, or from your local veterinarian. 

Of the three medical treatment options, this is the most expensive as one box contains only 3 does (15mg per tube) of the selamectin making the cost about $10.00 per application. The advantage of this treatment is that it is 99.5% effective after the administration of one to two doses. It is easy to administer and takes no medical knowledge to do so. The major disadvantage is the cost. If you are only treating one or two animals this may be the route you want to go, but it is far to costly to try and treat more than a few animals.

Prevention

The old adage, “prevention is always the best medicine” still applies to ear mites. When bringing any new livestock into your rabbitry, the best practise is to isolate them from the rest of your herd for a minimum of two weeks, but four weeks is better. This will allow you to determine not only if the animal has any ear mites that may have been undetected by both the breeder and yourself when you initially examined the rabbit. Keep in mind that no breeder that I have ever known intentionally sold a rabbit infested with mites, but it does happen. After you have treated your rabbits and they are mite free, you will need to remove them from the cages and clean and disinfect your cages and any plastic resting boards.

The following instructions will demonstrate how we clean our cages here at TAP rabbitry. We clean and disinfect our cages about every 6 months and whenever necessary. We clean and disinfect our cages with both heat and bleach. I use a butane torch and burn off any old hair from the wire cage. Then I spray the cages with simple green and remove any additional stuck on stuff with a plastic bristle brush. The cages are then rinsed with the water hose and I spray the entire cage with a 1:10 bleach solution (1 part bleach, 10 parts water) and place the cages in the sun to dry.

Make sure you also clean and disinfect any plastic resting boards that may have been in cages with infected animals. For this, I clean them with simple green, and soak them in a container filled with a 1:10 bleach solution. Any wooden, sheet rock or other porous type resting boards that cannot be disinfected with bleach should be thrown away and not reused as the mites can live in the cracks and crevasses of these items.

Conclusion

If you have the time, and you are only treating a couple of rabbits, then the non-medical treatment may be the choice for you. Of all the treatment options it takes the most time and if you have a rabbitry of any size it will take you some time to treat all your livestock. It will work, but it has the lowest success rate, (most often due to human error) and may need to be performed more than once. It is however the cheapest option, and the only non-medical option that I am aware of for treating ear mites. I am not so sure that the use of eradimite is any more effective than simply using mineral oil as eradimite does not kill the eggs and you still have to perform multiple applications just as you would if you were using mineral oil. If these were my only two choices, I would definitely try mineral oil first before ponying up the money for eradimite, but this is just my humble opinion. If you are not wanting to medicate your rabbits then the use of mineral oil is definitely the only avenue you have other than destroying the animal and or animals concerned.

If you do not mind the use of anti-parasitics then Ivermectin is a good choice, especially if you have to treat multiple animals. It is an inexpensive solution when you figure the number of doses you can get from one 50ml bottle, and with a 99.6% success rate it is hard to beat. The downside is that you will have to wait for a minimum of two months before you can butcher any treated animals for human consumption to give the medication time to get out of their system. Revolution (for dogs and cats) has about the same success rate as Ivermectin, it is easier to administer, but is far more costly per dose, but if you only need to treat a few rabbits, it is the easiest of the three to administer. Like Ivermectin, a two month waiting period is recommended to allow all of the medication to thoroughly leave the rabbits system before butchering them for human consumption.

It should be noted that I am not a veterinarian, and I do not endorse any of the products that are in this article regardless of whether I have used them or not. Proper care should be taken whenever administrating any medications to your rabbits and you do so at your own risk. I have done my best to provide you with the necessary information so that you can make an informed decision regarding how you may wish to treat your rabbits if and when they become infected with ear mites. I encourage you to do any additional research that you think may be necessary regarding the side effects of he aforementioned medications. As always, if you have enjoyed this article or have found it informative, then please share it with your friends. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook or Google+ so that you will not miss any of our latest articles.

Resources:

Bennett, Bob, Storey's Guide To Raising Rabbits, (North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2009).

Fisher, Maggie DVM, Beck, Wieland DVM, Hutchinson, Melanie J. DVM, “Efficacy and safety of Selamectin (Stronghold / Revolution) used Off-Label in Exotic Pets” in The Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine (JARVM), 2007 (pp 87-96)

Ivermectin forvetinary use on DOGS, CATS, HORSES, CATTLE, SHEEP, GOATS, PIG and POULTRY aganst external and internal parasites: worms, lice, mites,ticks, and flies. Accessed from www.parasitipedia.neton August 21, 2016.

Patry, Karen, The Rabbit Raising Problem Solver, (North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2014).

Piperonyl Butoxide – National Pesticide Information Ceneter – Oregan State University.

Pyrethrins – National Pesticide Information Ceneter – Oregan State University.

Van Praag, Ester PhD, Ear Mite: Psoroptes Cuncul, accessed from www.Medirabbit.com on August 26, 2016.

Van Praag, Ester PhD, Ivermectin, accessed from www.Medirabbit.com on August 26, 2016.