My rabbit keeps shaking his head, but his ears look fine. Why?

I am sorry to hear that Paisley isn’t feeling well, and thank you for your question. From what you are describing, she could have an ear infection. Unfortunately this is very common in lop eared rabbits, and often gets quite severe before they show any clinical signs at home. It may also be affecting both ears, and she may not be showing it. Ear infections can be simple and only affect the external ear, or they can be deep and be present past the ear drum and into the middle and inner ear. My recommendation would be to take Paisley to a veterinarian who is familiar with rabbits. They can perform an exam of the ears and collect samples to look for infection. They can then prescribe anti-inflammatory pain relievers and may prescribe antibiotics as well. If they suspect that the infection may be deep, they would recommend imaging with radiographs (x-rays) or a CT scan. Please don’t give Paisley any human medications, as many of them are harmful to our furry friends. I would not recommend cleaning the ears until you have visited the vet either, as many cleaners are not safe to use if you don’t know if the ear drum is intact or not (i.e. they can be damaging/toxic to the middle and inner ear). I hope that gives you a place to start, and I wish you and Paisley the best of luck!

Hi, good for you for noticing the problem. You can flush out the bunny's ear safely by using a saline solution, like eye wash. Squirt a few drops into his ear and massage the base of it, then let him shake his head to remove debris.Them once it it moist, carefully use Q tips to remove any stuck debris. Be careful not to push any back into the ear canal. You may need to flush it a few times to get it all out. Some bunnies need to have their ears cleaned regularly. If you notice any smell, redness or pus like discharge, take him to a vet. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Mites would be the most common reason for scratching, mites cannot be seen with the naked eye at all (only under the microscope). you might want to take him to the vet in order to get a treatment for mites.

This is probably a severe case of ear mites. These are a small biting parasite that can be very aggressive in rabbits. It looks like your Jr your rabbit is going to need to have this ear professionally treated by your veterinarian. This can require some sedation to clean the ear because they are usually very uncomfortable. Your vet will then probably give an injection of a medication that kills mites. This injection is usually repeated every 10-14 days until the mites have all died. You will need to take Baby to your veterinarian as soon as you can.

Cheyletiela mites are often difficult to see with the naked eye, they can be treated either with ivermectin spot ons or Revolution spot ons, both are prescription medications that you will need to get from your vet.

So sorry that Mittens is having this problem. It sounds like he could be in pain so he should be examined by a vet determine the cause. He could have back pain, abdominal pain, an infection, etc. Your vet can do a physical examination to help diagnose and then prescribe medications to help treat, depending on the cause. Hope he feels better soon.

Ear mites is possible but in an indoor only kitty it is less likely and the more likely cause would be a bacterial or yeast infection of the ear, or a foreign body stuck in the ear. I would recommend a vet visit. The vet can look in the ear with an otoscope and can take a swab from the ear to check under the microscope for mites, bacteria or yeast and prescribe medications to treat this.