Why does my rabbit have a droopy ear?

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 21 January 2021
Update Date: 27 September 2024
Anonim
Bunny One Ear Up, One Ear Down Floppy-Eared Bunnies.
Video: Bunny One Ear Up, One Ear Down Floppy-Eared Bunnies.

Content

If you have a rabbit as a pet, you know they are very delicate animals. In the case of rabbits that have a drooping ear, this can mean a lot. In general, when a rabbit lowers its ear it means that, for some reason, it has some kind of discomfort, itching or pain in this region.

In this article by PeritoAnimal, we will tell you the main causes that explain a lop-eared rabbit. Among them, there are different diseases that must be diagnosed and treated by a veterinarian with experience in this species. If you want to know more, keep reading this article about why does my rabbit have a droopy ear?

Symptoms of a sick rabbit

If we want to know if our rabbit might be sick, it is possible that even before the necessary visit to the veterinarian for a checkup, we can detect some ourselves at home. symptoms of illness or malaise in rabbits that can give us very valuable information. Some of these symptoms are:


  • Apathy, lack of movement and dynamism: the rabbit doesn't want to move, it's downcast, with no energy, no desire or willingness to do things.
  • Starvation and lack of appetite: if we detect that the rabbit has severely altered its intake or stopped eating, it may be due to some pathology that causes pain or discomfort in it.
  • Misfits in defecation: whether in the case of excess, diarrhea or absence of excretions, which can indicate constipation, that is, we would be facing a case of constipation in rabbits. We have to be alert.
  • Changes in respiratory rhythm: if we see that our rabbit is hyperventilating, with strong and very frequent breathing or that it is difficult for him to breathe normally.
  • Skin anomalies: presence of bruises, wounds, scratches, nodules or eczema on the skin or any part of the body.
  • abnormal temperature: fever or hypothermia.
  • tearful or reddened eyes: with or without secretions.
  • drooping ear: has one or both ears always bent or head tilted to one side.
  • Avoid supporting the paws: in relation to postural symptoms we can also be alarmed with details such as avoiding resting one of the feet on the ground.

In this other article, we explain to you what rabbit care is.


My rabbit has one ear drooping and the other one doesn't - Causes

Among the diseases that have as a symptom or target the ears and ears of rabbits, we find a wide variety of pathologies:

  • otitis: is the most common cause for a droopy ear rabbit. It is an ear infection that can be due to different factors, which we will analyze further in the next section, specifically dedicated to otitis.
  • Shope's Sarcoma: The virus that causes Shope's sarcoma causes the development of intradermal nodules that usually appear first in the ears and extremities of rabbits.
  • Dermatophytosis: Dermatophytosis can affect the hearing health of rabbits. This disease originates from the fungus Trichophyton mentagrophytes, especially for the grainy variety of it. As it is a disease caused by fungi, different antifungal agents are used in its treatment.

Other Causes of Curved Ear in Rabbits

Another reason that a rabbit with a drooping ear can be caused is the possibility that it has suffered a blow, a blow, a tug or an abuse. This can produce a skin or fibrillar lesion affecting the ears. Rabbit ears are very delicate, and it is relatively easy for wounds and pain to appear after trauma, so it is very important to take care of their handling.


Types of ear infections in rabbits

Otitis is the most frequent infection in rabbits, being the main cause for them to present drooping ears. But there are different types, as the term otitis refers to almost every infection that occurs in the auditory tract. Below, we enumerate the most common causes for this otitis to appear in rabbits:

Mites in the ears of rabbits

In this case, the mite that most frequently causes problems in lagomorphs is the psoroptes cuniculi. This mite infects the inside of the rabbit's ears, causing a scabies-like condition, as there is a brown secretion that hardens and forms a scab, which causes the rabbit to scratch and have sores.

Mites are treated the same way you treat scabies in rabbits, with medications such as ivermectin or selamectin, which are parasiticides often used on cats and dogs.

bacterial infection

In these cases, otitis originates from different bacteria, among which it is worth highlighting the Pasteurella multicide. This bacteria can also affect the nose and the pharynx, from the ears, or vice versa. If left untreated, bacterial ear infections can even become chronic.

Infection by the presence of foreign bodies

If a foreign body entered the animal's ear, such as a thorn, for example, this region usually inflames and if the body is not extracted, the inflammation will not go away. This swelling will be accompanied by itching, discomfort and/or pain. If the infection is advanced, we cannot hesitate to see the veterinarian as soon as possible to analyze the drooping rabbit ear.

Fungi on rabbits

Especially when environmental conditions include a high humidity and a hot temperature, this is when fungi are most likely to proliferate in the dark auditory tract. This can be tried to be prevented by keeping the ear very dry and preventing earwax from accumulating.

Allergies in rabbits

Rabbit allergies can be environmental, food or even the medicines. In these cases, the immune reaction can also be present in other parts of the animal's body.

Now that you know the possible reasons for a droopy rabbit ear, this article from Animal Expert on rabbit vaccines might be of interest to you. And in the video below you can find out how to know if your rabbit loves you:

This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Why does my rabbit have a droopy ear?, we recommend that you enter our Other health problems section.