Rabbits are very gentle creatures with a rather sensitive immune system, so they often have various diseases.
On the treatment of one of them - psoroptosis, will be discussed in our article.
What is psoroptosis in rabbits
Psoroptosis, or ear scabies, is an invasive disease that is transmitted from animal to animal. This is a very common disease - it can develop regardless of the season and be fixed at any time of the year. The greatest number of cases is observed in the last month of winter and in the first decade of spring - it is at this time that animals experience a decrease in immunity.
We recommend to learn how to treat stomatitis, poddermatitis, flatulence, viral hemorrhagic disease, conjunctivitis, pasteurellosis and scabies in rabbits.
All breeds of rabbits and individuals of any age are susceptible to this ailment. Most often, it affects adult hares. The most susceptible to psoroptosis are animals kept in cramped conditions, in rooms with high humidity, not receiving a balanced diet, weakened or affected by infections. 
The disease is very dangerous and is subject to compulsory treatment. Timely medical care and a well-diagnosed diagnosis help avoid large numbers of livestock and animal deaths.
Did you know? The length of the average rabbit's ears is 10-18 cm. Such long ears are necessary for the rabbit not only to hear the danger approaching better: they also cut off extra noise that makes it difficult to recognize vital information, it helps to determine with certainty the direction from which the danger is coming. , provide better aerodynamics during flight, save the animal from overheating by means of heat radiation without loss of moisture.
Causative agent and development cycle
Psoroptosis results from the lesion of the Psoroptos cuniculi ear. This parasite has a very small body size - up to 0.9 mm. His body is colored yellow.
Ear mite Psoroptos cuniculi
The development cycle of a harmful insect consists of 5 stages: an egg - a larva - a protonimph - a teleonym - an imago. The development period of the male is 2-2.5 weeks, the females - 2.5-3 weeks. Female egg-laying on the surface of the skin of the ears, sticking them with masterbatch.
She herself remains on the body of an animal for up to 3 months, while without a rabbit organism a tick can survive for 24 days. The causative agent perishes at a minus temperature and at + 80-100 ° С.
It will probably be useful for you to learn how to choose the right rabbit when buying for breeding, and also find out what breeds of rabbits to choose for crossing.
Sources and routes of infection
Infection occurs from a sick animal. When it scratches ears infected with ticks, the parasites fall out along with scales, skin particles, and dandruff. Later they move to the body of a healthy rabbit.
Infection can also occur through inventory, a cage, a breeder's clothing, and care items. Kids get parasites from their mother.
The incubation period lasts from 1 to 5 days. 
Symptoms and course of the disease
The main symptoms of ear scabies:
- discharge from the ears;
- redness due to inflammation of the external auditory canal;
- itching;
- frequent shaking of the head;
- scratches in the auricles caused to the animal itself with claws due to constant itching;
- loss of eared orientation as a result of the inflammatory process in the middle and inner ear.
Redness of the ears is one of the symptoms of psoroptes in rabbits. The disease proceeds in 3 stages:- acute;
- subacute;
- chronic.
- easy form;
- heavy;
- asymptomatic.
Important! All fabric or wadded materials that are used in the processing of animals must be incinerated. Otherwise, they can become a source of infection.
Asymptomatic form is detected by a veterinarian when examining an animal. He does this on the basis that the blood vessels of the ears are filled with blood and there are crusts in the ear canals. Most often, an asymptomatic form is observed in very young rabbits, which are infected from their mothers. 
The light form is manifested by the fact that in the normal state the rabbit often begins to shake its head and scratches its ears with its paws. Scratches can be found on the auricles. On closer inspection of the shells, you can see red bumps that turn into bubbles. After 1-2 days they burst, a yellowish liquid flows out of them.
In the future, it dries out, and in place of the bubbles remain crusts. A veterinary examination reveals an increased sulfur content.
Rabbitheads should read about how to use Gamavit, Baytril, Dithrim and Amprolium for rabbits.
The severe form is characterized by covering the auricles with thick crusts that can completely block the ear canal. During the examination, purulent and blood lesions are seen in it, an unpleasant odor emanates from the ears.
With a strong defeat, the rabbit looks sick: it is inactive, refuses to eat, and the body temperature may rise. In this state, the animal is quickly depleted and dies. 
If you do not start treatment in time, the inflammation passes to the membranes of the brain, as a result of which the animal may develop seizures and seizures. At infection of the scratched sites penetration of staphylococci and streptococci is possible. With a severe complication, purulent meningitis is likely.
Also, failure to provide timely medical care threatens to have a curvature of the neck, loss of balance, impaired coordination of movements, and neurological problems.
Important! If you notice one of the above symptoms in your rabbit, immediately contact your veterinarian for a diagnosis and proper treatment. Do not self-medicate, because it can worsen the condition of the animal or lead to its death.
Diagnostics
To diagnose psoroptosis, the veterinarian examines the animal for the presence of characteristic signs, and also takes on the analysis of skin scraping from the inner surfaces of the auricles. 
If it is not possible to show the animals to a veterinarian, you can make a diagnosis yourself, if you take a skin scraping off the ear and place it in vaseline oil. When viewing its contents under a magnifying glass, stirring parasites will be visible.
How to treat the scab in the ears of a rabbit
The method of treatment includes general and local therapy. The total is injections, local - in the external processing of the ears.
Preparatory stage
Before treating auricles with drugs, you should clean them of crusts. To do this, the affected surface is treated with such mixtures:
- kerosene + turpentine + vegetable (mineral) oil in equal proportions;
- tincture of iodine + glycerin (1/4).
At the initial stage of the disease, it is possible that such treatment will be sufficient. With a stronger lesion, medication will be required.Did you know? In the waters of the Sea of Japan there is a land area called Rabbit Island, which is popular with tourists. Today, it is home to about 700 furry inhabitants, who coexist without fear next to a person. But cats and dogs to enter the territory is prohibited. There are 2 versions of how the eared came to the island: they were brought in for experiments or brought by schoolchildren to an island still uninhabited during the excursion.
Main
As a rule, rabbits are subcutaneously or intramuscularly injected into the thigh with "Ivermek" or "Ivomek" preparations (0.2%) in the dosage prescribed by a veterinarian. It is usually 200 µg of drug per kg of body weight.
Ears of an animal are lubricated with acaricidal agents - dust, ointments, aerosols ("Acrodex", "Psoroptol", "Cyodrin", "Dermatozol"), synthetic pyrethroid liniment (for example, "Cypermetrin", "Butox", "Stomazan", "" Neostom "," Cypermetrin "," Butox "," Stomazan "," Netostom "," Neostom "," Cypermetrin "," Butox "," Stomazan "," Neostom "," Neostom "," Cypermetrin "," Butox "," Stomazan "," Neostom "," Neostom "," Cypermetrin "," Butox "," Stomazan "," Neostom "(" Cypermetrin "," Butox "," Stomazan "," Neostom "," Neostom "," Neostom "," Neostom "," Nematome "," Cypermetrin "," Butox "," Stomazan "," Neostom "," Neostom, " , "Mustang"), phosphorus-organic acaricides ("Neocidol", "Tsiodrinom", "Chlorophos"). 
After lubrication, the ears are lightly massaged so that the product is absorbed better and acts faster.
If the disease is at the initial stage, then sometimes it will be necessary to make a treatment with a strong acaricidal agent only once. If necessary, treatment is carried out twice, three times at intervals of a week.
Sick rabbits should be moved to quarantine. Healthy individuals need to be treated with an acaricidal agent. The cage must be cleaned and sanitized. For disinfection suitable aqueous emulsions of cyodrin (0.25%) or creolin. If there is a metal or mesh cage, it should be ignited with a blowtorch.
Agree, the best prevention of rabbit diseases is timely cell disinfection.
Clothes and shoes, in which work with rabbits takes place, should be burned or soaked for disinfection in a steam-formalin chamber.
Prevention
To avoid the development of the disease is possible if preventive measures are taken:
- observe sanitary and zoohygienic rules for keeping rabbits;
- import animals only from prosperous farms;
- before launching new eared to the main herd, they should be kept in quarantine for a month;
- examine acquired animals for psoroptosis infection;
- periodically inspect livestock breeder (1 time in 2 months) and a veterinarian;
- disinfect cells 2 times a year;
- in order to avoid infecting babies from their parents, before administering acaricides to the ears in the ears of the male and female, mating;
- examine the auricles of females 2 weeks prior to the roundabout;
- organize good nutrition.
A complete rabbit diet serves as prevention of psoroptosis. Thus, psoroptosis is a dangerous invasive disease of rabbits caused by ear mites and characterized by inflammation and itching of the auditory passages. The disease requires compulsory treatment, as it can hit the entire population in a short time. Parasites are transmitted from animal to animal.One of the main needs of domestic rabbits is the need for eating. Read about when and how to feed eared animals at home, as well as consider the feeding habits of rabbits in winter.
In order for the therapy to be effective, it is necessary that the veterinarian prescribed its scheme. Treatment is made by injection and use of local drugs. An important role in avoiding contamination of the population with psoriopiasis is played by preventive measures.
