Does my bunny have mites?

[Jinny]

Hello. My holland lop is 10 months old and is raised indoors. He has never had any contact with other animals. A few days ago i brushed off a patch of fur off his side near his back leg. I contributed it to his shedding phase as he is in a very heavy shedding phase currently. I checked the spot today and the hair is growing back nicely but there are a few reddish pink spots on the bare skin. It looks like he scratched it and it irritated h but looking online im scared it could mites. I have not had contact with other animals and my bunny has never been outside or in a yard. Could he have contracted mites in a different way? Please see the attached pictures! Im desperate for information before his vet visit tomorrow.

[LBJ10]

Were the pink spots moving? If not, then it could be flea dirt.

[Hex]

A good way to check for mites (although this doesn’t replace a vet appointment) is to use a bit of scotch tape and stick it to the spot. Gently peel it off and check the flakes over a light to see if they’re moving.

[Bam]

I can’t see that you have attached a picture. If you can’t upload it here, you can use an external source like Imgur, Flickr or Photobucket and paste the link.

Sometimes when a bunny sheds heavily, there is a little bit of “dandruff” or flaky skin. Mites often cause bigger skin flakes and irritated skin underneath, The problem will get worse over time.

Rabbits can get fur mites from their mother when they are very young. The mites then exist in very small numbers on the bunny. Then they can start to multiply when the conditions are “right” – for them. That can be when a bunny has a heavy shed or if it gets stressed by something (and that something can be something very minor, because rabbits get stressed easily).

[Author]

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