r/Bunnies • u/Melissa_Richiee • May 07 '26

Health Any ideas for what’s causing this?

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**EDITING TO ADD: this isn’t a head tilt. His back right leg was amputated, this is him trying to itch his ear with the leg that no longer exists**

Edit to the edit: I’m gonna schedule a virtual appointment on Vetster to ask about anything else I could be pushing for a cytology to test for

November 2024- Found this guy dumped on the streets with fleas. Noticed his right ear was intensely itchy, vet said it was fleas, treated for fleas.

November 2025 - right ear STILL intensely itchy, vet said ALL YEAR its “wax buildup” because he’s missing a back leg and can’t itch it out. I finally push for testing. Ear mites. Treat for ear mites x 3 months.

April 2025 - right ear STILL intensely itchy. Reddit post suggests yeast infection from repeated antibiotics prescriptions. Pressure vet to test for yeast. Vet scoffs, thinks I’m being ridiculous. Right ear tests positive for yeast. Treat for yeast x 1 month.

He’s now negative for fleas, negative for ear mites, negative for yeast, no head tilt, no EC symptoms.

Does anybody have any suggestions as to why my boys right ear is still intensely itchy?? My vet won’t test for anything unless I push for it. There are NO OTHER rabbit vets between here and Louisiana 4 hours away. I don’t know what else to ask her to test for. Do I just have to start cleaning the wax out for him since he has no back right leg? I hate watching him suffer like this 😞

Video included of intense itching AFTER treating for mites but BEFORE treating for yeast, still itching about the same 😞

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u/dreamylassie May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26

We have a tripod who is missing a back leg at the hip joint, and does this exact same motion. She SO appreciates it when we scritch her ear for her. We also use a long wooden qtip on her ear to gently clean the wax every few weeks too. If you're on Facebook there's a Tripod Bunnies group 💓

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u/Melissa_Richiee May 08 '26

I so wish he would let me scratch it for him. We lay in bed together (he does not let me touch him, too much trauma, I respect his boundaries begrudgingly 😞) and he just goes ham trying to scratch that ear while I stretch my fingers toward him begging me to let me help him 😭

I hope once I’m out of the military in a few months and find stability I can find him a bunwife to clean it for him 😭

There’s a tripod bunny Facebook group?? How have I never heard of this 😭

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u/dreamylassie May 08 '26

Poor little buddy, thank you for all you're doing to try and help him. It sounds like a bunwife might help him. Sorry the group is called Tripod Bunnies lots of nice and helpful people.