Degu ears are dry and crusty

[kn12]

Hi everyone

My degus ear is quite dry and crusty ( the crust comes off with a bit of rubbing) and she’s itching it a bit more too

What can I do to help her?

Thank you

I’ll attach a link for pictures below
postimg.cc/gallery/1mQrgRB

[moletteuk]

The only relevant possibilities I know of would be ear mites, but I don't know if they attack the edges first, or a circulation condition restricting blood flow to the ears. Unless you have a microscope to check for mites, I think you probably need to see a vet to figure this out.

[bouncy]

Ditto Molette!

As an aid, you can try rubbing a small amount of olive oil onto the ears to ease the dryness. It's an old remedy for cradle cap, and I know other members have found it helpful to restore the ears.

[yasmin]

I have had this issue with many of my degus in the past. Most of them were diagnosed as suffering from vasculitis - lack of blood flow to the edges of the tiny vessels that causes the extremities of the ears to slough off. Currently, however, I have a degu who has been diagnosed with ear mites. Not sure how/where he got them from - vet diagnosed this by taking a bit of tape to collect a sample off the edge of the ear and then examining it under a microscope. Treatment is simple - an appropriately measured drop of Revolution (or other flea and tick treatment for dogs) on the back of the Degu's neck (so he can't lick it off) once every two weeks for three weeks. This should not be done without a prescription and measured doses from a vet.

One of the distinguishing symptoms when trying to discern vasculitis from mites is whether or not the ragged edges look inflamed/red. Mites will inflame and irritate the tip of the ears whereas vasculitis does not.

[bobthedegu]

my degus ears are very dry and crusty and i’ve been applying olive oil as it was suggested to me and it’s not working.
i’m kinda worried and just looking for some advice on what to do because i just don’t want him to be irritated by the dry skin.
any advice?

[teemu]

Hello there, and welcome to the forums.

If it looks like a serious case that is clearly bothering him, and home remedies are not working, I recommend taking him to a vet with experience in degus. It may be due to more serious issues that may require medication (or if it's just stubborn, a prescribed product may provide him more relief). But let's see if we can find out a bit more about what's going on.

Have there been any sores, wounds or raw skin in his ears? Or does it look like the edges of his ears are peeling or getting nackered? Is the crusty stuff like scabs, and is it all towards just the edges of the ear, or does it look like there's more of it deeper in the ear as well?

If you do a google search for "ear mites", you'll see a lot of pictures of what a pet ear issue caused by parasites looks like. Does it look the same with your degu, or not like that at all? Similarly, if you do a search for "dog vasculitis", you'll find images of what conditions that cause issues with blood flow to the ears look like. Is it anything like either of these, or does it look like something less serious?

How long has this been going on, by the way, and how long have you tried with the olive oil?