Rabbit diseases

davidm

Well-Known Member
What disease would cause a rabbit to be either blind or not frightend of humans?

I ask because today I had to kill 2 rabbits at work.as both were in the middle of the road or just on the path with people walking past them, they were clearly in bad health with what looked like abses or swelling of the face and really poor body conditions so I thought bed to put them out there misery.

Sorry in advanced if this is a really novice question just curious.

David
 
Sounds like myxomatosis where the eyes swell up and close with sores on its face and body
 
Yeah just googled it and the pictures look pretty much the way these 2 did today. Is it easily spread? It's just you often see a lot about this site and with no one controlling then is it likely to go through them all?
 
Myxomatosis has to be the No1. It is spread through rabbit fleas (and midges) and is likely to go through that population of rabbits.

By rhd, I assume you mean VHD - they are more likely to be found dead
 
Almost certainly myxomatisis. With VHD you hardly ever find the victims, your rabbits just disappear. Both diseases have been really bad down here this year, from one of the biggest increases in the rabbit population I have known for years in the space of a couple of months they have all but disappeared.
 
Massive outbreaks of mixy and vhd this year - the weather's been very good for the bugs that spread the diseases and bad for the general health of the rabbits so they've been more prone to dying rather than fighting it off.

Aside from the crap weather, when I have been out my best effort this summer has been 20 rabbits in a session, with the average being 2 or 3 :( hardly worth bothering, but at least the land owners think I'm doing an amazing job :D
 
yeah and both manufactured by the biggest meddler on the planet MANKIND

Its a common misconception that myxomatosis is a man made disease its not it occurs naturally in South American country's, Argentina in particular, however in those country's it is not a killer the rabbits there have built up a resistance to it, probably built up over hundreds of years.


The same thing is starting to happening here now some rabbits get over it, when it was introduced in the 1950s it devastated the rabbit population and it was a death sentence for any rabbit that caught it.

Climate plays a part as well the British climate being ideal for its spread, when first introduced to Australia it did not take a hold something about it being to dry and the flies that spread it did not live in these areas, though this was not realised at the time an attempt to introduce it in an area which had more water seceded , and once it got started it raged across Australia which had a huge rabbit population , spread by contact passing from one rabbit to another.
 
im in the notts area and have started noticing mixy is making a good go of it this year and i have spotted what looked like mixy rabbits all the way up to sheffield. not good i say not good
 
myxomatosis.....once it got started it raged across Australia which had a huge rabbit population , spread by contact passing from one rabbit to another.

While the above is true, Australia still has a huge rabbit population, although not the plague proportions it once was. Unfortunately, many colonies have now also developed a myxomatosis (and calcivirus) resistance.
 
im in the notts area and have started noticing mixy is making a good go of it this year and i have spotted what looked like mixy rabbits all the way up to sheffield. not good i say not good

These were in Workington as that's where I'm working just now.
 
Its a common misconception that myxomatosis is a man made disease its not it occurs naturally in South American country's, Argentina in particular, however in those country's it is not a killer the rabbits there have built up a resistance to it, probably built up over hundreds of years.


The same thing is starting to happening here now some rabbits get over it, when it was introduced in the 1950s it devastated the rabbit population and it was a death sentence for any rabbit that caught it.

Climate plays a part as well the British climate being ideal for its spread, when first introduced to Australia it did not take a hold something about it being to dry and the flies that spread it did not live in these areas, though this was not realised at the time an attempt to introduce it in an area which had more water seceded , and once it got started it raged across Australia which had a huge rabbit population , spread by contact passing from one rabbit to another.

then sir i stand corrected was always told by the old time ferreters that myxy was brought to the rabbit by scientific boffins in the 1950s then spread around by the rabbit flea
 
Myxomatosis has to be the No1. It is spread through rabbit fleas (and midges) and is likely to go through that population of rabbits.

By rhd, I assume you mean VHD - they are more likely to be found dead

1967spud is right RHD Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease otherwise known as Calicivirus.

Jimbo
 
Its a common misconception that myxomatosis is a man made disease its not it occurs naturally in South American country's, Argentina in particular, however in those country's it is not a killer the rabbits there have built up a resistance to it, probably built up over hundreds of years.


The same thing is starting to happening here now some rabbits get over it, when it was introduced in the 1950s it devastated the rabbit population and it was a death sentence for any rabbit that caught it.

Climate plays a part as well the British climate being ideal for its spread, when first introduced to Australia it did not take a hold something about it being to dry and the flies that spread it did not live in these areas, though this was not realised at the time an attempt to introduce it in an area which had more water seceded , and once it got started it raged across Australia which had a huge rabbit population , spread by contact passing from one rabbit to another.


Bogtrotter
Myxomatosis was first observed in LABORATORY Rabbits in Uruguay in the late 19th Century. it was introduced into Australia in 1950 and into the UK in 1953 on Barry Island Wales and by 1957 had decimated the UK Rabbit population. Read the book The Private Life of the Rabbit it gives you all the info. So yes a man made virus.

Jimbo
 
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Bogtrotter
Myxomatosis was first observed in LABORATORY Rabbits in Uruguay in the late 19th Century. it was introduced into Australia in 1950 and into the UK in 1953 on Barry Island Wales and by 1957 had decimated the UK Rabbit population. Read the book The Private Life of the Rabbit it gives you all the info. So yes a man made virus.

Jimbo

Only partly true yes it was first discovered in rabbits imported to Uruguay in 1896
discovered not produced it was a relatively mild strain but it spread quickly through
South America, but it only caused localised skin tumours in American rabbits [cotton tails]

A new strain was developed for rabbit control.

Man engineered an existing virus to suit his needs, not quite the same as man made.

This new strain was field tested in Australia in 1938
And a full scale release followed in 1950-51

It was illegally introduced to France in 1952, European rabbits were much more severely effected.

It found its way to Britain a year later in 1953

Myxomatosis is a pox virus, related to but not the same as small pox in humans.

Not so much a man made disease, as man tampering with an existing virus to produce the results he wanted.
 
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Not so much a man made disease, as man tampering with an existing virus to produce the results he wanted.

Therefore a man made virus.

jimbo
 
Not so much a man made disease, as man tampering with an existing virus to produce the results he wanted.

Therefore a man made virus.

jimbo

I disagree, but its not worth arguing over, viruses can mutate naturally just look at the flue virus how it changes year on year this one was found in imported rabbits, where did it originate no one seems to know, the new strain that devastated European rabbits how much was it natural change, how much scientific intervention is not absolutely clear.

What is clear man used it for his own ends, and still does it is still often introduced to areas of high rabbit population by man.

What is clear European rabbits at least in the early years had no immunity to it,
What is clear is it was introduced in both Australia and Europe with one intention
What is clear is that while we had a huge rabbit problem this was not the answer it 's a disgusting disease that sixty years on is still a problem and maybe for another sixty.


I can remember as a child in the fifties the smell of hundreds of decaying rabbits, they were lying everywhere .

Regardless of how much man was involved, any involvement he had was wrong.
 
What is clear is that while we had a huge rabbit problem this was not the answer it 's a disgusting disease that sixty years on is still a problem and maybe for another sixty.


I can remember as a child in the fifties the smell of hundreds of decaying rabbits, they were lying everywhere .

Regardless of how much man was involved, any involvement he had was wrong.

Bogtrotter

I agree with you 100% on your above statement as, like you i can remember rotting Rabbits as a young boy. In this present time of Austerity the Rabbit would once again have become a vital food source as it was during the period prior to mixy. Like you it gets no easier each time i witness an outbreak only this morning i should have been doing a lev 2 witnessed stalk but the weather was not good so postponed it and went out with my Spaniels to do some training and they bought me two Rabbits with mixy after despatching them i thought to myself what a waste of good food as at the moment i can not get enough for the game dealer. Man has a lot to answer to.

Jimbo
 
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