dead rabbits

ruby tuesday

Well-Known Member
I,ve got a piece of ground not far from me that has always been teeming with rabbits about a week or so ago I had a wander around with the wife and the rimfire to knock over a few. We did a circuit of the first field and didn't see any so we sat down to wait them out, an hour later we decided to move locations walking up a track we had previously been on. Half way along we found a small freshly dead rabbit suspecting a stoat I picked up the carcase to later be fed to the ferrets fifty yards further on we saw another rabbit this time alive but looking drunk which I walked up to and dispatched in the bag he went as well.The rabbits were fed to the ferrets that night and the next morning while checking stock in the same field I found two more dead rabbits and in the last week have found dead rabbits nearly every visit. I have noted they have all been youngsters up to half grown and when skinned no bruising what so ever and the livers are perfect theres no chance that any things been sprayed on the ground and last night I saw six adult rabbits doing what rabbits are best for.It has been suggested VHD but I thought you saw sighs of bleeding around the anus .Any info appreciated.
 
I,ve got a piece of ground not far from me that has always been teeming with rabbits about a week or so ago I had a wander around with the wife and the rimfire to knock over a few. We did a circuit of the first field and didn't see any so we sat down to wait them out, an hour later we decided to move locations walking up a track we had previously been on. Half way along we found a small freshly dead rabbit suspecting a stoat I picked up the carcase to later be fed to the ferrets fifty yards further on we saw another rabbit this time alive but looking drunk which I walked up to and dispatched in the bag he went as well.The rabbits were fed to the ferrets that night and the next morning while checking stock in the same field I found two more dead rabbits and in the last week have found dead rabbits nearly every visit. I have noted they have all been youngsters up to half grown and when skinned no bruising what so ever and the livers are perfect theres no chance that any things been sprayed on the ground and last night I saw six adult rabbits doing what rabbits are best for.It has been suggested VHD but I thought you saw sighs of bleeding around the anus .Any info appreciated.

RT
Make sure someone hasn't been gassing and some have made it to the surface, if the gassing hasn't been undertaken correctly the rabbits can dig out overnight, real time signage and a roped off /isolated area is correct but that doesn't always happen, be wary of a bunch of rabbits in close proximity to each other

Ask around, I wouldn't recommend picking up any rabbits for the pugs of which you don't know of the cause of death. Could be harmful to you and your ferrets
 
thanks for that Philip no chance of gas as its my ground haven't picked up any corpses since the first night when I suspected the stoat, ferrets seem fine still.
 
Go back to first rules of eating animals - only eat those that you know were healthy before you shot them. If in doubt don't eat them or feed them to your own animals. Having lost my last dog that had eaten something nasty - probably poisoned rabbit put down for birds of prey I would n't risk this again. She suffered liver failure and took six months to go. And several other dogs in the area suffered similar. I believe the local keeper and his boss were prosecuted for poisoning the red kites.

Carrion eaters have a much better ability to deal with harmful pathogens than we or domestic animals do.

Young rabbits not looking so healthy - lost or deprived of their mother. A few hours without food and most young animals are pretty weak.
 
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