Myxomatosis or Fighting

[Beretta V]

I’ve shot rabbits from black to white and various shades. The land owners at a particular permission was not keen on different colours.

The different colours just pop up through the breeding lines occasionally. Some areas affected more than others

 

[old keeper]

I'd hazard a guess it could be both. A Mild attack of mixy followed by fighting that knocked the top of the scabs.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

Ok lol, I’m more than happy to meet the comments head on with this, firstly we are judging this on a photo of a small part of a dead rabbity/hare type creature on a table, not out in the field watching behaviour etc so I’ll leave the comments about shouldn’t be shooting to the keyboard warriors.
I stuck my head above the parapet and commented is because i shoot an an awful lot of hares, no doubt more than most on here, week in week out on a huge commercial plantation, it’s thick with them I’m there specifically to target them on a zero tolerance basis and everything that finds it’s way in gets it including Leverets all year round, incidentally Ive only ever seen a handful of rabbits on there in the last 8 years. The overwhelming consensus on here and most other forums is not to shoot hares so I would assume most people only really see them out on their permissions at distance and not handling them on a regular basis like I do and probably haven’t seen one that close for some time.It’s worth noting that leg length is different at varying stages of development so isn’t always obvious. I also shoot hundreds of rabbits on golf courses and farmland so Id say I’m equally familiar with the two as I process them alongside each other, I’ve shot black ones, white ones, spotty ones and striped ones.

Back to the photos, the first thing that struck me was the “rustic” appearance of the coat and the colour, yes we know rabbits come in all colours but it smacked of hare to me. Two of the photos give the impression of short ears favouring rabbit but the other 2 the ears look considerably larger erring towards hare.
The ears, rabbits tend to have almost white skin and smoother on the inside than hares and usually quite neat with no black tips, the black tips are clearly starting to develop on the animal in the images and remember I said it was a juvenile/immature hare, not an adult or leveret.
And finally the big tell for me look at the eye closely,rabbits and hares have different looking eyes, it clearly has an amber coloured iris, one of the tell tale hare traits that set them apart from rabbits. Compare the photos below between rabbits and hares I’ve shot.
It’s all well and good saying definite this definite that but from my experience shooting all sizes of hares I’d say it’s far from clear cut as people’s first impressions and certainly worth the question.

 

[VSS]

Ok lol, I’m more than happy to meet the comments head on with this, firstly we are judging this on a photo of a small part of a dead rabbity/hare type creature on a table, not out in the field watching behaviour etc so I’ll leave the comments about shouldn’t be shooting to the keyboard warriors.
I stuck my head above the parapet and commented is because i shoot an an awful lot of hares, no doubt more than most on here, week in week out on a huge commercial plantation, it’s thick with them I’m there specifically to target them on a zero tolerance basis and everything that finds it’s way in gets it including Leverets all year round, incidentally Ive only ever seen a handful of rabbits on there in the last 8 years. The overwhelming consensus on here and most other forums is not to shoot hares so I would assume most people only really see them out on their permissions at distance and not handling them on a regular basis like I do and probably haven’t seen one that close for some time.It’s worth noting that leg length is different at varying stages of development so isn’t always obvious. I also shoot hundreds of rabbits on golf courses and farmland so Id say I’m equally familiar with the two as I process them alongside each other, I’ve shot black ones, white ones, spotty ones and striped ones.

Back to the photos, the first thing that struck me was the “rustic” appearance of the coat and the colour, yes we know rabbits come in all colours but it smacked of hare to me. Two of the photos give the impression of short ears favouring rabbit but the other 2 the ears look considerably larger erring towards hare.
The ears, rabbits tend to have almost white skin and smoother on the inside than hares and usually quite neat with no black tips, the black tips are clearly starting to develop on the animal in the images and remember I said it was a juvenile/immature hare, not an adult or leveret.
And finally the big tell for me look at the eye closely,rabbits and hares have different looking eyes, it clearly has an amber coloured iris, one of the tell tale hare traits that set them apart from rabbits. Compare the photos below between rabbits and hares I’ve shot.
It’s all well and good saying definite this definite that but from my experience shooting all sizes of hares I’d say it’s far from clear cut as people’s first impressions and certainly worth the question.

All fair comments, whether right or wrong

 

[bogtrotter]

Nothing wrong with asking the question, but you have had the answer from a lot of people on here many who have a vast experience of both Hares and rabbits , time to admit you were mistaken in your identification.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

Nothing wrong with asking the question, but you have had the answer from a lot of people on here many who have a vast experience of both Hares and rabbits , time to admit you were mistaken in your identification.

Ok, so judging on the original photos posted by the OP can you point out the features that confirm that is a rabbit beyond doubt and not a young hare, I’ve clearly stated the things through my experience that give me doubt, eyes etc.
Or is it a rabbit because you say so?

 

[bogtrotter]

Because I say so over sixty years of dealing with both ABSOLUTELY nothing in the photos to make me or anyone else think its a Hare.
However if you want to believe its a Hare carry on though not a single person agrees with you.

 

[potshotpat]

Minoxidil ( Rogaine) works every time.

 

[VSS]

Because I say so over sixty years of dealing with both ABSOLUTELY nothing in the photos to make me or anyone else think its a Hare.
However if you want to believe its a Hare carry on though not a single person agrees with you.

With all due respect, why not answer the chap's question? What features confirm that it is a rabbit beyond doubt? I think he's asking a fair question. If you think he needs educating then now's your chance to put your wisdom to good use.

 

[slider]

One bunny had cheese in roasted bread, the other had ham. They had an fight over sharing their lunch and died of mixing their toasties

 

[VSS]

One bunny had cheese in roasted bread, the other had ham. They had an fight over sharing their lunch and died of mixing their toasties

My brother had myximytosis as a kid. He kept putting his shoes on the wrong feet..........

 

[Pellet Pinger]

With all due respect, why not answer the chap's question? What features confirm that it is a rabbit beyond doubt? I think he's asking a fair question. If you think he needs educating then now's your chance to put your wisdom to good use.

Thanks, silence is normally the result when one is incapable of reasoned discussion.
Probably gone to bed, I’m off out for a fox

 

[User00035]

Myxy produces lesions around all bodily orifices, the anus and mouth as well as ears and eyes. If it's had myxy it'll probably have them everywhere, mouth, ears, eyes and anus. If it has, it's myxy.

If it recovers, the scabs will fall off after about 8 weeks and you get what looks like clean, recent wounds. That appears to be what the OP's got there. It's a myxy survivor. Well, it was....

 

[bogtrotter]

I will admit the last picture is a bit Hare like, but the strange thing is it doesn't even look like the picture posted by the op but the earlier pictures are without doubt a rabbit,
Normal for a rabbit to have a ginger neck but the rusit colour does seem to cover much of the body in your last picture again not evident in the OPs photo
No black tips to the ears as a Hare would have can't really make out the eye in the last picture but the earlier picture are most certainly rabbit.
In my opinion a rabbit going by the earlier pictures the last picture is odd seems to bare little relationship to the others

 

[bogtrotter]

Where did the last photo come from the OP
said he did not have a full body photo?

 

[bogtrotter]

Ok must be that time of night realise now the second set of photos are pellet plinker's confused at first thought they were the same photos can see the difference between rabbits and hare's.
Not so with the OPs photo can't see anything pointing to a Hare in them do see the slight reddish colour but not same as a Hare.
As for the blackish tips to the ears I can't really see it but have encountered blackish tips on rabbits ears in the past.
Have looked and looked again but still only see rabbits in the OPs post nothing that suggests Hare to me.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

I will admit the last picture is a bit Hare like,

I don’t want to appear rude but your 60 years isn’t coming across as the gospel because as sure as eggs is eggs fella,
that IS a hare.

 

[bogtrotter]

Of course it's a Hare.

 

[levigsp]

Ok lol, I’m more than happy to meet the comments head on with this, firstly we are judging this on a photo of a small part of a dead rabbity/hare type creature on a table, not out in the field watching behaviour etc so I’ll leave the comments about shouldn’t be shooting to the keyboard warriors.
I stuck my head above the parapet and commented is because i shoot an an awful lot of hares, no doubt more than most on here, week in week out on a huge commercial plantation, it’s thick with them I’m there specifically to target them on a zero tolerance basis and everything that finds it’s way in gets it including Leverets all year round, incidentally Ive only ever seen a handful of rabbits on there in the last 8 years. The overwhelming consensus on here and most other forums is not to shoot hares so I would assume most people only really see them out on their permissions at distance and not handling them on a regular basis like I do and probably haven’t seen one that close for some time.It’s worth noting that leg length is different at varying stages of development so isn’t always obvious. I also shoot hundreds of rabbits on golf courses and farmland so Id say I’m equally familiar with the two as I process them alongside each other, I’ve shot black ones, white ones, spotty ones and striped ones.

Back to the photos, the first thing that struck me was the “rustic” appearance of the coat and the colour, yes we know rabbits come in all colours but it smacked of hare to me. Two of the photos give the impression of short ears favouring rabbit but the other 2 the ears look considerably larger erring towards hare.
The ears, rabbits tend to have almost white skin and smoother on the inside than hares and usually quite neat with no black tips, the black tips are clearly starting to develop on the animal in the images and remember I said it was a juvenile/immature hare, not an adult or leveret.
And finally the big tell for me look at the eye closely,rabbits and hares have different looking eyes, it clearly has an amber coloured iris, one of the tell tale hare traits that set them apart from rabbits. Compare the photos below between rabbits and hares I’ve shot.
It’s all well and good saying definite this definite that but from my experience shooting all sizes of hares I’d say it’s far from clear cut as people’s first impressions and certainly worth the question.

Sorry i wouldn't normally but here goes. I you look at the original photos and dont see a wild rabbit, you need glasses or educating in the subject. No one who has killed rabbits would mistake that for a hare at any age. So as other have said if you cannot tell the difference you should not be shooting them.

 

[levigsp]

Ok lol, I’m more than happy to meet the comments head on with this, firstly we are judging this on a photo of a small part of a dead rabbity/hare type creature on a table, not out in the field watching behaviour etc so I’ll leave the comments about shouldn’t be shooting to the keyboard warriors.
I stuck my head above the parapet and commented is because i shoot an an awful lot of hares, no doubt more than most on here, week in week out on a huge commercial plantation, it’s thick with them I’m there specifically to target them on a zero tolerance basis and everything that finds it’s way in gets it including Leverets all year round, incidentally Ive only ever seen a handful of rabbits on there in the last 8 years. The overwhelming consensus on here and most other forums is not to shoot hares so I would assume most people only really see them out on their permissions at distance and not handling them on a regular basis like I do and probably haven’t seen one that close for some time.It’s worth noting that leg length is different at varying stages of development so isn’t always obvious. I also shoot hundreds of rabbits on golf courses and farmland so Id say I’m equally familiar with the two as I process them alongside each other, I’ve shot black ones, white ones, spotty ones and striped ones.

Back to the photos, the first thing that struck me was the “rustic” appearance of the coat and the colour, yes we know rabbits come in all colours but it smacked of hare to me. Two of the photos give the impression of short ears favouring rabbit but the other 2 the ears look considerably larger erring towards hare.
The ears, rabbits tend to have almost white skin and smoother on the inside than hares and usually quite neat with no black tips, the black tips are clearly starting to develop on the animal in the images and remember I said it was a juvenile/immature hare, not an adult or leveret.
And finally the big tell for me look at the eye closely,rabbits and hares have different looking eyes, it clearly has an amber coloured iris, one of the tell tale hare traits that set them apart from rabbits. Compare the photos below between rabbits and hares I’ve shot.
It’s all well and good saying definite this definite that but from my experience shooting all sizes of hares I’d say it’s far from clear cut as people’s first impressions and certainly worth the question.

First photo rabbits from heavy ground. Next original photo Next two are hares. When you see them close up regardless of colour the pelt fur is totaly diffetent. Rabbits have a smooth coat like a weasel or stoat. Hairs have a linty coat like a saluki. In all honesty trying to describe the difference is not easy but experience through looking at pictures and animals helps . I used to kill in the region of 700 rabbits a week and perhaps 50 hares so i have seen a few. I have caught European brown hares in three coat colours, brown black and white. All hares and rabbits have varied colour depending on topography but they like all animals have colour morphs as well .