Cocci and colonies?

How does one avoid them?

Having now had a vicious bout of cocci it makes me fearful of a repeat if I start up a colony again. It was in my all wire cages that I had the problem but on the ground they have even more contact with their droppings.

I loved having a colony and miss it but I cant go through loosing rabbits like that again.

Not sure if this helps but mine are on a thick bed of straw which helps keep them off the ground and the poop tends to make it's way down through the straw so they're not sitting on it. Not foolproof, of course, they can still come into contact with it but contact is severely reduced.

I"ve had mine outside for nearly two years now and no problems so far (Knock on wood!).

Seems to me that parasitic ailments are worse the further south you go. Truckinguy and I are both in Ontario, which is a lot cooler and drier than Florida.

I also have used a deep litter system for colony rabbits. I won't say I've never had a spotty liver on a butchered rabbit, but I've never had one that is obviously ill from cocci either. It could also be that the natural feeding of many weeds with medicinal qualities has helped keep my rabbits healthy in a colony setting.

Use lots of bedding and keep things dry. Our problem was when we were putting frozen containers out in summer and the condensation soaked the bedding over the rubber mat section.

I had absolutely no problem with cocci in my big outdoor pen for a very long time. It's not really wild rabbit habitat on this steep mountainside.
I think the protozoa that causes it simply wasn't present in my original rabbits or the soil.

After I accidentally brought it in and contaminated the soil, I haven't even tried to put rabbits back out there.


So...a closed colony on clean ground with clean rabbits could work.

I have raised rabbits without problem for 3 or 4 years in a colony type system, But once cocci is introduced [by me, through my ignorance],-it is there to stay,it is just waiting for a "stress" to cause a flare up. The place where I now live has had livestock on it for a hundred years, and I know cocci is here -[and I feed weeds pulled up with the roots], to the rabbits]- so prevention is a part of my livestock protocol even though I raise my rabbits off the ground, -I don't see any symptoms ,but that is no reason to forget about it. I feed garlic chives to all my does before they have their young , and at least once a week to all rabbits, if I am out of Garlic chives, garlic tops, or onion tops, I will put Corid [a coccidiostat] in the water for the first week or so after the young start drinking,to help them build an immunity [if I am feeding weeds with dirt on the roots]. I also try to keep manure from building up in the cage corners , as it is a prime infection site. so-- colony raising is possible with out cocci -until it shows up, it could be many years, or could already be in the dirt when you start.[as it can survive in the soil for at least 50 years].
I would treat all rabbits with a coccidiocide, before introducing them into the colony just for insurance, because coccidiosis is such a drag.