Problems in your rabbitry : Illnesses, Injuries and Parasites

Right up front I'll say I'm not sure how to word what I'm trying to say so I'll just write off my thoughts and see if clarity can be brought.

How does one bring up issues on one's rabbitry without other people looking down at you for animal husbandry issues? Or questioning the overall health of your animals?

How can one show that you are doing the best you can by your animals even if you run into health issues?

I can understand why some people are fairly close-mouthed about what goes on in their rabbitries (because people can and do use information against others), but if one is seeking help, or wants answers to your questions, how does one go about doing so...without doing the "my friend has an issue and this is what their seeing" without there actually being a friend with an issue? AND without giving what you are doing with your rabbits a bad name?

Does any of that make sense?

It makes a lot of sense. We're always worried (sometimes with good reason) about someone else second-guessing our methods or our lack of experience or knowledge, and we feel defensive. If it's not other rabbit owners, there's always the PETA crowd lurking in the background, waiting to pounce on the slightest perceived irregularity and blow it all out of proportion, just to make all animal raisers look bad, especially meat-breeders.

Try telling an angora list that your does are in a colony! my god in heaven. The comments that post I did on an angora list were...interesting.

The best way to go about discussing your rabbits, I think, is to be honest with your posts..and with yourself. Actually read the responses and learn from them. Even the nasty negative people sometimes come up with a pearl of wisdom...or...well, let's take an example.

I had posted about the angora colony experiment going well (on an angora list) but I was having problems with keeping them tamed down...even when picking them up daily, they were VERY active and very independent compared to the one girl that was in a cage. One breeder was so indignant at my ignorance she threatened to send the humane society after me for cruelty! but she also mentioned moving the feeders up onto a low platform so the does were higher up when I came into the colony. I tried it..and it worked VERY well.

One thing that is disturbing to me is when I see the same person complaining, or asking for help, about losing rabbits, or ill rabbits, over and over again. A well run animal breeding set up, whatever the animal, will have the occasional problem, but not over and over again. With rabbits it seems to be centered around inadequate housing. With chickens it's usually predator based problems. With horses it tends to be feeding related (or lack of dry housing) When the person keeps having problems, and has constant excuses about why they can't change something that is causing problems (like "I can't afford to feed them more than grass" or "the barn is so drafty, but why do they keep dying on me?" (oh me, poor me posts) ) ...I tend to start ignoring the posts.

I think you just have to choose who you ask carefully. When I was actively raising birds, a breeder friend got hit with a very nasty very contagious disease in her flock. She' lost thousands of dollars in breeding stock, not to mention the emotional toll it was taking on her. Ultimately, she did let the list know what was going on and what steps she was taking to get a clean bill of health. Everyone was very supportive of what she was going through. I think this group would be the same.

As for Ann and her infamous colony...I'm thrilled. I was very attracted to the idea of controlled colony breeding, but could only find meat breeders doing it. I'm hoping that when I'm finally able to get my bunnies that my colony will work out as well.

Shannon