What to do?

I'll try to keep the story short, but I need to explain. I'd post this in the troubleshooting section, but it's more complicated than that...
I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue to get a replacement rabbit from my supplier. He's already offered me a free rabbit the next time I visit him. Since I'm a nervous beginner, I owe him the benefit of the doubt, and I won't say who he is over the internet. Everything I find online says he is highly respected, and like I said, I'm just a beginner.
The problem isn't money. All things considered, even pedigree rabbits just aren't that expensive. The problem is distance. I had my mind set on Florida Whites, and the closest supplier of FW breeding stock that I managed to find was several hours away.
There was a mix up... Based on what I said I wanted over emails, he had planned ahead and decided on what to offer me, but by the time I got there, I had changed what I wanted and he worked to accommodate me. In the process, I came home with paperwork that didn't match the tattoo on the young FW doe. We're still working that out. I'm expecting the matching pedigree to show up in the mail any day now. (Fingers crossed.)
The real problem is, there is something going on with this doe's right eye. I did notice as we were walking the rows and passing cages, that one of the rabbits had a cloudy eye. I can't say that I ended up with that rabbit. I didn't notice that there was a problem with my rabbit until a couple days after bringing her home. The supplier's response to the news was that it probably wasn't anything serious since, "it wasn't like that when she left", and he offered some vague suggestions about antibiotic drops, and an apology for giving me "the wrong rabbit."
Make what you like of all that... It's just not worth making the drive again to resolve it.

Through research of my own, I decided to use Vetericyn wash for a few days until I could get my hands on some Terramycin ointment, which I applied for about a week.
Nothing has had any noticeable affect in the appearance of the eye. It doesn't seem to bother her, and she's eating and gaining weight...


I don't know what to do... My plans for breeding FWs was for meat. Should I raise her to breeding age and see what she produces? Any suggestions on the eye?
I think I can find NZs closer to home. I have a fine looking 5+ month old FW buck. Should I just get a NZ doe to cross him with to fill my freezer and not worry about pedigrees? If I was ever going to raise breeding or show stock it would be some other breed, anyhow.
Thank you for any thoughts.

If you were looking for another breed similar in size and meat production to the FW, I've read that non-dwarfed Mini Satins are pretty good. Sorry I can't really help you with the rest

To me it looks like the entire eye (pupil and iris) and not just the pupil is an off colour :shrug:

If that is the case then I suspect she may have had a bad case of "nest box eye" and the damage could be permanent but not contagious

If the pupil is the only cloudy area then Encephalitazoon cuniculi (E. cuni) is a possibility and a highly contagious disease

The eye looks off...and slightly swollen. I wouldn't tolerate it in my own meat herd unless I was set on a very specific breed and that was the only doe I had.

I always think along the lines of:

What if one of the animal control groups came through, would I be fined for "denying veterinary care" for this illness?

So, I'm never comfortable with any visible signs of illness or injury in the meat herd.

karebru":2qtgh9l7 said:

I don't know what to do... My plans for breeding FWs was for meat. Should I raise her to breeding age and see what she produces? Any suggestions on the eye?
I think I can find NZs closer to home. I have a fine looking 5+ month old FW buck. Should I just get a NZ doe to cross him with to fill my freezer and not worry about pedigrees? If I was ever going to raise breeding or show stock it would be some other breed, anyhow.
Thank you for any thoughts.

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I think you answered your own question. If you're not interested in breeding or show FWs, I would not expend a lot of energy on this doe. I don't know the answer to this, maybe Dood does, but if there is a simple vet test for E. cuni, I might get her tested and go from there. If it's a simple injury, then breed her. If a disease, cull her, and try something else.

Sorry you're going through this.

I think it looks like physical damage that has resolved itself. Could have been a mild infection that left lasting damage or really hard trauma. With no other symptoms around the eye and if she's not bothering it I would just leave her and see what happens. It's possible it will show infection and I would consider not keeping her at that point. I expect though that the only longterm effect is going to be blindness and not genetic so it doesn't impact future litters.

Zass":24jejwqj said:

The eye looks off...and slightly swollen.

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It might be the camera angle, but that eye does look noticeably larger than the normal one. And the color is totally different.

She is a pretty little rabbit otherwise.

I don't know what the cause is, but I would watch her for signs of pain. Possibly tilting her head to one side, shaking her head, or grinding her teeth.

Is she your only FW doe? If so, I would raise her to breeding age and see what happens. You can keep a couple of does out of her first litter to raise as replacements.

MamaSheepdog":1pz7rvl4 said:

Zass":1pz7rvl4 said:

The eye looks off...and slightly swollen.

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It might be the camera angle, but that eye does look noticeably larger than the normal one. And the color is totally different.

She is a pretty little rabbit otherwise.

I don't know what the cause is, but I would watch her for signs of pain. Possibly tilting her head to one side, shaking her head, or grinding her teeth.

Is she your only FW doe? If so, I would raise her to breeding age and see what happens. You can keep a couple of does out of her first litter to raise as replacements.

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Yes, the eye is larger than the other one. that is what I was trying to show in that picture. The fog covers the whole eye and it is lighter in color than it appears in the pictures. There is also what looks like wavy scarring on the surface. It's not entirely smooth. She seems content and oblivious to the problem... Used to it. Not like it just happened. Would they have tattooed a scarred rabbit (As apposed to culling.) if they were planning on using her for only in-house breeding? If that's the case, They could have told me...

She is my only FW doe. If I ever get the paper work, I'll know how old she is. If all goes well, I'll try breeding her when the time comes. I swore to myself, no vet care for rabbits, (Caring for two senior dogs is expensive enough.) but I guess I could ask what it would cost to test her. Would breeding her offspring with their father be a problem? My supplier was very concerned about genetic diversity. I've read a little bit about line breeding but don't fully understand it.
I guess this is an obvious problem with trying to do this on a limited scale. None are simply expendable.
Thanks, as always, for the input.

Did a quick internet search. It seems most likely to be glaucoma. Sometimes they recommend removing the eye, sometime medication.

If you do a search for rabbit glaucoma you should get a lot of info.

Syberchick70":1qj47yk1 said:

Did a quick internet search. It seems most likely to be glaucoma. Sometimes they recommend removing the eye, sometime medication.

If you do a search for rabbit glaucoma you should get a lot of info.

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Morning, y'all.
Glaucoma sounds painful. An animal in pain is something I would never let go unattended to. I'll be watching closely for signs.
Thanks everyone.

All my rabbits get tattooed just so I can tell them apart as they are usually all chinchilla coloured

Late stage glaucoma is painful and weeping is almost always associated with it which I don't see here.

With your additional explanation I think she had trauma or REALLY bad nest box dye as a kit that healed poorly

I think she'll be fine for breeding a litter or two to get replacement does out of but if the eye swells, start weeping or looks irritated I'd cull her. I'd also watch her kits closely at 7 to 14 days old for nestbox eye as I believe it is heavily influenced by genetics

Dood":11oxxjai said:

All my rabbits get tattooed just so I can tell them apart as they are usually all chinchilla coloured

Late stage glaucoma is painful and weeping is almost always associated with it which I don't see here.

With your additional explanation I think she had trauma or REALLY bad nest box dye as a kit that healed poorly

I think she'll be fine for breeding a litter or two to get replacement does out of but if the eye swells, start weeping or looks irritated I'd cull her. I'd also watch her kits closely at 7 to 14 days old for nestbox eye as I believe it is heavily influenced by genetics

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I kinda think you're on the right track, Dood. I'm still in the undecided stage here but I'm a big softy when it comes to animals, and that all sounds like stuff I'd lay awake at night worrying about.
Let me take this another direction... For now, I have room for two breeding pairs. I have a pair of four month old Havanas that I really like. They're real characters and seem to be coming along great.
I just responded to a craigslist add by a pedigree Silver Fox breeder who is only an hour away, and I asked about meeting them this weekend. I understand that SFs are also a dual-purpose rabbit? (but larger)
For now, this is a hobby for me... or just an excuse to have more pets. I'm not concerned about food consumption and commercial yields right now... Meat for my own table and maybe some nice pelts to make slippers out of.
So, maybe this is the direction I should go if I want to keep it small... Locally available replacement stock and gene pool diversity.
Excuse me while I go read up some more on Silver Fox rabbits.............

I don't think I could put my FW buck on the table, though... He's already reached "pet" status, as I had planned on allowing my breeders to become.
I guess I'd need another cage. :roll:

Excuse me while I go read up some more on Silver Fox rabbits.

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Just don't believe what you read. Most people's pedigreed SF stock are not very different than new zealands or satins these days. (Don't let price be your guide, the more I've paid for a SF, the less useful or productive it's been :roll: )

Lots and lots of people have experienced abnormally neurotic pedigreed SF does who are not very good mothers, and only manage to raise comparatively small litters for meat rabbits. (I hear 6 or 6-8 as a frequently quoted average.)
The bucks are usually sweet, because they're bucks.
But a lot of lines throw every color in the rainbow, from shaded, to non-extension, to chinchilla, to steel...the list goes on...

What I'm saying is that they rarely match the hype.

The coat IS wonderful however, and they seem to be exceptionally cold hardy. Some lines have great growth rates, and they out cross very well for meat production. Which might be part of why they are so mixed...now that I think about it.

Update:
Well, I decided "What to do"... Stop stressing myself out and just roll with it.
I culled the doe on Friday, after spending some time watching her. The eye was bothering her. She was trying to blink it, but it wouldn't close all the way, and she was twitching her head to that side occasionally.
Saturday, I picked up a pair of 12 week old, black, Silver Foxes. I don't know what they'll be like when they come of age, but unlike my Havanas and FW, they have obviously been handled. Easy to pick up without getting scratched... They both come over to see you when you walk up to the cages instead of running to the back corner, and they seemed to instantly adjust to their new homes.
The breeders have a nice little back-yard rabbitry, (About what I'd like to gear up to eventually.) and they're 50 minutes away. As I was leaving, he told me that if I have any problem with them at all, (including temperament) he'll be happy to exchange them. "Or if we got the sexes wrong." his wife added. (Man, these things are hairy!)
I might replace, but see no reason to exchange, as long as there's room in the freezer.

Excuse me while I go read up some more on Silver Fox rabbits.

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Just don't believe what you read. ...
...What I'm saying is that they rarely match the hype...

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Zass, I did read up... Much of it was things you have posted here about your experiences with SFs. VERY helpful. Thank you!
We'll see what happens. I'm hoping they will end up making me good "meat pets".

karebru":3aiz7f4r said:

I culled the doe on Friday, after spending some time watching her. The eye was bothering her. She was trying to blink it, but it wouldn't close all the way, and she was twitching her head to that side occasionally.

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Oh, that's too bad. I'm glad you took the time to watch her to see if she was in pain and put her out of her misery. Good husbandry, there! :clap2:

karebru":3aiz7f4r said:

Saturday, I picked up a pair of 12 week old, black, Silver Foxes. I don't know what they'll be like when they come of age, but unlike my Havanas and FW, they have obviously been handled. Easy to pick up without getting scratched... They both come over to see you when you walk up to the cages instead of running to the back corner, and they seemed to instantly adjust to their new homes.
The breeders have a nice little back-yard rabbitry, (About what I'd like to gear up to eventually.) and they're 50 minutes away. As I was leaving, he told me that if I have any problem with them at all, (including temperament) he'll be happy to exchange them. "Or if we got the sexes wrong." his wife added.

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Alright! Sounds like you found some good rabbits, and better yet, helpful and honest breeders.

Thanks, Mama S.

As I was leaving, he told me that if I have any problem with them at all, (including temperament) he'll be happy to exchange them. "Or if we got the sexes wrong." his wife added. (Man, these things are hairy!)
I might replace, but see no reason to exchange, as long as there's room in the freezer.

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That sounds wonderful! Definitely save their number. I'm guessing you weren't overcharged either if replacing is more practical than exchanging.

They both come over to see you when you walk up to the cages instead of running to the back corner, and they seemed to instantly adjust to their new homes.

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I'd say your off to a pretty good start. I know there definitely are good lines out there. People who struggle with their silver fox temperaments often report finding even the kits to be abnormally skittish compared to other meat rabbits. 12 weeks and friendly is a great sign.

Zass":2m7hjkuw said:

I'm guessing you weren't overcharged either if replacing is more practical than exchanging.

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Cheaper than the freezer section at Publix.

Zass":2m7hjkuw said:

I'd say your off to a pretty good start. I know there definitely are good lines out there. People who struggle with their silver fox temperaments often report finding even the kits to be abnormally skittish compared to other meat rabbits. 12 weeks and friendly is a great sign.

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Even the other bunnies are calming down now. Could be because I'm not stressing over the injured one anymore. Or maybe it's the open baggie of oatmeal that I'm carrying when I approach the cages at "petting time." ...No petting tolerated - No pinch of oats. (Hasn't failed yet.)

After reading different threads, one started by Zass in particular, I've really re-thought the whole pedigree thing and how unimportant it is to my purpose. Having said that, and I really like these guys, so it doesn't matter... Do they look like genuine Silver Foxes?

The buck...

The doe... (I think... Gonna keep checking as she? gets older.)

Nice rabbits! They look pure to me, but I am no expert in the breed.

Judging by their heads, it looks to me like you do have a buck and a doe.

MamaSheepdog":tiufvrfx said:

Nice rabbits! They look pure to me, but I am no expert in the breed.

Judging by their heads, it looks to me like you do have a buck and a doe.

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Their heads?... I'm fixing to learn something new... What about their heads?