8 week old rabbits dying

Advertise with us
shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Rabbit Talk Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
northernnevadahollandlops said:
I had a friend recently go through something similar where her older babies were dying and it turned out to be a bad batch of pellets.
Click to expand...
That is what I thought as my delivery had arrived with their food. The mum has died this morning.
she had a piece of kale in her mouth also her babies had pellets in their mouths. The people visited me and said it is E Cuniculi because of the bright blue markings in the iris
 
MsTemeraire said:
This is not E. cuniculi. It sounds almost certain to be RHD2 virus. Unfortunately there is no cure, but there is a vaccine and it is recommended all rabbits in the UK are vaccinated against it as the virus is endemic in ALL of the UK, and has a reservoir of infection in the wild population.

This is an excellent resource about the virus, written by a (retired) vet
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease — Frances Harcourt-Brown
Click to expand...
There are no signs of blood anywhere. The poop and wee looked normal.
 
Susie said:
That is what I thought as my delivery had arrived with their food. The mum has died this morning.
she had a piece of kale in her mouth also her babies had pellets in their mouths. The people visited me and said it is E Cuniculi because of the bright blue markings in the iris
Click to expand...
It's highly unlikely to be EC if you've lost the adults as well. Also, EC rarely kills - and not instantly with no other symptoms.

Not to doubt your vets, but there are not many vets with in-depth knowledge of rabbits. I am very surprised they've not mentioned RHD2... the disease is all over the UK from the Shetlands to the Scilly Isles. If your rabbits were not vaccinated, then that is the most likely cause.
I have had experience of both EC and RHD2.

Some further reading on EC:

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-...act-files/encephalitozoon-cuniculi-in-rabbits
Medirabbit
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Neurology/Paper/fenbendazole.pdf
E. cuniculi (Encephalitozoon cuniculi)

Bad pellet batches are uncommon in the UK due to so few manufacturers, and those who do manufacture them have a large share of the market so other people would be reporting the same. Just out of interest, which brand were you using?
 
MsTemeraire said:
This is not E. cuniculi. It sounds almost certain to be RHD2 virus. Unfortunately there is no cure, but there is a vaccine and it is recommended all rabbits in the UK are vaccinated against it as the virus is endemic in ALL of the UK, and has a reservoir of infection in the wild population.

This is an excellent resource about the virus, written by a (retired) vet
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease — Frances Harcourt-Brown
Click to expand...
Mum has now passed. Absolutely devastated. I bought her off a show breeder in February. When a practice vet said it was Ec because of the blue speck in her eye. In less than two weeks I have lost 14. I am absolutely broken
 
Susie said:
Mum has now passed. Absolutely devastated. I bought her off a show breeder in February. When a practice vet said it was Ec because of the blue speck in her eye. In less than two weeks I have lost 14. I am absolutely broken
Click to expand...
I'm so sorry.
I'm afraid your vet has made a mistake. This can only be RHD2.
They could have had EC as well, but RHD2 is a silent killer.
 
Last edited:
The sudden loss of your rabbits does NOT sound like cunniculi, it sounds like something more deadly. If you live in North America the RVHD2 virus is making it's rounds. I would STRONGLY suggest you contact a vet and see about getting them tested.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top