A question about Quarentine

[Mickey328]

Okay, I got that a period of 30 or more days is ideal, but I'm wondering about space. I assumed it should be as far as possible, say the other side of the yard or a different shed or such.

But I see comments about breeding a new buck while in QT or putting buns from different rabbitries in a vehicle to transport them home...stuff like that.

Can someone enlighten me? I assume it's to keep different strains of Pasturella from passing back and forth, as well as any other "bugs" that are contagious.

Thanks!

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have only (only! :roll: ) added four new groups of rabbits to my operation, so I am not an expert. With the exception of my Beveren doe and buck, all new rabbits have been QT'ed in the house for at least thirty days.

The Craigslist Lionheads and the Rex that my Sistah OAF brought me have moved to the Bunnybarn. The Beveren are outside my bedroom on the South side, and the Jersey Woolys are still in the house, but will hopefully move to the East side of the bedroom today.

I had an outbreak of the dreaded "P word" in my Rex, so until new cases stop appearing I am unwilling to risk moving the Beveren or Woolys near them.

Everyone has their own set of circumstances to deal with, so their quarantine protocol will vary.

The only time I would breed an animal in quarantine would be to another that came from the same source. It would still be risky for the doe in particular since the added stress of pregnancy while she is still adapting to a new environment could cause an illness to manifest.

I have often wondered what the protocol is when transporting stock from several different sources as is done by transporters bringing stock to several buyers from different breeders. I suspect that they just factor it in as an additional risk.

 

[Mickey328]

I confess to being a bit confused. We just got our trio and the buck and does are from different breeders. The cages came about a week later, and the rabbitry area isn't set up yet, so we have them in the house. The does are in one cage in the dining room and the buck is in the living room. The cages are about 20 feet or so apart. I'm hoping that will be sufficient. Once the rabbitry is all set up (outside) I'd like to put the does in separate cages on one end and the buck on the other. They would have 4 empty cages between them (just over 12 feet) and I wonder if this is okay, or would it be better to simply put the buck in the shed till the month is up?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It would probably be better to have him in the shed or house, but you could make a barrier between him and the does by placing cardboard or plastic sheeting between the cages.

You have to decide your risk threshold. Since you are just starting out you don't have that much invested in your stock, unlike some of us who have a larger number of animals at risk.

If you lost all three, would it be affordable to replace them?

 

[Mickey328]

It might take a while to squeeze the money out of our budget, but beyond that, I'd just rather not see critter die if it can be avoided. It wouldn't be too difficult to find a semi-permanent spot inside for a cage or two for new stock. Much better safe than sorry! Think I'd rather they were in the house than the shed since it has no windows. Plus, if they're inside, chances are they'll get handled more often and get more used to smells.

I'd always figured "the farther away, the better" but wondered after seeing some of those posts I mentioned...figured I'd better check in case I was missing something. Thanks, MSD, I appreciate the advice!

 

[AnnClaire]

Yes, I have had several rabbits transported in ... they are in an enclosed space with rabbits (and cavys, too) from many other areas/breeders. Both times, this was also in conjunction with a 4-5 day stay at a convention, so plenty of opportunity for infection. None of the rabbits have shown any sign of illness during quarantine, nor afterwards, which I attribute to their healthy consititution.

This is just one of the accepted risks associated with transportation.

As for quarantining ... if you have had them several weeks in close proximity inside the house, then they have probably "passed around" any different strains of P that were inherit in their individual rabbitries, so I would say that either they will succumb or they are healthy enough to adjust to the new P strain. At this time, I would not hesitate to house the does at one end of the bank of cages and the buck at the other end ... put up a cardboard divider if it makes you feel better.

Since you have 2 does and only one buck, just feed/water the buck first, then the does so that if there is any transmission, hopefully only one doe will react and you will still have one if it comes to terminally culling one.

Also, be aware that the Pasteurella virus may take as long as 6 weeks to manifest ... so you are rolling the dice by 2 weeks with only a 30day quarantine in some respects.

I have quarantined as short as 1 week and as long as 4 weeks. I deal with my existing stock first, and then the quarantine ... without washing up as I want the new rabbit to be exposed to my herd's flora/fauna as soon as possible to bring out any issues during quarantine, not 2 weeks after.

I am sure there are plenty of folks that will say I have been extremely lucky in my procedures, but I have raised many other animals, and try to buy from reputable breeders that keep their stock outdoors like I do. I do think that rabbits from an outdoor rabbitry are more robust than those from rabbitries housed in enclosed buildings. I also live in an area that stresses my rabbits with extreme temperature changes.

 

[Miss M]

I have had difficulty before now dealing with proper quarantine, and thankfully I haven't been bitten.

When we were given a pair of does, I had no way to quarantine at my uncle's house, and they went straight into the rabbitry, with me scared to death.

When we bought a doe at a show, I was able to come up with a quarantine setup. For two weeks, I observed strict quarantine protocol. The third week, I did not wash up before dealing with the new doe, for the same reason as MSD. The last week, I dealt with the doe first, and did not wash up before dealing with the rest of the herd. I figured they would be exposed to a low level of whatever she might be carrying, and build up some resistance. I dunno... seemed like a good idea. I didn't have any problems, but I can't say it was due to my routine.

When one of our bucks presented with a goopy eye, I did not remove him for quarantine. He was between two empty cages, and on the other side of one of them was the other buck. I put up a piece of cardboard while I gave him shots.

It was very difficult there to do quarantine. I plan to have a proper quarantine area here, but don't have one yet. It would just be a dog kennel in the shed (not the rabbitry). Really, that would be a proper quarantine, but the rabbit would be on a solid floor, and would be in the same space as the feed. Also, it would make it difficult for Shay to work in his workshop... no sawdust allowed!