Appropriate Cleanliness and Pasteurella

[nicrose8]

I recently freaked out and butchered a decent breeding doe because she had a runny nose. I'm new so not sure if it was allergies or pasteurella but I didn't want to take a chance. A couple breeders I sent a photo to told me it was pasteurella because I'm too clean and didn't give my rabbits' immune systems a chance to develop.

At first I believed the breeders because I don't know anything but as I think about it more, I realize I'm not really THAT clean. I was hoping I could get your opinions as to what is appropriate cleanliness.

Here is my approximate routine. Every day I feed (obviously). I dump out water is water left in the water bottles and replace it with fresh water. I don't really clean the outside of the feeders or the water bottles, just the inside if it looks like it needs it. I have 6 cages and I clean 1 to 2 cages a day, so the cages get cleaned every 5 to 6 days. When I clean a cage, I scrape out all the gunk, rub it down with lime, spray it off with water, then put cedar shavings in the pee spots and put it back in the cage. If there's poop or anything hanging from the cage, I just scrape it out. About once a week, I clean up the floor of the barn since it's dirt, just a quick rake.

This routine doesn't seem overly clean but maybe it is? Like I said, I didn't wait out the runny nose to see if it was pasteurella or not and no one else has a runny nose...but now I have the cleanest barn in town! Anyway, I'd love to hear your routines.

Thanks

PS The nose in question is pictured below in case anyone was wondering.

 

[Bad Habit]

Cedar shavings are highly aromatic and can cause lots of issues with small animals. I can't really tell in the picture posted if the snot is white or clear, however white is "p", and clear is usually allergies. I would suggest switching away from the cedar shavings and watch the rest of your stock accordingly.

 

[nicrose8]

Thanks for the speedy response! Do you have any suggestions for what I should put in the trays, if anything? I have tried putting nothing in but I found myself cleaning all of the cages every day (the smell was so pungent) and it was very time consuming.

I did a deep clean of the barn that took two days (my arms and back are so sore) but I put a bottle of hand sanitizer in the barn and I've been checking all the buns since. So far no runny noses. I've got my fingers crossed it stays that way but time will tell.

 

[Bad Habit]

I use pine wood pellets or peat moss in mine. Pine pellets seem to absorb the smell better, but peat moss is better for the garden.

 

[Dood]

told me it was pasteurella because I'm too clean and didn't give my rabbits' immune systems a chance to develop.

It would be pretty much impossible for it to be so clean that this is the cause.

Its hard to diagnose from the picture but better safe than sorry. Looking at the rabbits lungs and other organs can often help in diagnosis, next time consider doing a necropsy.

Lime dust is very caustic and will certainly irritate your rabbits sinuses. I don't know where you clean your cages but I would never use lime around my rabbits. I may sprinkle some in the pans then cover with shavings or peat moss as long as I was sure it couldn't be blown around by the wind to irritate the buns.

I'd love to hear your routines.

I clean my barn 2 times a week. All wastes drop to a concrete floor that is covered in peat moss that I shovel then sweep up and bag for later use in the garden or sell. I usually use agricultural lime (not nearly as caustic as stable lime) in the pee corners and extra peat there as well.

My grow outs are in a colony that is swept daily and given a good cleaning once a week.

I use crocks and they are cleaned as needed, otherwise just topped up.

 

[Miss M]

Add me in as saying to switch away from the cedar shavings. That could be your entire problem.

You can switch to pine shavings, pine pellets (horse stall pellets or wood stove pellets with no accelerant), peat moss, etc., even a combination.

I agree with Dood, I think it would be very difficult for "too clean" to be your problem. Doesn't sound like "too dirty" is your problem, either.

I have cages suspended about 3' over a deep bed of pine shavings. About 6" deep. The chickens have free run of the rabbitry, and keep everything turned. It's time for me to shovel it all out and put in new shavings (once or twice a year thing). The garden will love me.

 

[Frecs]

Are you using lime as in lime juice or lime as in powder?

I would encourage folks to move away from using peat moss only because it is questionable as to it's being a renewable resource. (http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/0712/asknlpeat.html) .. pine shavings, shredded newspaper, etc. would be better. If the shredded paper doesn't help with smell, sprinkle in some Sweet PDZ (used in horse stalls).

 

[skysthelimit]

Are you using lime as in lime juice or lime as in powder?

I would encourage folks to move away from using peat moss only because it is questionable as to it's being a renewable resource. (http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/0712/asknlpeat.html) .. pine shavings, shredded newspaper, etc. would be better. If the shredded paper doesn't help with smell, sprinkle in some Sweet PDZ (used in horse stalls).

That is why I stopped using it, besides it made the 30x30 metals pans very heavy.

 

[nicrose8]

Ha! I use lime like the powder, not like the juice. That would be pretty spend I'd imagine. It comes in such tiny bottles. I use it outside my barn so I'm not so worried about it getting in their lungs when I use it.

I think I will go with the pine shavings just because of the availability. We don't really use paper and I'm not sure where I'd get it.

PS I checked noses again today and everyone is still clear. I had a sigh of relief. Now I just need 2 more weeks of that and I should be through the woods (I let a 4Her handle my rabbits a week ago and I hear it can take 3 weeks for pasteurella to flush out).

 

[Frecs]

Hehehehe...yeah, I was going to ask if you had your own lime tree or something! :lol: (citrus juice is a good disinfectant, though...)

If you are close to an office/business district you could probably get their shredded paper. I get it from the accounting dept of the company I work for... you can also by paper pellets but they seem rather expensive to me...