more icky stuff....

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Nyctra

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I'll say it now - I didn't know about snuffles or any such thing when I got these rabbits. Call me irresponsible, ignorant, whatever; mum had me buy the rabbits before I felt I was ready for them. I know more today than I did yesterday - and now I'm quite aware that I have a bunch of infected rabbits, one of which is a pet, and I can't kill a pet, it just seems wrong...so I guess that's gunna kinda complicate things... I have a rabbitless friend who may be able to take her. My parents want to be able to sell meat rabbits, but I don't think we can do it with this bunch.

So I figure that rabbits born here will die here, so would this pasteurella nasties be acceptable so long as no one gets a snotty nose? I've already raised one litter to fryer age with this, and they appear to be doing fine except for the goopy eyes - none have died on their own so far, at least. If I can at least get a few litters from these does, I'd be more willing to part with this herd. If it really proves to be a problem, though, I guess I could kill them all a bit sooner than I'd hoped. I'm really not fond of this "normal" fur anyway, and I'd like to replace them with nicer furred rabbits like rex and satin someday.

I feel like I'm pretty stupid and don't really know what I'm doing, but at least I'm learning...or trying to at least. :oops:
 
There are something like a dozen respiratory illnesses a rabbit can get. We've got one floating around that only shows up when young rabbits are stressed and goes away so fast I can never get a culture on it. Most rabbitries have something that the rabbits carry without showing symptoms and somewhere around 80% of rabbits were tested to be carrying some form of pasteurella. Before you write your herd off as having a dangerous form of pasteurella when none are dying and sick ones are recovering on their own I would take one to the vet for cultures. You may have something minor that is worth treating and continuing to breed your current rabbits. It's still best not to keep rabbits that have gotten ill as breeders and butcher or sell them for meat purposes since the rabbits have shown weakness to an illness. The only way to truly beat these things is to breed for health by only keeping the ones who never show any sign of whatever respiratory infection your herd has been exposed to.
 
Did you buy these rabbits, from a breeder in your part of the state? A breeder within a 10 mile area? Sometimes the adults of a breed have a hard time acclimatization, but the young (that are born there) can do fine. Here in Texas most of our allergy plants have already been throwing pollen. Your may just now be starting. A sensitivity to the weather and a difference in how the breeder kept that line, compared to how you are keeping them, may just now be showing up. -
-- Previously, you have mentioned that your at the edge of a forest (worried about bears) and are your rabbits still housed in the chicken (possibly dusty) coop? Has a skunk sprayed recently, near enough to the rabbits, that they may have gotten some of it?
-- You also said that the feed you have, has a large amount of fines. That you have had to scoop up to an cup of fines out of the feeder. You may have to switch to another feed.
-- If you are having a problem getting hay to feed your rabbits. 'I have heard' that rabbit also like pine cones. You have made it sound like you are out in the country, since you are having to share your hay with your dad's pet horses. Maybe you can cut some grass and feed some more grass. You might have an feed problem. If you do start feeding more fresh grass, don't forget to give them a salt spool.
 
They aren't kept in or near the chicken coop (never have been, but I'd considered it), but we have a skunk or two that sometimes wander through at night stinking something awful. The rabbits haven't been sprayed - not that I know of at least. I live IN the forest, but I'm not sure if the trees are putting out pollen right now...I'll check the car hood in the morning, I swear it's a pollen magnet. Dad's been cutting trees lately, so it's stirring up stuff. The rabbits are from a place a couple hours away - the landscape and plants are a bit different there. Here we have mountains and forests, there they have a valley and fields. Some were raised from newborn to fryer here and they have the eye goop.

I intend to switch to a home mix as soon as I get the money for it. This stuff is just too horribly dusty, even makes ME sneeze. There's no better pellets available near me, it seems.

I WAS cutting bagfuls of grass for a while, sometimes feeding fresh, and sometimes letting it dry on a board, but then I got wary because I didn't know what it was, although it didn't seem to be hurting them. I hope to plant some oats again soon - it's the fastest growing strongest grass I've been able to grow in the forest. Since one of the horses may get to go to a better home soon, I'll hopefully be able to get the rabbits more hay as well.

This still doesn't change my mind about someday having rabbits with fur I like better though. :lol:
 
how big is your herd?

Can you cull out the worst offenders?

Grass pretty much is okay for rabbits as long as it is grass like, and if your rabbits were eating it fine, you can continue feeding it to them.

if there's a weed around you aren't sure of, if you can take a clear picture of it, often folks can help identify it.

DO NOT sell any of the offspring to other folks until you know what you are dealing with.

Have you talked with the breeder about what is going on with the rabbits?
 

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