Arahant
New member
Hello everyone,
I'm new to the site(iv been around abit just reading), and im new to rabbit husbandry, or even any animal husbandry, but iv been researching alot and have a good understanding of biology.
I recently bought some cages and rabbits with the intention of breeding them for meat and the scraps for my dog, its as much about raising and taking care of them, and learning about them, as it is about eating them and having fresh meat vs frozen/store bought, and just knowing where my meat comes from(in this instance).
Anyways i got 6 rabbits, iv had them for a couple months yet, i havnt yet felt comfortable breeding them, im still getting adjusted although any day now.
The reason for this thread, in this section, is that one of the 6 rabbits that i have, is in really bad shape, when i got it, i didnt relise this one had a really bad ear mite problem, like really bad. I didnt really notice it at first, when i did notice it, took me a week or so till i got medication for it. I'v treated it's ears twice now with the drops, but it seems like its getting worse, somehow its spreading from its ears to its neck. I'm not sure if its ears got infected from the mites biting them, and it has spread to the neck. OR if the mites are biting its neck and the rabbit is just scratching its neck raw/bloody.
Its really horrible to look at, i'v treated my other rabbits aswell, there was some hints of mites in half of them, but after treating them they have all healed up and are mite free and healthy/happy.
Basicly im at the point of deciding, do i try really hard and get this rabbit back to healthy condition, i doubt it will ever be totaly healthy but i think if i pay alot of attention to it, treating it every or every other day and giving it personalized attention, i could get rid of the mites and give the wounds time to heal. The other option which im leaning towards is just culling it, its in really rough shape as the pictures im including will show, i dont want it to be in pain/suffering, and honestly i dont think it will ever be in good enough shape that i can breed her. They are all 3+ years old so they are somewhat older rabbits.
This rabbit also seems somewhat immaciated, despite me feeding it well and giving it plenty of water. All the other rabbits are quite plump and very large for rabbits, due to possible over feeding by last owners, and their age. Owner said a couple of them are over 25LB's, i havn't weighed them yet but they are very big.
So yeah, looking for some advice, look at pictures and tell me wether i should just put it down or try and heal it, it would possible be somewhat educational for me to try and treat it, seeing as im new to this, but not sure its worth the possible suffering, it does seem to have the will to survive.
Also one more question, no since making another thread, when i went to the feed store a week ago, they were out of regular rabbit feed and only had breeder feed, i bought a bag of that because i will need it when i breed them anyways, and iv been feeding them that untill i can go back and get a couple regular bags of feed, will this cause any major problems? I know its formulated differently and it probably has some stuff in excess thats not totaly healthy for a regular rabbit, but what i want to know is will it cause any major problems?
Sorry for long post, and thanks if you have any advice.
Link to the pictures is:
http://imgur.com/a/41uPR#vsChNGF
I'm new to the site(iv been around abit just reading), and im new to rabbit husbandry, or even any animal husbandry, but iv been researching alot and have a good understanding of biology.
I recently bought some cages and rabbits with the intention of breeding them for meat and the scraps for my dog, its as much about raising and taking care of them, and learning about them, as it is about eating them and having fresh meat vs frozen/store bought, and just knowing where my meat comes from(in this instance).
Anyways i got 6 rabbits, iv had them for a couple months yet, i havnt yet felt comfortable breeding them, im still getting adjusted although any day now.
The reason for this thread, in this section, is that one of the 6 rabbits that i have, is in really bad shape, when i got it, i didnt relise this one had a really bad ear mite problem, like really bad. I didnt really notice it at first, when i did notice it, took me a week or so till i got medication for it. I'v treated it's ears twice now with the drops, but it seems like its getting worse, somehow its spreading from its ears to its neck. I'm not sure if its ears got infected from the mites biting them, and it has spread to the neck. OR if the mites are biting its neck and the rabbit is just scratching its neck raw/bloody.
Its really horrible to look at, i'v treated my other rabbits aswell, there was some hints of mites in half of them, but after treating them they have all healed up and are mite free and healthy/happy.
Basicly im at the point of deciding, do i try really hard and get this rabbit back to healthy condition, i doubt it will ever be totaly healthy but i think if i pay alot of attention to it, treating it every or every other day and giving it personalized attention, i could get rid of the mites and give the wounds time to heal. The other option which im leaning towards is just culling it, its in really rough shape as the pictures im including will show, i dont want it to be in pain/suffering, and honestly i dont think it will ever be in good enough shape that i can breed her. They are all 3+ years old so they are somewhat older rabbits.
This rabbit also seems somewhat immaciated, despite me feeding it well and giving it plenty of water. All the other rabbits are quite plump and very large for rabbits, due to possible over feeding by last owners, and their age. Owner said a couple of them are over 25LB's, i havn't weighed them yet but they are very big.
So yeah, looking for some advice, look at pictures and tell me wether i should just put it down or try and heal it, it would possible be somewhat educational for me to try and treat it, seeing as im new to this, but not sure its worth the possible suffering, it does seem to have the will to survive.
Also one more question, no since making another thread, when i went to the feed store a week ago, they were out of regular rabbit feed and only had breeder feed, i bought a bag of that because i will need it when i breed them anyways, and iv been feeding them that untill i can go back and get a couple regular bags of feed, will this cause any major problems? I know its formulated differently and it probably has some stuff in excess thats not totaly healthy for a regular rabbit, but what i want to know is will it cause any major problems?
Sorry for long post, and thanks if you have any advice.
Link to the pictures is:
http://imgur.com/a/41uPR#vsChNGF
