When can I stop worrying....

[AmysMacdog]

A virus hit my rabbits around June 8th. I lost about 14 bunnies with the last 2 died about a week ago. There is one doe left in their cage who hasn't shown any sign yet.

How long with no new cases can I finally relax and consider this over?

I know I still need to disinfect cages, 1 survived in the first group. 2 in the second group and the last group is the doe who hasn't gotten it or had a light case of it. At any rate these guys are in 3 cages so I'm not quite sure when to clean those cages b/c they are in them. I know every virus is different so how long, you reckon, before I can clean?

I was reading that with ERE rabbits (if thats what it was) could be carriers. Will the survivors be carriers? IDK.
Will I ever be able to put this virus behind me??? :help:

....and I saw velveteen lops on CL but I would not dare bring anything new home right now. :weep:
At this point I'm wondering if it will ever be safe b/c its in the ground. How long do viruses live in the environment?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Since we don't know what you are/were dealing with, there really isn't any way to say.

I would use a very strong concentration of bleach and water. I think Akane mentioned 4 parts bleach to 6 parts water was recommended when her hedgehogs were so ill. :? You might want to PM her.

As for cleaning the cages, I would go ahead and clean them now, and thoroughly clean them again before putting new rabbits in them. At that point, I would recommend leaving them out in the sun for a week or so.

I hope your troubles are over now. :clover:

Do you have an area where you could squeeze those Velveteen Lops into for quarantine?

 

[ladysown]

without knowing what you were dealing with it is difficult to say.

MSD had some good advice, I'll just tag on... when you put cages in the sun, make sure you flip and turn them so all sides get hit by the sun for three days.

 

[Flemishstar]

Something similar to this happened to my best friend,,who was advised to get rid of all her rabbits for 3 years (3 winters) one more year to go....Has anyone ever heard of that method?

 

[AmysMacdog]

Yes Flemishstar I'm familiar with the fact that viruses stay in the environment for sometimes years although the advice given your friend seems extreme! Wow! I couldn't imagine doing that. :shock: Bless her heart!

MSD I would be too scared to bring home anything new right now even though we have six acres b/c of the mosquitos and flies may have helped spread the virus. I would just be sick if a new bunny got that virus. On the other stuff thanks for the advice. I'll just do a cage a week and the ground they sat on till I'm done and move them to new ground.

Ladysown thank you. I will flip them plus I put them in the back of our pick up truck and " bake them" in the sun for a week. Thats how I did the one before putting momma and babies in it. Plus I did the feeder and water bottle nipple.

On the cage I've done so far, I kept the babies and the nestbox in the house and momma was in her cage then disinfected this cage every day and kept it in the sun for several days. I know they're exposed but its been at least 3 weeks ago I put them in there and moved them to new ground. I have my fingers crossed for them, I hope they make it.

The others are still in the cages they were in during the virus so I have one big cage left to shift them into after its been sanitized and then on the one cage I got done I bleached the ground it sat on and put the poop in the worm bed (I figured why not, the ground is contaminated everywhere anyway b/c it was probably on my shoes).
I can't bleach everywhere.

I had to use my one empty cage to separate my 2 NZR X NZW bunnies, They stayed together too long in all this and now I think she's bred I hope not but I think she is.

Ugh I hope it will be over soon for my buns and for Sky's buns what a nightmare! More praers sent to you sky!

 

[LauraNJ]

Besides sanitizing cages or hutches, mix up a bleach/water combo and spray the ground.

I had a neighbor's pup come into my yard that had parvo, not the same but similiar type virus it sounds like.

I cloroxed my whole lawn, used a fairly strong concentration and thought dh was going to cry at the destruction of his pretty lawn but none of my pups caught it. Not all the grass died, just some.

If you use a strong solution then move rabbits away because it does have fumes.

 

[AmysMacdog]

Thanks LauraNJ Thats what I did to the one spot the cage was sitting on after I removed the manure and will again as I get more done. I got one of those small hand held sprayers that you pump up and hold the button down and it sprays. Sure makes things easier. I hope I can get rid of the virus and I hope the rabbits I have left have picked up some immunity to it.

 

[Flemishstar]

AMD, I thought it was extreme also...but she got rid of everything...waited a month bought 6 and they all died...so she was like...3 yrs it is...I told her she could house a couple new ones here...which she did for a year...I gotta look into this... I hope this past CT winter killed it off..WE had 5 ft of snow in one storm,...im sure you saw the news lol

 

[Marinea]

It sounds like you have the ground and cage cleaning figured out, so I'll add something else.

I would look into maybe planting some citronella plants around the rabbitry, and maybe hanging up some fly strips for now. If it's possible this is being spread by mosquitos or flies, don't forget to target them too.

*fingers crossed it's over and done*

 

[DitchDoc]

I don't have anything constructive to say, just praying it's all over and things start to look up for you now. Sending cyber hugs and positive vibes your way...

 

[AmysMacdog]

Thanks everybody! So far so good today. The 10 bunnies, the survivors and the one doe who lost her sisters a week ago all still doing well today. Everybody else doing fine so far....wish I remembered to write down the date the last 2 died. I know its been a week so around the 4th give or take a day.
I'm thinking a month goes by and nobody else gets sick I'll feel pretty good that its over but until Aug. 4th or so I will be on guard!

I hope hope hope the rest are ok!

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I'll carry a good thought for you that this nightmare is over!!!!!

 

[fuzzy9]

How awful! Hoping things are done, and back to normal for you soon. Terrible thing to lose that many bunnies at once. So sorry!

 

[skysthelimit]

I was wondering the same thing. Thanks for asking.