Myxomatosis innoculation

[Ferg]

Bit of a weird question, I know, but does anyone know how effective the innoculations are for rabbits?? My girls are keen to have perhaps a couple of the little blighters, but we have wild ones that come into the garden. Vets say it isn't 100%, but no actual clue as to what the effectiveness actually is.....

[Balmoral Green]

I knew a rabbit who had a cheese & tomato toastie for breakfast, a cheese & ham toastie for lunch, then a cheese & baked bean toastie for dinner. Later on he said he didnt feel to well because he had been 'mixingmytoasties'.

[Ferg]

Oh those Primary School days..........

[FunkyNige]

Don't know anything about the mixie inoculations I'm afraid, but have you considered guinea pigs instead? I know a lot of people who are worried about mixie getting guinea pigs instead.

[Ferg]

Thanks Nige. We have considered them and that's what we'll do if I can't get the right answer to the rabbit dilemma.....

[bigandclever]

I think you can get booster immunisations done every 12 months, or do the full immunisation every 6 months if it's a high-risk area (whatever that is). I would suggest that having wild rabbits regulalrly in the area would lead you towards regular immunisation. In the UK Nobivac Myxo is used (how rude does that sound?!).

Since the disease is actually passed by blood sucking parasites, keeping a close eye on fleas / mosquitoes etc... around the rabbits would be advised. Maybe mozzy nets over the hutch/run and regular flea spraying. I think there's evidence that cats can carry rabbit fleas too.

[Pigeon]

There will be fleas loose in the garden anyway from the wild rabbits, so no flea control method will do much good.

I had a pet rabbit when I was little. He was a crap pet. All he ever did was occasionally dig his way out of his run and then scratch and struggle like a bastard when I recaptured him - he was pretty strong too. You couldn't play with him or be affectionate with him or anything really. My sister had a guinea pig and he was a much better pet.

[mrmaggit]

Pigeon said:

There will be fleas loose in the garden anyway from the wild rabbits, so no flea control method will do much good. I had a pet rabbit when I was little. He was a crap pet. All he ever did was occasionally dig his way out of his run and then scratch and struggle like a bastard when I recaptured him - he was pretty strong too. You couldn't play with him or be affectionate with him or anything really. My sister had a guinea pig and he was a much better pet.

He wasn't handled or petted often enough, then. We're two house rabbits, one will come up and beg for tickles, the other will be tickled at the same time, but neither like being picked up.

They both have Rabbit VHD and Myxymatosis jabs, the mixy one always lays Slipper off colour for a day afterwards.

We have them done in case of fleas in the hay, if I could guarantee no fleas, they wouldn't be done. But it does mean they get a good check-over once a year.

If you're going to keep a rabbit in a small hutch, how can you ever get to know their characters?

maggit

[FunkyNige]

Some info here -

www.myxomatosishelpline.co.uk/

the factsheet contains info on jabs, etc.

[Ferg]

Further to the advice given by all of you, we have made a visit to the local RSPCA refuge and I can introduce you to:


Crunchie!

and,

Smudge!

>> Edited by Ferg on Tuesday 11th October 17:43

[FunkyNige]

Ferg said:

and, Smudge!

Why does Smudge remind me of Ronnie Corbett?

[r988]

I had some pet rabbits when I was little, a large dog somehow got in our yard, ripped through the thin wire mesh of the rabbit pen and ate them, there were bits and pieces of rabbit all over the yard the next morning.

Probably why I hate dogs now