First of all, the saying "Breeds Like Rabbits" is so false! It is a myth. Yes, once a rabbit breeds they can have a lot of babies and can be re-bred pretty quickly. However, it can be quite hard getting a doe to breed. It is true that the gestation period of a rabbit is a month and can, depending on the breed have anywhere from one or two kits up to fifteen or more. However, doe's can be hard to get bred. It can take a few tries before getting them to take.
I highly, strongly, sturdily, intensely, exceedingly, greatly (catch my drift??) recommend writing down the date you bred the doe! Do it as soon as you are done, don't wait and do it later! Write down exactly who you bred the doe to and I also personally right down how many times the buck 'got' her (fell off and grunted). There are many reasons for this, but most importantly because you do not want to forget that you bred a doe, or at least the date when you did and wait up to find babies born on the wire because you forgot the date to put a nest box in. Secondly, writing the sire down is important. I've seen a few times when someone was absolutely positive on who they bred together, to find that the colours in the litter were not genetically possible for said pairing. It either turns out that they didn't write the father down properly, or they thought the doe didn't take so tried a different buck or occasionally, it happens to be that the doe is housed nest to a different buck and got bred through the wire (and very rarely that someone else had come into the barn and bred the doe to a different buck). There is a lot of planning, preparation, and waiting in the world of breeding rabbits! It can definitely be frustrating at times, and can be challenging when your doe's do not have babies for months on end. However, do not give up! Keep on trying and eventually your endurance and patience will be paid off with cute little bundles of fur! And don't let other breeders get you down. There can be drama within breeding rabbits, but just ignore those people and keep your head up! Find some breeders that want to be friends and hang out with them at shows and talk to those breeders! :) Oh and remember, most Rabbit Software like Evans have a place to keep track of litters and when you breed a doe. Check out Parts 1 through 4 in Breeding Tips
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Part 3: PalpatingPalpating is a tricky thing to do. It is not easy and is something that I recommend seeing in person first. I find YouTube videos can help, but having someone there who can accurately palpate a doe is very helpful. I palpate on day twelve, thirteen and fourteen of the pregnancy. Some people have matured palpating and can do it earlier but I find this way good. The babies are about the size of grapes and feel like grapes. A way to practice and feel the difference between babies and the organs is getting the organs of a processed rabbit and put them in a zip lock baggy with some grapes and feel around as if you were palpating. If you palpate earlier than two weeks, the babies will be smaller, like pea's. The problem is they then feel like poop. So if the doe hasn't released herself before hand, you could be feeling balls of poop and not babies. By palpating on the three consecutive days, I go by what answer I get two of the three days. I will also try multiple times during the day. There are different factors that can affect a negative palpating. Make sure the doe isn't tense when trying. I take the doe out and let her sniff the table a bit and then will hold her and massage her head. She needs to be calm and relaxed to get an accurate feeling. Trying multiple times also helps with if what you are feeling is actually poop... I do it differently than I was taught. I was taught the 4-H way and find it was useless... I heard about another way and it works really well I find. So far I've been right the majority of the time *knock on wood*. Palpating is when you feel around the abdominal area of the doe for the babies. I hold the doe lightly on a table, holding her up a bit. I let the feet stay lightly on the ground. I go from head to toe, so the doe's head and body is resting on my arm. I use my forefinger and thumb and massage the abdominal area while going back and forth a bit while pinching my fingers. Not too hard, but you can touch your fingers together while doing this and not hurt the doe. Lightly massaging the doe, you should after a minute or so start to feel babies as you pull them down. I just go until I feel at least two or three babies. I have found that unless the doe isn't pregnant, that I've been able to feel the babies doing it this way. Some breeders may say that by trying to breed the doe again will show if she is pregnant or not. In my personally opinion, this is completely false. Since rabbits have two uterus horns, a doe can be pregnant with two litters meaning that she may be pregnant and end up get pregnant again by this second breeding. Some people say that if the doe truly is pregnant she won't let the buck mount her but I believe this is false and will never recommend doing this. Palpating is the only way of truly knowing a rabbit is pregnant (that I can think/know of anyway). If you personally can't palpate then try and find someone who can. Though, remember it is OK to wait to find out. I know I myself hate waiting. I palpate and will re-breed if the doe turns up negative, which is a lot of breeders reasoning for not waiting the full month. Part 4: Kindling & WeaningKindling! The fun part! :D
Make sure you have nest boxes available for each doe that is pregnant. I put the nest box in about four or five days prior to the due date. Most doe's will kindle (give birth) on day thirty two. Some will go over, and some will go under. If by day thirty four or thirty five of the pregnancy, and the doe palpated positive and if you can still feel babies in the doe, I would try inducing pregnancy. The kits may be stuck or breached. Most doe's will have a peaceful kindling time, but not always. Things happen. During the winter I recommend bringing the doe in for her to kindle. I use shavings at the bottom of the nest box and hay to build a nest with. Some breeders use straw (I don't like the hardness of straw) and some use newspaper. It's up to you. If you have a doe pull a lot of fur, try bagging some of it for those times when a doe doesn't pull enough. Another thing you can use is that fluff stuff for hamsters. Weaning is easy. The doe will automatically start weaning the kits between three and four weeks old. I don't recommend weaning younger than six weeks old, but some do. I personally wean between eight and ten weeks. I will at seven depending on the litter and if I have to. I prefer leaving them with their mother a while longer, usually until the dam will let me know know that she wants them gone, which is usually ten to twelve weeks. After I wean I go through and decide which to grow out and which to cull. The keepers go into cages and get left alone for a few months while they go through the uglies and mature. Usually by four or five months old they will be done this stage of there life. I personally do not look at them during that time because they don't look to good type wise. Different lines mature at different rates. My lines will start around eight to ten weeks old and finish around four or five months. Some lines start later and finish later. Another reason why it is important to know the lines you are working with. Once the now juniors have come out of the uglies I go through them again and pick the keepers and the culls. Not all kits come out of the uglies nicely. Check out Parts 1 & 2 of Breeding Tips, and the BONUS part Do you have a purpose for breeding rabbits? A clear objective of why you are breeding these rabbits is important and will help you make good judgments when selecting a pair to breed. Solving problems can be tricky, so having said purpose can help. Are you breeding for meat production? Improving a herd and/or showing? Or are you trying to increase the vitality and health of your herd? These are all valid goals and purposes. Personally, I believe simply breeding for pet is not helpful and just adds to the overpopulation of pet rabbits. If you are breeding to improve a herd and for show, then you pick two rabbits that best compliment each other and could produce quality animals to meet your goal. Breeding for meat, then I would think you'd want to pick the two best meat quality animals {meaning the two with the most meat on them} to produce offspring with good meat quality. Just a quick note before starting. Part 1: Getting Started A note before hand. Breeding rabbits can be emotional. You never know if the litter will survive, if you'll get all peanuts (for those dwarf breeds), or what the kits will turn out like. Before breeding you should be prepared for this, and also be prepared to care for the litters. You should have some empty cages for weaning.There are also the odd times when the mother can die during birth, so be prepared in case something happens and you see yourself facing death. Be cautious with first time mothers. Most breeder's will breed another doe or two that they know can foster babies because first time mothers often will kill or lose their entire litter, or because they are new won't know how to be a mother and not take care of them. In that case, you need to foster the babies away. I personally always breed at least two doe's together at once, unless I know for a fact that said doe is fine. But even proven dam's can have complications. If the dam die's, then by having another litter at the same time I can foster; if she has more peanuts than singles, I'll foster the singles over and re-breed the doe; if something happens and all but one or two in the litter freezes or die's, I'll foster them and re-breed the doe... There are a lot of pro's to breeding more than one doe at a time. Now on to the more helpful and enjoyable part. First of all, you clearly need a buck (male) and doe (female) rabbit. Now, I do not agree with pet breeding and cross breeding, so preferably they would be purebreds of the same breed... If you are planning on starting breeding rabbits, whether for meat or show, I recommend a trio; one buck and two doe's. Both the buck and doe should be of age to breed and both be in good health and condition prior to breeding. If one shows any sort of sign of Vent Disease or other sexually transmitted disease, then do not breed said rabbit. The same goes to should any have any signs of health illness. Some illnesses are treatable, but the animal should be placed in quarantine and treated, or culled. Always check the bucks for split penises. These rabbits should be culled as that is a genetic thing that can and will be passed on through generations. There's some contemplation over whether a true split penis buck can reproduce, but I think they can, just less likely and it will be passed along; that much is known. Even if you just culled the bucks and kept the doe's, it will still be passed along through the generations. Both should be in good condition. If the doe is just off a litter, but looks to be in good flesh and overall condition then you can re-breed her. Should she be bony or skinny in any way, then I would highly recommend waiting and giving her a break to get back to condition and health before re-breeding. Some doe's can be re-bred after four weeks, others need four plus weeks to recuperate! So use your discretion about condition and if they look ready to breed. Check the vent area on doe's. If they are a deep red-ish colour then that means they are ready to breed! Some will even start lifting just from being petted. Breeding maturity in small rabbits is usually 6 months, however some animals will reach sexual maturity at 5 months. Keep in mind if you breed to young, before the rabbit is ready, it can stunt their growth. For meat rabbits, or six class rabbits it's hard to say. I have gotten a few mixed comments about them. A Californian breeder friend of mine says she has an eight pounds, eight months rule, which ever comes first. If they reach eight pounds then she'll breed them, but if they don't then she'll wait until they turn eight months old. I have been told for Champagne D'Argents to wait until nine and a half pounds, but some breed at six months, others wait until eight months. So my advice here would be ask the breed who you are getting the rabbits from on the age they breed their six class meat rabbits. Keeping in mind that just because they have reached Senior Age (usually that's when they come to full sexual maturity), they should be of proper weight. Also, just because they may be of age, doesn't mean the rabbits are ready. Some may be ready at five or six months, others you may have to wait until ten or twelves months before they'll breed! So just because a doe may not take right at six months, doesn't mean she is sterile. I've had doe's that wouldn't take until they were over a year old! Ready to BreedNow, if the rabbits meet all these things then you are ready to breed. ALWAYS take the buck to the doe's cage. Doe's can get very territorial and if you try to put the buck in the doe's cage, she will most likely attack the buck. Don't be scared or nervous if you notice the two of them running around or sniffing each other. Honestly, I notice that most of my bucks like the challenge of trying to catch the doe first ! ;) But, I don't want them out of breath either, so I usually hold the doe's head. The buck will sniff her, hopefully around the bum area, but it's normal for them to sniff the whole body and head as well. Once he is ready, the buck will mount the doe. Again, don't be scared if the doe tries to mount the buck. The buck will do a fast and vigorous humping motion while holding the doe. Most bucks will grab a hold of the fur with their mouth while they do this. Completely normal, at least with my bucks it is! After the buck 'gets' the doe, he will fall off and grunt. It's quite funny to see, especially the first time. I will let the buck 'get' the doe as many times as he wishes, so ensure that she took. Put the rabbits back in their cages and you're good. I personally redo the process about 12 hours later, and then maybe even a third time in the evening or just in the morning and evening. I always do it twice though. Rabbits are induced ovulaters, despite what some people will say. This means that they do not get periods, nor are there times where they are more receptive than others like in the vast majority of other animals, including humans. Because of this, I will re-breed the pair again later in the day. This gives the doe time to drop her eggs and helps be sure that sperm was able to get to the eggs. Part 2: Unwilling to BreedDo you have a buck or doe that just does not want to breed, or a doe that won't take? Well, here are a few tips on how to get those rabbits to hopefully successfully breed!
*NOTE: If you have a doe that wants to breed, but you have a show coming up then breed the doe and take her bred. The two week marker during the pregnancy is when the doe will be in the best condition. It will help the doe not keep lifting while being judged. Judges can't pose them properly if they spend the whole time lifting to be bred. 1. Try With Others: -If the rabbit is proven then I would try other things listed, but if they are not proven then try with other rabbits. If a doe doesn't seem to be taking, then try with other bucks. If she takes with another buck then that's good for her, but not necessarily good for the buck. Try the buck with other doe's, preferably proven doe's, and if still nothing and you've tried other things listed then he may be sterile. Check for a split penis too. This is assuming that they are at sexual mature. Even if a rabbit is proven, they can dry up. Especially if too much time has lapsed between breeding's. 2. Switch Cages: -Put the buck in the doe's cage and the doe in the bucks cage for a few days and then try breeding. This gets them stimulated due to the smells of the opposite gender. 3. Apple Cider Vinegar: -ACV is beneficial for any rabbit. "It contains a potent combination of vitamins as well as being full of minerals, some are potassium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorous and many more. ACV also contains helpful enzymes which provide many health benefits". 1 to 2 tablespoons to a gallon of water. It helps boost fertility and some even believe it to help increase the number of doe's in a litter. Either way, ACV is good on a day to day basis, but can help get an unwilling buck or doe to breed. (http://riseandshinerabbitry.com/2012/01/26/apple-cider-vinegar-for-rabbits/ A good link on ACV for rabbits) 4. LIGHT: -Light is very important. Rabbits should have between twelve to sixteen hours of light a day. Twenty four hour light is not good because rabbits do need to sleep too, but they should have between twelve to sixteen. This will help you herd be more willing, especially during the winter when day light is shorter. 5. Heat: -Goes with light. If it's cold, rabbits won't breed. So winters are hard if you don't have a heater. Bring the rabbits into the house, even just for the day can help. 6. Table Breeding: -Some rabbits don't like to breed in a cage. I have a buck (Wind) that will NOT breed in his cage. He gets very sulky and upset at me when a doe is put in his cage and will sulk in the corner. He needs to be table bred. By table breeding, you can lift the doe's rear end to help. 7. Feed: -Two things for this. For starters, feed plays a part in breeding. If it doesn't have the right amount of protein and ingredients. Secondly if they are getting too much food. I do not free feed my Havana's or Mini Rex. Some of my Mini Rex are pigs and would eat and eat until it was gone and gain a lot of weight. Mini Rex are not easy to get weight off and then get back into flesh condition. The MR get half a cup and the HV get three fourths of a cup. Now, my Champagne D'Argent and any other large breed should be free fed, or at least the right amount of feed. So be cautious about how much feed they are getting. If you notice that the rabbit never finishes his/her food, then cut back on the feed. Leaving feed in front of a rabbit 24/7 has been known to cause sterility. 8. Weight: -If the rabbit is over weight, it is highly unlikely of a doe becoming pregnant due to too much fat around the uterus. It is also possibly that the buck may not have the stamina to breed if he is over weight. A diet may be useful and needed. 9. Leaves/Supplements: -Raspberry leaves or Parsley for 3-4 days before breeding can help. Oats, BOSS, or flax seed can be useful as well for 3-4 days before hand. My rabbits get a conditioner daily that includes these supplements. 10. Take 'Em for a Ride: -I know this sounds weird, but trust me and anyone else who shows; taking rabbits for a ride helps a lot. Most rabbits after being shown will come home and want to be bred! The different smells and being in such close proximity to other rabbits helps a LOT. This can be a good and bad thing! Just around the block or something with other rabbits can help stimulate fertility as well, in both bucks and doe's. 11. Hand Simulations: -This sounds weird, but at shows when a doe is being judged multiple times during the day, or held often can be stimulated and start wanting to breed. It can be annoying while at the show because she may start lifting while being judged. If I have a doe that doesn't want to lift, I will try table breeding them and will tickle/massage her rear to stimulate breeding. 12. Smells: -Try bringing posing up a few rabbits on the same mat and then do the same with the rabbits you are trying to breed. Same as taking them to a show, the smells will help stimulate them. Make sure there are buck and doe smells though. 13. Outdoors: -Letting them have a bit of time to run around outside can help sometimes as well. If after trying all or a good amount of these things and still nothing then the rabbit may be sterile. If the doe isn't a deep red-ish colour in the vent area, then she may not be ready to breed at that moment and I'd suggest a few of these things to help her want to breed. Try with multiple rabbits and if they still won't reproduce than they may be sterile and I'd cull said rabbit (or sell as pets for those that don't cull, but notify buying that they are sterile and do not give pedigree). I hope these tips help and you get nest boxes full of baby bunnies! Check out Parts 3 & 4 and the BONUS part in Breeding Tips Are you a pet owner looking for a pet rabbit, or a 'newbie' just starting in the wonderful world of rabbit raising and breeding? Maybe you are a known rabbit breeder, but looking to add some new lines or rabbits to your herd? No matter who you are, new or old; pet or breeding/showing, finding a responsible breeder is important. The following are things that I personally think a responsible breeder should be doing. You may not agree with all of them, and that is totally fine and understandable. These are just my interpretations.
Start at the American Rabbit Breeders Association website. They have breeder directories, breed directories, club directories and a fast amount of helpful information. Once you find a breed that you want, check you the breed club's website. Find breeders around where you are and contact them. See if they have a website or Facebook page. Starting at your local clubs website or the national club website for the breed(s) you are interested in is a good start as well. A responsible breeder should be willing to help you find what you are looking for and/or requested. After contacting breeders with what you are looking for, they should tell you what they have available. If you are wanting a certain colour and they don't have said colour available then they should be willing to help direct you in the direction of another breeder who may have what you want available. They should be willing to answer questions and help educate. If you have questions, ask. There are two points to this. One is very important for pet owner and new breeders. A responsible breeder should want to help educate you. This is important. The second part is answering questions, which is important for anyone when buying a rabbit whether you are a pet owner, new or old breeder. If you get the feeling that the person does not want to answer questions about themselves, their rabbits, how they raise or or anything, especially about the rabbit in question, then my suggestion would be to go elsewhere. Yes, people may have busy schedules, but if you have a person (breeder or not) interested in a rabbit then try and find the time to answer their questions. Now, the exception to this is some breeders, including myself, don't sell pets. A simple reply to the email stating this will be fine. Breeder have spent a great deal of time learning about rabbits and have a wealth of information to share. Responsible breeders tend to be eager to share said information with others. Another thing is, unless they just got into a breed, they should be able to confidently and knowledgeably answer questions about their breeds of choice. Find out about where the rabbits are housed. Most breeders have closed rabbitries, meaning they don't let outsiders into their barn. This is completely understandable and should not be pushed. Respect boundaries. However, most breeders should be willing to openly talk about the type of housing they use, the diet they provide and the type of interaction the rabbits receive. It doesn't hurt to ask to see photo's of the inside of their facilities. Notice the way the animals interact and react to the breeder. Rabbits are prey animals and can be easily frightened by new situations or people. However, the animals should still be relatively more relaxed, calm and comfortable with their owner/breeder. Watch carefully at how the breeder holds them and calms them. If they seem harsh with them, then I would walk away. A rabbit that seems scared and inconsolable by it's owner may be unaccompanied to individual handling and attention. Find out information about the parents and ancestors. When buying a pet from a breeder, most won't include a pedigree. Some will give 'birth certificates' but it's important to find out more. Even if you are another breeder buying for show and/or breeding and have a pedigree. It's still important to find out a bit more about the rabbits family than what's on the pedigree. A breeder should be knowledgeable to their best abilities about general temperaments and illnesses along with strengths and weaknesses in the background. I say to the best of their ability because they may not know a lot if the parents were outside animals. Unless you know for a fact that the breeder is reliable, then make sure you are given a pedigree and any legs won at time of sale. Age of rabbit(s). In the United States, most states have a law that no animal under the age of eight weeks can be sold. Shows are the same. No animal under eight weeks of age is allowed to be advertised in anyway for sale. *Note you can take them if you are wanting opinions from other breeders, but cannot have for sale in anyway* Most breeders don't sell until at least ten to twelve weeks of age. There are some exceptions to this like if it's a colour and/or gender that they know they don't want, or if there is a clear fault or DQ. Ask about the age the animal was weaned from it's mother. Personally, anything under six weeks I wouldn't touch. But that's a personal opinion. Some breeders breed at four weeks especially if it's a meat breed (so that'd be an exception). i personally don't see any pro's to weaning this early. Check size of animal too. Does it look too small or big for it's age? Be aware of how many breeds the breeder raises. Most responsible breeders specialize in one or two breeds. This allows them to become experts on the animals they’re working with. A personally opinion of mine is unless you have unlimited money and space, I really don't see how you can solidly improve a breed when you have multiple. That's why a breeder that offers a range of breeds or a large number of rabbits for sale at one time should be seen as a red flag. They may be more of a pet mill or “backyard breeder.” If you notice that the majority of their animals don't look of quality that they are stated for, then it's probably a "backyard breeder" or under knowledge breeder. Get a sense for the health of the rabbit(s). If the animal doesn't seem to be in proper health, then that's a red flag. First of all, NO responsible breeder will knowingly sell a sick animal. If the animal in question seems ill, then try and get a look at the other animals. Do other's seem ill? that's a major red flag! Also, if you are invited into their facilities, what are the cage and sanitation like? Keep in mind most are in barns and rabbits poop and hay is messy. However, if the animals look to not have been cleaned out in a while or there's poop all over the place, and the barn seems unfit or unsanitary then that's a red flag and honestly I'd be a bit inclined to report them. Build a relationship with the breeder. Most breeders will be willing to stay in touch and answer questions at any time. Most should be able to provide you with a way to contact them should there be an emergency. I personally will always stay in contact and be of help whenever I can and feel most responsible breeders will. They should be willing to be of support if needed. Responsible breeders genuinely care about the well-being of each of the animals they raise and will look forward to hearing from you again. BONUS: Most will be willing to send any information or pictures that are requested prior to the sale. A lot of breeders don't do pre-sales. They encourage the buyer to look over the rabbit in person. However, this isn't always a possibility. Most responsible and ethical breeders will be happy for any wins and litters you have. They will be encouraging and helpful. Snuffles; the deadly common cold in rabbits. It is one of the most common and severe diseases in rabbits. There is no cure but there is a new preventative vaccine.
Snuffles is basically the common cold in rabbits. It is caused by Pasteurella Multocida. It resides in the naval cavity of rabbits. It can reside in a rabbit and not show signs, these rabbits would be carriers and can pass it along to others when bred or come in contact. It is rarely seen in pet rabbits unless you have more than one rabbit or it comes into contact with another rabbit. Snuffles is incredibly contagious. As soon as one rabbit gets it, said rabbit needs to immediately be taken away and put in quarantine. Any rabbit in close proximity to the ill animal needs to be watch very closely. As soon as any signs arise, said animal(s) should be removed quickly. I would also recommend if the infected rabbit had in the past week or two been in close contact (i.e. breeding) with another rabbit I would remove said rabbit(s) as well. Snuffles is NOT treatable. There are people who say otherwise and will treat with PenG. This will ONLY COVER UP AND MASK THE SYMPTOMS!!! So please, if you are buying a rabbit and the person says they use PenG for snuffles don't buy from them. Also, don't use it yourself. It only masks the symptoms, it does NOT cure it. There is no cure for pasteurella. The rabbits will still be carriers and are at risk of spreading it around if taken to a show or in contact with other rabbits. It also means that should the rabbit be stressed it can easily come out again. Poor husbandry, sanitation, stress, lactation, overcrowding, nutritional deficiencies, genetic predisposition and bacterial virulence are all causes of pasteurella. If a pregnant doe is ill, she will pass it along to her kits at birth. If they do not show signs, they WILL be carriers. It is an airborne illness though, so if one rabbit has snuffles it can spread like wild fire throughout the herd in the air. There are preventatives you can take to lower the chance of snuffles infecting your herd. Keep in mind, once one rabbit gets it; it spreads incredibly fast and can wipe out a whole herd with in days. Good husbandry is essential for any disease control. A clean, dry and well ventilated environment is required with no droughts. Rabbits are better in cold than heat and dramatic change in temperature can stress the rabbits. Sanitation is important. The ammonia isn't good for rabbits but regular cleaning can be very helpful. Regularly cleaning the walls and entire barn are useful. It's important that whenever you change rabbits around in different cages or sell a rabbit, always do a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all cages before hand. Disinfecting cages regularly is good and doesn't hurt. I use hot water and bleach and let them sun dry. Always do the same with nest boxes, water bottles and crocks/feed dishes as well. Stress is probably one of the worse and bigger causes for pasteurella. Taking a rabbit to a show is big and can be quite stressful and therefor a lot of breeders will quarantine rabbits after shows. Traveling, sudden change in environment, frightened, other animals, and even strangers in where you house your herd can be stressful to the rabbits. Keeping a calm and stress-free environment is very appreciated from the rabbits. Quarantine any new animals as a preventative. There is a new vaccine that you can inject your rabbits with as a preventative. I am still currently researching it but it seems to be a good preventative. It is used to prevent and strengthen the immune system and not as a treatment. There is no treatment to cure snuffles. The new treatment is called BunnyVac. http://pavlab.com/pavlab/bunnyvac/ I may look into trying it out. It doesn't hurt the rabbits and not something that needs to be done all the time. Breeding out poor immune systems is important in any herd. I know I personally don't want any animal with a poor immune system in my herd. I want strong, healthy immune systems that can be passes along. If your herd has good immune systems than this vaccine just strengthens them even more. (Gee, how many times can I say immune system in a small paragraph....) Any animals with snuffles or any signs/symptoms should be removed and put into isolation immediately. Culling is sadly the only option for rabbits with snuffles. It spreads like wildfire. If a rabbit in your herd gets pasteurella, you should put your entire barn into a 'quarantine' for a few weeks, I recommend six or eight weeks. This means absolutely NO selling, even if they aren't showing signs. The disease can live and hide for weeks before showing on a rabbit. It usually shows up before three or four weeks though, but can hide for months. I wouldn't recommend buying, however since I recommend quarantining any new rabbits anyway, as long as you keep any new animal(s) in isolation you should be OK. When you have animals in quarantine you need to make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before touching them and even change clothes. Like I said, it is an airborne illness as well, so the pasteurella can get on your hands or clothes and be passed along that way. Symptoms: The main symptom is respiratory, usually causing nasal discharge. Because the rabbit wipes it's snotty nose with its front paws, the fur usually becomes wet and matted. Sneezing is quite common as well because of the snot in the nose. Congestion and conjunctivitis are commonly seen also. The tear ducts (lacrimal ducts) can become clogged with dried discharge, causing excess tearing and subsequent scalding of the skin around the eyes and face. This usually is seen in more severe cases. Most reputable breeders cull any animal that shows signs immediately so that it can't get that far. I hope this can help should you encounter pasteurella. Please, be responsible and do not sell any rabbit that shows signs of snuffles or has the disease already. This blog post was written after doing research. There are some things that are solely my opinion listed here and thoughts. |
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