To be or not to be... (Rabbits)

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Hi everyone, I’m considering getting a littl lope eared bunny. I’m in AU and I’m wondering, just how common is miximatosis? I’m waiting for my dad to get home so I can chat to him about it, Mum isn’t keen but I am still considering...
I would hate for my bunny to die, that’s what happened to my friends bunny. What do you guys think?

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Also how would a rabbit cope with heat like bad heat?

 

[Ribh]

My brother kept a white rabbit as a kid. There is a vaccine for myxomatosis. Get him immunised & he will be fine. Build the run with plenty of shade & space & predator proof. Foxes like bunnies too.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

My brother kept a white rabbit as a kid. There is a vaccine for myxomatosis. Get him immunised & he will be fine. Build the run with plenty of shade & space & predator proof. Foxes like bunnies too.

Eh don’t remind me.. I have a bad experience with foxes

 

[Ribh]

Eh don’t remind me.. I have a bad experience with foxes

Ugh. I like foxes ~ just not round my pets.

 

[Bunnylady]

My brother kept a white rabbit as a kid. There is a vaccine for myxomatosis. Get him immunised & he will be fine. Build the run with plenty of shade & space & predator proof. Foxes like bunnies too.

Perhaps you have access to more recent information, but according to everything I can find, there is no myxo vaccine approved for use in Australia. Calicivirus, yes (and some sources even recommend this vaccine twice a year), but not myxomatosis.

https://www.rspcavic.org/health-and-behaviour/rabbits/rabbit-vaccination

So basically, if there are wild rabbits in the area, and mosquitoes and/or fleas, a pet rabbit is at risk for myxomatosis. The only measures that a pet owner can legally take to protect a pet rabbit from myxo is to create a mosquito-proof as well as predator-proof enclosure using mosquito netting or screens. Otherwise, you have a choice of either keep your pet inside, or only let it out at times when mosquitoes aren't active.

How do rabbits do in extreme heat? Well, it depends. Anything above 30°C is a danger zone for rabbits. Fans and frozen soda bottles are old stand-by's, but they may not be enough in real scorching heat. Someone in our southwest said they built underground boxes for the rabbits to shelter in during the day; soil is a very good insulator.

 

[Ribh]

Perhaps you have access to more recent information, but according to everything I can find, there is no myxo vaccine approved for use in Australia. Calicivirus, yes (and some sources even recommend this vaccine twice a year), but not myxomatosis.

https://www.rspcavic.org/health-and-behaviour/rabbits/rabbit-vaccination

So basically, if there are wild rabbits in the area, and mosquitoes and/or fleas, a pet rabbit is at risk for myxomatosis. The only measures that a pet owner can legally take to protect a pet rabbit from myxo is to create a mosquito-proof as well as predator-proof enclosure using mosquito netting or screens. Otherwise, you have a choice of either keep your pet inside, or only let it out at times when mosquitoes aren't active.

How do rabbits do in extreme heat? Well, it depends. Anything above 30°C is a danger zone for rabbits. Fans and frozen soda bottles are old stand-by's, but they may not be enough in real scorching heat. Someone in our southwest said they built underground boxes for the rabbits to shelter in during the day; soil is a very good insulator.

Thank you. My information is old & I may have muddled the information on vaccines as there was quite a discussion about the myxo @ the time. I would have to check with my mother to be absolutely sure what they did.

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

Thankyou for all your help. I will chat with my dad when I he gets back

 

[Ribh]

I checked on the myxo info just because I was 10 years old when we had the rabbit so my info is more than 60yrs old now & found the RSPCA seems to have some pretty good info.
https://kb.rspca.org.au/what-do-i-need-to-know-before-getting-a-rabbit_637.html
They are illegal up here ~ even for the travelling farms that visit schools ~ so I've never kept one myself.

 

[Happy Novogens]

Have you considered housing your rabbit indoors? If you plan to have just one rabbit, indoors is a better option so bunny isn't so lonely.

The other advantage of housing indoors is there is far, far less chance of the rabbit contracting myxo. (Not to mention, you don't need to worry about weather extremes.)

An obvious advantage would be getting to bond more with your rabbit. With my housing rabbits indoors, I've found they very much can become family pets, interacting with the whole household.

Rabbits can be housed indoors without odor -- provided one sets things up to your advantage.

The following website explains all about indoor housing:
http://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com