What Rabbits Do You Have? Show Off Your Rabbits Here!

[PoultryPower]

I know I've asked this before, but I want to bring it up again now that there are even more breeders involved in this thread.
I don't worm my kits before I sell them. I don't have that many rabbits that I wouldn't be able to tell if one of them had worms.
I also feel it wrong to medicate a 6-8 week old rabbit unless necessary. Is this bad breeder etiquette? Should I be worming all the rabbits I sell?
They are going to houses as pets, usually the owner doesn't even own any other rabbits.
I've heard that worming a rabbit can sometimes make them sterile?
Often times breeders advertise that they worm their rabbits, so I'm getting asked by potential adopters if I worm mine. I don't want to be telling them that it's unnecessary unless it truly is.
So, should I worm all the rabbits I sell? If so, could I use a small dose of Ivomec? Thanks everyone!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I know I've asked this before, but I want to bring it up again now that there are even more breeders involved in this thread.
I don't worm my kits before I sell them. I don't have that many rabbits that I wouldn't be able to tell if one of them had worms.
I also feel it wrong to medicate a 6-8 week old rabbit unless necessary. Is this bad breeder etiquette? Should I be worming all the rabbits I sell?
They are going to houses as pets, usually the owner doesn't even own any other rabbits.
I've heard that worming a rabbit can sometimes make them sterile?
Often times breeders advertise that they worm their rabbits, so I'm getting asked by potential adopters if I worm mine. I don't want to be telling them that it's unnecessary unless it truly is.
So, should I worm all the rabbits I sell? If so, could I use a small dose of Ivomec? Thanks everyone!

Well, I'm a not breeder (yet), but I have six rabbits and have had them for four years now, and I don't think it is necessary to worm rabbits that young. When they are adults, you can worm them once or twice a year for safety, but it is not necessary. I do worm mine once a year because my Holland Lop seems to be prone to pin worms (he gets them once or twice a year), and once he gets them, they somehow spread to most of my other rabbits. If you've never had a problem, don't worry about it.

 

[PoultryPower]

The main thing I have heard is that worming your rabbits keeps them from getting E.coli. I'm not exactly sure why this keeps them from getting it, but that's what many people have said. The big reason to worm young rabbits is that apparently they can get E.coli from the mom's placenta. I would think that by 8 weeks, I should be able to tell if they got E.coli from the placenta. This is what I've read and why I am wondering if I should be worming them.

 

[ChickenPotPie]

No, it is not bad etiquette if you don't worm them at 8 wks before you sell them but do tell those you sell to that you have not wormed them and then teach them how to do it themselves.

There is nothing wrong nor harmful about worming an 8 wk old rabbit going to a new home. Your buyers might appreciate it if you gave their new rabbit its first dose of worming meds right in front of them on the day they picked up their pet. It's the best way to show them it's not a big ordeal, important to do, and worth the measly $5 they'll have to pay for a tube of wormer.

Do you need to worm your rabbits? That depends. Are you using your rabbits to feed your family? There is at least a one month wait period before you can eat animals that have been wormed. So, worming a 6 - 8 wk fryer makes no sense. You worm your breeder rabbits.

For any other rabbits.......If you can answer yes to any of these questions, worm your rabbit. and worm them correctly on a regular schedule. Do you show your rabbits? Are they exposed to other rabbits, ever? Have they ever touched the ground or eaten something fresh from the ground - grass, garden scraps? Have you ever pet or handled a rabbit that was not yours (like at a pet store, pet fair/festival, or bunny "play date" and did not wash your hands or change your clothes before handling or feeding your own rabbit?

Shadow Rabbit10, if your rabbit gets pin worm twice a year and it's actually bad enough for you to notice, you gotta ask yourself "Where it is getting it from?". It has to be that it is either repeatedly exposed to the parasites or it is never being properly treated (they've never really gone away).

When you worm your rabbits there are basically two things to remember:
1. Use the right meds for the particular parasite. Use the right combo to cover the whole range of internal parasites that affect rabbits. In other words, why worm for pin worms if you are going to not treat for round worm? Treat for all of them.

I'll give big kudos to who can fill in the blanks below regarding these common meds used to worm rabbits.
- Fenbendazole (Panacur - horse worming paste) ......kills _____ but not _____.
- Piperzine (Wazine - liquid for poultry/swine/dogs)........kills _____ but not _____.
- Ivermectin (Ivomec - liquid, or any ivermectin paste for cattle)......kills _____ but not _____.

2. Use the right dosage and follow through w/the whole treatment.
- a "pea sized" amount is a very common recommended dosage for paste/gel wormers but leaves a lot of room for interpretation for how much to give. How will a "pea sized" amount affect a Netherland vs. a Flemish Giant?
- all internal parasite meds are a two step dosage treatment plan....dose once to kill the adult parasites, then dose again in 10 - 14 days to kill off the new adults that have hatched from the eggs the old adults left behind. This stops the life cycle. Read the label to know when to give the second dose. If you don't dose twice at the right interval, you didn't take care of the problem.

As to the E. coli theory...never heard that one. It doesn't quite jive at all for me that that is the only reason to worm babies.

Sorry for such a long post.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I only spot a few worms in the poop. Most people wouldn't notice. Sometimes they are alive, sometimes dead. I use Strongid horse dewormer. One pea sized drop, once a week for three weeks. They don't make rabbit pin worm medication it seems. Breeders and judges have told me the horse dewormer works fine.

 

[zach N houdan]

My oldest daughters rabbit

REW French Angora!

 

[PoultryPower]

There is nothing wrong nor harmful about worming an 8 wk old rabbit going to a new home. Your buyers might appreciate it if you gave their new rabbit its first dose of worming meds right in front of them on the day they picked up their pet. It's the best way to show them it's not a big ordeal, important to do, and worth the measly $5 they'll have to pay for a tube of wormer.

So if I want to worm them before selling them, what should I buy? And would it be the same stuff that the owner should continue to use? Also, what is the correct dosage?

 

[shadow rabbit10]

It depends on what worms you are working for.

 

[PoultryPower]

Well what do people usually give them when they worm them before going to new homes?

 

[Kilsharion]

Just brought home three new rabbits - mini rex's....




They're loving their new home, it appears. Curious little buggers.