Need OFFICIAL info on VHD vaccine and other stuff

As some of you might know I'm getting a bun and some guinea pigs for work. Now work as a rule only agree to ONE myxi vaccine a year and have never even heard of VHD. They also won't shell out for two hutches (I'm trying to find them as cheap as possible so if anyone in S Wales or near Bristol has any decent ones going.... PICK ME!) as they insist rabbits and GPs can live quite happily together. I'm sure they can but I don't know what this new bun is like. He's not neutered and may beat the guineas up or anything.

SO what I need from you guys is some official-type information about the fact that:
1. Rabbits need VHD vaccines
2. Rabbits who live outside should have Myxi vaccines every 6 months (am I wrong?)
3. Rabbits and guinea pigs should not be kept together.

Hopefully new bun will be bonded with my two but I still need a hutch for him and I don't want to skimp. He is a rex, I'm not sure what size yet or if there is a standard size for this breed but what sort of size am I looking for? My two are nethie and mini lop x nethie and they have a 6x2hutch with 6x4 attached run plus about 18x2 extra run (connected by a tunnel, remember ) which they seem to get on with just fine. New bun will ONLY have a hutch but I will be letting him out a lot and handling him too so what is the minimum size I can get away with as obviously the company aren't going to shell out the 120 quid I paid for my massive hutch-run combo... I'm trying to get second hand so I can get more for my money...

ARGH! It's so frustrating. I went to the office to get a price limit of what I can spend. NOONE would give me one. They normally make them on site and people drive up to get them along with other things but (for many reasons) I'm not going up there so I have to buy my own. I went in there to ask about vaccinations and they had never heard of VHD and when I mentioned the rabbit-GP issue they just said "oh rabbits aren't our department". They're the ones that use rabbits as part of their business and yes, I know they ahve a load of reptiles etc that need specialised care, but STILL! ARGH!

thanks guys, any help would be greatly appreciated on the info and the hutches.

x

This is the intervet product datasheet for myxi which states 6 monthly: http://www.intervet.co.uk/Products_Public/Nobivac_Myxo/090_Product_Datasheet.asp

The RSPCA state the Rabs/GPs shouldn't be kept together: http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=RabbitsPetCare

Perhaps you could write to the RSPCA with a list of questions about what you need to do to comply with the Animal Welfare Bill. Having written info about what the legal requirements are would help reinforce your case to the bosses

I would look on the small adds for hutches - or even playhouses you should be able to pick them up very cheap and just do a bit of refurb. If you're strapped for cash, I'd spend the money on a large run then freecycle/freeads for a smaller hutch to go in it. For example you can get a 6'x6' run for around the £70 mark - then put a 4' hutch in and it gives as much space as one of those HH combo's. You can always ply board part of the run cheaply for extra shelter if you want.

Tam

fab thanks so much. I was planning to write to a vets but RSPCA sounds loads better.
Thanks!!!

With him being a rex, and therefore prone to sore hocks and with no warm coat, couldn't you keep him indoors in a dog crate? Also if he's kept near your existing pair they may well fall out with each other. What are you housing the piggies in?

It really is abysmal that your employers are promoting piggies living with rabbits

i could keep him inside, i just thought he might prefer being outside with my other two. i didn't realise keeping them near each other was a bad thing! I though they might get used to each other that way. just shows how little i seem to know. sorry guys, just want to do the best for new bun

Oh well if he could be indoors that'd be great - they do better on vetbed with their feet having so little fur on I got my crates from this site - less than £50 for a 4' crate, and obviously bunnyproof all cables etc first. If he's not having a partner it will be nicer for him indoors with human company too http://www.prizepets.co.uk/Public/Dog_Cages__Crates/13.htm
Presumably you'll have to get him neutered before you can use him though - any plans about that?

I must have missed an earlier post. What is your job?

capel said:

I must have missed an earlier post. What is your job?

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here's the other thread http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/showthread.php?t=100158

buddabun said:

Hopefully new bun will be bonded with my two but I still need a hutch for him and I don't want to skimp. He is a rex, I'm not sure what size yet or if there is a standard size for this breed but what sort of size am I looking for?
x

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Is this the rex from the breeder? is he called Brian? :? have you met him yet?

Thanks for the link Elve..I thought it rang a bell, but couldn't quite get the memory cells in synch:lol: I was just a bit surprised that someone doing a fab educational job like that would be unsure about basic stuff such as hutch sizes and bunny/piggy co-habitation.

I have picked up stuff like dog crates at the local bric a brack market and car boot sales and if it can be sterilised then I can use it! I saw a hutch big enough for GP's at a car boot last week too

yes this is indeed Brian. I am picking him up 2 weeks today

I will have a chat with work next week about VHD as I am shocked that they don't pay for it and only one mxyo a year. I don't know whether they pay for neutering or not but I'm getting him done. Just so you all know even if they WON'T expense VHD etc, I will still get it done!! Stating the obvious maybe but wanted to make sure you understood that!

I will have a little look about for indoor cages but I can't get another house bunny. My two were house bunnies and the house just turned into a state! And now I'll have even less time to be cleaning up so he'll have to be a utility-room bunny. Does it make a difference if he is indoors or outdoors as long as I a get the bedding right for his little feet? Is there a reason I can't keep him outside?

My rex is perfectly happy outside. Her hutch has vetbed down in the area she and Bournville sit in, but she is on grass every day from 8am-ish till dusk. Living inside doesn't necessarily help as they can develp carpet burns on the hocks:? . So really, as long as you have nice deep litter bedding or vetbed ,and can give grass time the problem should be controlled.

capel said:

My rex is perfectly happy outside. Her hutch has vetbed down in the area she and Bournville sit in, but she is on grass every day from 8am-ish till dusk. Living inside doesn't necessarily help as they can develp carpet burns on the hocks:? . So really, as long as you have nice deep litter bedding or vetbed ,and can give grass time the problem should be controlled.

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I was thinking more of him being cold and lonely in winter unless you bond him (which will cause problems when he's been out for the day on his own) and being near to your pair causing them to fight.

As for piggy hutches - Duracell's comment on 'big enough for GPs' has me worried - a pair of piggies needs minimum 2x4 hutch - as big as a good sized rabbit hutch - and lots of bedding in winter if they can't be moved into your house or a shed.

In total agreement with you there Elve . I should've read it properly...

elve said:

I was thinking more of him being cold and lonely in winter unless you bond him.

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I agree with that...also as he is a rex I personally think he should not be confined to a hutch because it could cause sore hocks if he can not freely move around as he chooses.

I think it's quite bad that your jobs involves educating others, but they won't provide the basics for Brian- like vaccines and neutering :?

Just curious...what will happen to Brian if your job changes?

i keep him... not letting HIM go! bless his boots

x

Aw thats good. Do you have any photos?

nope, i havent seen him myself. he is "a lilac rex"
x