The dangers of using a second hand hutch

You may be able to find out the history of a hutch where a rabbit has died, but many times you will not.

If a rabbit has died of RHD/VHD then the virus will remain in the hutch for some considerable time.

Frances Harcourt Brown:
How long can the virus live for?

RHD viruses (including RHDV2) can live outside the rabbit for some time. The length of time depends whether the virus is protected by organic material, such body parts, faeces or blood. It has been shown that the virus can live for up to 3 months in decaying rabbit carcasses but survives for less than a month on the ground. If the ground is exposed to sunlight the virus survives for less than 10 days. Exposure to ultraviolet light kills most organism.


I have just posted this over on the RHD2 thread:

Totnes, Devon

Suspected cases reported. "Lady lost 2 not vaccinated 12 weeks old, 3 days apart. 1 very lethargic other just died had used second hand hutch from Preston Devon which had also had sudden death"


Be careful, and think whether it's worth taking that hutch on, even if your rabbits are vaccinated.

Bump :wave:

Another issue is people might outright lie about cause of death, too...

tlcwrites said:

Another issue is people might outright lie about cause of death, too...

Click to expand...

Yes they might.

But more often I should think they would have no idea, as if they had had a post mortem and found the cause to be RHD2 I can't imagine them wanting any other bunny to suffer and die.

I've reported another case of two rabbits dying within a day of one another.

http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/s...s-(-Update-October-2018&p=7048807#post7048807

Both were fully vaccinated, and of course the culprit may not have been RHD2.

However, please stay vigilant for 'high risk' in your area.