Raven Rexs
Mama Doe
Symptoms of Coccidiosis in Rabbits
Weight loss
Unthriftiness
Diarrhea
Bloody diarrhea
Weakness
Bloated Stomach
there are lots of useful websites to help you understand coccidea, heres a good one .........
http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/health/vet-talk/coccidia.html
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Protozoal_diseases/coccidiosis_general.PDF
coccidea can be kept in check with twice yearly medications - these are not expensive and a bottle of coxoid at 112ml will treat many rabbits for the seven day water bottle treatment which is required
most studs have coccidiea - any place where there are a large number of rabbits is almost guaranteed to have the parasite
it tends to be managed rather than cured - adults tend not to express it as their immune systems can control the parasite
there are two types of common coccidea hepatic and intestinal, nearly all rabbits have the coccidea parasite - in normal conditions the rabbits immune system keeps the parasite in check
products like coxoid do not totally eradicate the parasite - they merely knock back the parasitic growth rate thus allowing the rabbits natural immunity to keep it at a bay
however breeders are recommended to use a preventative treatment like coxoid twice a year, in the spring and towards the end of the summer leading to Autumn - this will help rabbits stave off the parasites over humid months
the parasite is carried by bucks and does - though does mainly pass it on to kits through the kits eating mums faecal matter
kits are born coccidea free - if the parent has it then the kits will more than likely pick it up from the oocysts (spores) in the mums faecal matter
kits at 4-5 weeks are at the most susceptible as they no longer have protection from mums immune system which they get from her milk, their own is just developing and there is the added stress of weaning off milk onto hard feed - so if the conditions are correct this is the prefect time for coccidea to take a hold - so you can treat at 4 to 5 weeks at a half measure just as a preventative.
not all kits will die from an infestation of coccidea - the ones with the strronger immune systems may well survive - agoutis for example appear to be hardier
a way to help a kits immune system prepare for battle is to add a pro biotic solution like avi pro plus to the hutch water when the kits are about four weeks old - this will give their immune system a real boost and help them in their fight
the parasite usually takes a month to mannifest itself - another reason why kits at about four weeks are most susseptable
virkon and trigene do not kill coccidea parasites in hutches - jeyes fluid however does
coccidiea oocysts (spores) can stay alive dormant (waiting for the right conditions to reproduce) in the ground and in hutches for up to a year - however extreme weather conditions kill them - severe frost and intense sunlight
If we have had a very mild winter or a summer which has been hot and wet rather than a continuous scorcher - beware
coccidea loves damp humid conditions - perfect for multiplying in the atmosphere and in the rabbits themselves
once a stud has had it, it is unlikely it will ever be totally irradicated however hard the breeder tries - as even rabbits bought in from other studs may well carry the coccidea parasite too
it is very easy to carry coccidea oocysts from rabbit to rabbit - they can be carried on hands, clothes in hair, bedding, faecal matter, cleaning out impliments so the chances are that if one rabbit has a coccidea parasite in a stud - they all will
the practicalities of total irradication are almost impossible
should you want your rabbits tested for it - save three days faecal samples - take them to your vet and ask them to analyse them for coxi - this costs about £20
having proof that your rabbits have coccidea merely means you should start to use a preventative product twice a year
it does not mean you should cull and replace your stock - as the stock you buy in could well also have coccidea
PREVENTATIVE TREATMENT - COXOID
JUST PUT HARKERS COXOID IN GOOGLE AND LOTS OF SITES SELL IT
coxoid is a pigeon product and can be bought from online sites at about £13.75 for 500ml
or if you only want 112 ml then try some ebay shops, £4.25 and postage is free too
DOSAGE FOR COXOID
6 mil coxoid to 1 litre of water mix into a jug and distribute about three inches of the made up solution for each rabbit being treated wait for this to be drunk then fill the empty bottle with water as normal.
Theres no need to fill the bottles up with the made up solution as they wont drink it all and it just goes off - which is wasteful and expensive. Three inches per bottle is sufficient.
It is to be given to all for seven consecutive days- renewing 24hrly as coxoid isnt stable for long periods of time
If you think you have a coxi problem and want to be double sure youv checked the reproduction then wait seven days and dose all bottles again for a further seven days using only half the amount of coxoid liquid to water so 3 mil for 1 litre
it is assumed that some stock will drink more of the product and some will drink less so dont worry if one seems to be getting more than the others - if you have a bloated animal that isnt drinking just syringe feed some of the pre treated liquid in orally roughly four times a day
Weight loss
Unthriftiness
Diarrhea
Bloody diarrhea
Weakness
Bloated Stomach
there are lots of useful websites to help you understand coccidea, heres a good one .........
http://www.rabbit.org/chapters/san-diego/health/vet-talk/coccidia.html
http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Protozoal_diseases/coccidiosis_general.PDF
coccidea can be kept in check with twice yearly medications - these are not expensive and a bottle of coxoid at 112ml will treat many rabbits for the seven day water bottle treatment which is required
most studs have coccidiea - any place where there are a large number of rabbits is almost guaranteed to have the parasite
it tends to be managed rather than cured - adults tend not to express it as their immune systems can control the parasite
there are two types of common coccidea hepatic and intestinal, nearly all rabbits have the coccidea parasite - in normal conditions the rabbits immune system keeps the parasite in check
products like coxoid do not totally eradicate the parasite - they merely knock back the parasitic growth rate thus allowing the rabbits natural immunity to keep it at a bay
however breeders are recommended to use a preventative treatment like coxoid twice a year, in the spring and towards the end of the summer leading to Autumn - this will help rabbits stave off the parasites over humid months
the parasite is carried by bucks and does - though does mainly pass it on to kits through the kits eating mums faecal matter
kits are born coccidea free - if the parent has it then the kits will more than likely pick it up from the oocysts (spores) in the mums faecal matter
kits at 4-5 weeks are at the most susceptible as they no longer have protection from mums immune system which they get from her milk, their own is just developing and there is the added stress of weaning off milk onto hard feed - so if the conditions are correct this is the prefect time for coccidea to take a hold - so you can treat at 4 to 5 weeks at a half measure just as a preventative.
not all kits will die from an infestation of coccidea - the ones with the strronger immune systems may well survive - agoutis for example appear to be hardier
a way to help a kits immune system prepare for battle is to add a pro biotic solution like avi pro plus to the hutch water when the kits are about four weeks old - this will give their immune system a real boost and help them in their fight
the parasite usually takes a month to mannifest itself - another reason why kits at about four weeks are most susseptable
virkon and trigene do not kill coccidea parasites in hutches - jeyes fluid however does
coccidiea oocysts (spores) can stay alive dormant (waiting for the right conditions to reproduce) in the ground and in hutches for up to a year - however extreme weather conditions kill them - severe frost and intense sunlight
If we have had a very mild winter or a summer which has been hot and wet rather than a continuous scorcher - beware
coccidea loves damp humid conditions - perfect for multiplying in the atmosphere and in the rabbits themselves
once a stud has had it, it is unlikely it will ever be totally irradicated however hard the breeder tries - as even rabbits bought in from other studs may well carry the coccidea parasite too
it is very easy to carry coccidea oocysts from rabbit to rabbit - they can be carried on hands, clothes in hair, bedding, faecal matter, cleaning out impliments so the chances are that if one rabbit has a coccidea parasite in a stud - they all will
the practicalities of total irradication are almost impossible
should you want your rabbits tested for it - save three days faecal samples - take them to your vet and ask them to analyse them for coxi - this costs about £20
having proof that your rabbits have coccidea merely means you should start to use a preventative product twice a year
it does not mean you should cull and replace your stock - as the stock you buy in could well also have coccidea
PREVENTATIVE TREATMENT - COXOID
JUST PUT HARKERS COXOID IN GOOGLE AND LOTS OF SITES SELL IT
coxoid is a pigeon product and can be bought from online sites at about £13.75 for 500ml
or if you only want 112 ml then try some ebay shops, £4.25 and postage is free too
DOSAGE FOR COXOID
6 mil coxoid to 1 litre of water mix into a jug and distribute about three inches of the made up solution for each rabbit being treated wait for this to be drunk then fill the empty bottle with water as normal.
Theres no need to fill the bottles up with the made up solution as they wont drink it all and it just goes off - which is wasteful and expensive. Three inches per bottle is sufficient.
It is to be given to all for seven consecutive days- renewing 24hrly as coxoid isnt stable for long periods of time
If you think you have a coxi problem and want to be double sure youv checked the reproduction then wait seven days and dose all bottles again for a further seven days using only half the amount of coxoid liquid to water so 3 mil for 1 litre
it is assumed that some stock will drink more of the product and some will drink less so dont worry if one seems to be getting more than the others - if you have a bloated animal that isnt drinking just syringe feed some of the pre treated liquid in orally roughly four times a day
