Hello all,
Well, its been a while since I last posted, after our two young rabbits died very quickly, one after the other. I posted the whole grisly affair in My fault - a warning. First of all, I must give my sincere thanks to everybody that supported me in that thread - it coincided with a very dark time in my life and I was very weak emotionally and extremely fragile.
Losing the rabbits nearly finished me, sounds silly but it was on top of lots of other things that I wont go into, I ended up on anti-depressants for a while but I have managed to find my strength again and i am moving along quite nicely, thanks, partly at least, to you guys.
So, its time to move on, the hutch has been empty since we lost Tommy in October of last year, a short while after we lost Tim. I have been thinking a lot about what happened and this is what I put it down to:
I think that Tim either caught RHD2, or ate something in the garden that he shouldn't have, probably the former. Tommy, I think died of a broken heart, a few days before I was planning to get him another companion, I even had the hutch segregated to help with bonding.
So, looking forwards, the idea is to get two bonded rescue buns, with vaccinations up-to-date and to link a large run from the hutch via a 150mm (6") diameter steel reinforced flexible plastic tube.
This should ensure that they do not go off and eat something that they shouldn't, we live in a rural location and I am no gardener, so I am unsure of what exactly is growing in the garden, or if its bad news for rabbits. I think its all fairly harmless and I hate not to give the new buns the run of the garden, but a large run is the safest option and I cannot go through making any more mistakes.
The hutch is a large converted children's playhouse, with two main levels, comprising lookout platform, enclosed sleeping section, stairway, and a larger ground floor section for hopping about on! There is ample space for two rabbits.
So, my question is, what do I do about disionfecting the old stuff, most importantly, the hutch itself? If I need to throw any hay, straw or toys, etc away, then I am happy to do that, but what about the things that i can't, i.e. the hutch?
I have read up on RHD2, referring mostly to Frances Harcourt-Brown's excellent page on RHD & RHDV2.
So, its been a few months since we lost our last rabbit, Tommy, which should be well outside of the period for which it can survive outside of a host:
If any of you guys have any other advice on restarting with rabbits then I am all ears.
Thank you all, once again.
Nick.
EDIT: Reading this:
I think better to disinfect - have any of you any advice on this, or done this yourself?
Well, its been a while since I last posted, after our two young rabbits died very quickly, one after the other. I posted the whole grisly affair in My fault - a warning. First of all, I must give my sincere thanks to everybody that supported me in that thread - it coincided with a very dark time in my life and I was very weak emotionally and extremely fragile.
Losing the rabbits nearly finished me, sounds silly but it was on top of lots of other things that I wont go into, I ended up on anti-depressants for a while but I have managed to find my strength again and i am moving along quite nicely, thanks, partly at least, to you guys.
So, its time to move on, the hutch has been empty since we lost Tommy in October of last year, a short while after we lost Tim. I have been thinking a lot about what happened and this is what I put it down to:
I think that Tim either caught RHD2, or ate something in the garden that he shouldn't have, probably the former. Tommy, I think died of a broken heart, a few days before I was planning to get him another companion, I even had the hutch segregated to help with bonding.
So, looking forwards, the idea is to get two bonded rescue buns, with vaccinations up-to-date and to link a large run from the hutch via a 150mm (6") diameter steel reinforced flexible plastic tube.
This should ensure that they do not go off and eat something that they shouldn't, we live in a rural location and I am no gardener, so I am unsure of what exactly is growing in the garden, or if its bad news for rabbits. I think its all fairly harmless and I hate not to give the new buns the run of the garden, but a large run is the safest option and I cannot go through making any more mistakes.
The hutch is a large converted children's playhouse, with two main levels, comprising lookout platform, enclosed sleeping section, stairway, and a larger ground floor section for hopping about on! There is ample space for two rabbits.
So, my question is, what do I do about disionfecting the old stuff, most importantly, the hutch itself? If I need to throw any hay, straw or toys, etc away, then I am happy to do that, but what about the things that i can't, i.e. the hutch?
I have read up on RHD2, referring mostly to Frances Harcourt-Brown's excellent page on RHD & RHDV2.
So, its been a few months since we lost our last rabbit, Tommy, which should be well outside of the period for which it can survive outside of a host:
With this in mind, is there any need for me to disinfect at all, or would a thorough clean do the job?Frances Harcourt-Brown said:From the FAQ page: 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.
If any of you guys have any other advice on restarting with rabbits then I am all ears.
Thank you all, once again.
Nick.
EDIT: Reading this:
Frances Harcourt-Brown said:From the FAQ page: Can I get another rabbit at home if I have lost one with RHD or RHDV2?
Yes, althoug the virus that causes RHD or RHDV2 is difficult to kill so it is a good idea to disinfect oor throw way anything the dead rabbit was in contact with. It is also a good idea to get a rabbit that has been vaccinated against RHD and RHDV2 i.e. to go to a rescue centre. Buying a new baby rabbit is probably not a good idea.
I think better to disinfect - have any of you any advice on this, or done this yourself?
Last edited: