The Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund - U/D 30th July Covid 19 & Vaccinations

loobers25 said:
Wow good idea. I thought bunny people don't tend to go away though [emoji23]

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I do [emoji38] for a short amount of time, should really use that gotta book a hotel soon

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The RWAF have listed potential dangers to Rabbits during the Christmas period, worth a read even if you think you already know what to be mindful about

''Chewing the tree or its lighting cables. Real dangers. Whether you have a real or an imitation tree, put up a barrier around it and keep those electric cables where your bunnies cannot get to them
Holly and mistletoe are both very toxic. Make sure your beloved pets can’t get to either. If you have them, keep them both well away from rabbit accessible areas
Wrapping paper and the gifts themselves. Nobody wants a chewed present and of course ingesting that paper with its inks and possibly sometimes polymers too is very dangerous for rabbits, so keep gifts out of reach of bunnies
Eating too much of the wrong thing. We all eat some treats in the festive season, probably more than we should, but be careful not to let your rabbits get to anything that might be toxic to them or too much of what they might like. Chocolate is highly toxic to dogs and in fact is bad for most species including us. For rabbits, the sugars may well be the biggest problem, so as with other treats, keep them away from your rabbits and if you have appropriate treats for them – low carbs, no egg, no dairy – remember, they are still just that, treats, and should only be given in very small amounts. You don’t want to be taking your beloved rabbits to the emergency vet on Christmas afternoon!
Company, hustle and bustle – Christmas and New Year are times for families, visitors, people who generally wouldn’t be in contact with your rabbits, and likely not in large numbers. It’s often noisy as well. Remember this can be very confusing and sometimes frightening for your rabbits. They are prey animals, used to you and your immediate family so make a visitor-free zone where your rabbits can feel safe and can keep away from noise and bustle, won’t be handled inappropriately and won’t be fed the wrong things….and cannot escape out of your door when people are coming and going.''


Also, they have been asked to publicise a Survey being undertaken by a 2nd Year Vet Med student at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC). She says, “I have decided to do mine on rabbit behaviour, specifically looking at whether there is any behavioural differences between outdoor rabbits and those that kept entirely indoors and have no access to outdoor space. I will also look at the influence of other factors such as diet, sex and companionship.”

Her survey can be found here https://rvc.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/do-rabbits-kept-entirely-indoors-show-more-behavioural-pro

Please help by completing it if you have time :)
 
Completed the survey. It's quite short, if anyone's worried about the time it will take.
 
Yes, it is good to see that rabbits are included. It's a shame that some people who buy these breeds can't see past the cute and cuddly image and realise the problems these animals can experience.
 
I saw something related to this on twitter from one of the Uni of Nottingham vets a few months ago: she did the 'cuteness' survey which was partly related to this :)
 
I thought I would post this message from the RWAF Veterinary Specialist Advisor, Richard Saunders re giving Rabbits cardboard toys to play with. The message was posted on the RWAF FB page :

''We are aware of lots of comments regarding cardboard at the moment,
Cardboard toilet and paper towel roll inners can be very useful as an enrichment tool, and many many rabbit owners use boxes filled with hay and with holes cut inside, or toilet roll inners stuffed with hay etc without problem, and have done for years, because we didn't have the vast array of toys to chose from that we have now. Cardboard boxes filled with bedding are useful for extra insulation in the winter. Cardboard boxes with 2 holes cut in them are useful as a bolt hole for the rabbits to feel safe.
Obviously as rabbit owners, if you see your rabbits eating a lot of the cardboard, rather than just enjoying destroying it, then remove any cardboard items, and consider seeking veterinary advice.
As a Specialist Vet, I see rabbits eating both appropriate and inappropriate fibrous and indigestible materials when they have GI problems, and this may be a sign of such issues. As with "hairballs" it's often that the fur, hair, cardboard etc is in the gut in large amounts BECAUSE the GI tract is moving slowly, not causing the problem. What I am saying here is that when the rabbit starts to become ill, they often eat things that are not appropriate, and the cardboard or hairball is in the gut because of the gut slowdown, and is not the cause of it. Of course, there are certainly rabbits out there (as with dogs etc), who definitely eat things to excess, inappropriately, and in such cases, in any species, it's sensible to prevent a problem by not allowing access to the material in question.
So let your rabbits enjoy their cardboard toys, but as with any toy, be sensible and monitor them. There are lots of things that you can give your rabbits to actually chew and eat that are safe such as apple branches, willow branches, hazel branches and forage trays.

Richard Saunders
BSc (Hons) BVSc FRSB CBiol DZooMed (Mammalian) DipECZM(ZHM) MRCVS; RCVS Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (Mammalian); European Specialist in Zoological Medicine (ZHM); RWAF Veterinary Specialist Adviser''
 
This information comes via a RWAF 'First Alert' email I received yesterday

We'd like to remind you all that our Conference bookings are open. We are delighted to be back in Edinburgh at the D1ck Vets this year with its great facilities and warm welcome.

We are offering the opportunity of two days again, the Saturday being for owners/rescues and the Sunday also including veterinary professionals. The programme for both days is packed and super exciting - as follows

Saturday, 20th June - "Try This At Home"


Time Educator Topic
09.00 – 10.00 Networking and coffee The chance to Rabbit On!
10.00 – 11.00 Emma Keeble Respiratory problems in rabbits and care at home
11.00 – 12.00 Molly Varga Vital signs of GI Stasis and care at home
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch break
13.00 – 14.00 Richard Saunders Ask the Experts – pre-submitted questions
14.00 – 15.00 Kevin Eatwell Vital signs of renal disease and care at home
15.00 – 15.30 Coffee break
15.30 – 16.30 Jenna Richardson Clinical exam and caring for ill rabbits at home

RWAF Members - £60
Non-Members - £90

Sunday, 21st June - Behaviour and Welfare Day


Time Educator Topic
10.00 – 11.00 Grace Dickinson Rabbit Training For Dummies BUNNIES
11.00 – 12.00 Grace Dickinson Using clicker training to help with fear and build confidence
12.00 – 13.00 Lunch break
13.00 – 14.00 Guen Bradbury Fear Free Handling
14.00 – 15.00 Laura Dixon Trancing and ‘learned helplessness’
15.00 – 16.30 Guen Bradbury Aggression: What causes it and what can you do?
16.30 – 17.30 Rae Todd Bonding in practice

RWAF Members - £60
Non-Members - £90

Book both days and get a discount

RWAF Members - £100
Non-Members - £150

Book here https://shop.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/pr...m-2020-rabbit-welfare-association-conference/

 
joey&boo said:
aggghhhh. It proper gives me the willies reading that. Are vaccinations an emergency cos I feel they are & 3 out of my 4 are due in a month. I also feel I might need vet help assessing Rudeys quality of life in the near future
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Vaccinations are still being scheduled at our vets. I have my last 7 booked in on Tuesday but I will be breathing a sigh of relief when it's done as I really wouldn't be surprised if things changed dramatically in the meantime and they cancel. My Filavac vaccinations were not due until June but I had always planned to do them in spring but got a shuffle on as things started to escalate. Worrying about RHD2 as well as Covid19 really doesn't bear thinking about. Myxi I could cope with better as long as I could put netting over an open window etc. I follow a lot of vet practices on FB and many have stopped doing routine vaccinations. Many are getting people to phone from their cars and only go in when it's their turn (which I think is a good plan).
 
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