Archive for April, 2011
Rabbit Care
Feeding: Rabbits should receive pelleted food and the food should be of high quality because they tend to fall sick quickly after eating stale food. An average of 120 gms of food per day is required. However, for breeding purposes, an average of 90 gms of food per day is enough. The food should contain lots of green stuff such as ramie, comfrey, banana leaves and vegetables given in controlled amounts. Try to avoid feeding lettuce. To avoid wastage, it’s recommended that you increase the total number of meals, but not the amount of food per meal. The water should be clean and abundant.
Health Care: The best way to protect the flock against disease is to keep the flock in perfectly hygienic conditions: periodic cleaning of the cages with brushes and bactericides is very essential. Sheds and cages should be cleaned monthly with antibacterials and flame-throwers to keep them as clean as possible. The removal of the manure should be done after a maximum period of twenty days in summer and forty days in winter. It’s best to clean every fortnight. After removal of manure, cover the area with a layer of sawdust (about an inch thick) or other dry material. Nests and dirty bowls should be washed with disinfectant and sun-dried at least every week. The water tank should be flushed and drained every month.
Killer Rabbit Disease
Every year thousands of rabbits get killed across the globe without giving much chance to the pet-owners to save them. The disease responsible is called Myxomatosis. Here are some important facts:
Myxomatosis: It is a highly contagious viral disease caused by a virus that affects the American wild rabbit (genus Sylvilagus). Though hares are resistant to this disease, they carry the virus. If the domestic breeds get infected, the disease almost always proves to be fatal within 6 to 15 days. The economic and environmental losses from this disease are extremely high. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with sick rabbits or indirect path via arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes, fleas, ticks or lice whose mouthparts transfer the virus to the hosts. Transmission can also occur through mechanical vectors such as cages, needles, feeders and food contaminated by excretions. Myxomatosis is subject to annual outbreaks, depending on the climate, the region and also the amount and type of insect vectors. So, the hot and humid months (spring, summer and autumn) are the periods of greatest risk. Mortality rates recorded in first half of 2005 were 99% and the virulence of the agent progressively decreased due to the development of genetic resistance in some rabbit populations and especially the spontaneous appearance of attenuated virus strains, reducing the mortality rate to 50-75% and increasing duration of disease (6 to 30 days). Some of these little virulent strains play a key role in functioning as natural vaccines since the rabbits that survive the infection develop a strong immune response to infection by more virulent strains. Despite the decreased incidence of Myxomatosis, it is noteworthy that this disease is still responsible, directly or indirectly (as it facilitates predation) for the death of about 35% of rabbits every year!