Rabbits

[Billhook]

A couple of years ago were had a plague of rabbits on the farm, pre war numbers and I employed a ferret man as well as setting about them with the .22 rifle.

From January tp March 2012 the ferret man caught over 300 and I shot over 1400. A lot of them ended up at the local hospital, probably on the menu as chicken pie! Probably a lot more healthy than chickens on processed food diets and antibiotics.

 

Anyway this week we had a request for some more and I went off but after half a day managed to shoot only four, which was four shots and all I saw.

One of them was hunched up like they are with myxomatosis but on inspection its eyes were normal. But its nose area had been diseased and the flesh had fallen away and it looked as though this had prevented it from feeding for when we picked it up it was skin and bone. This was the case with one of the others although that one was not showing the external symptoms.

I shot another today to put it out of its misery and it was emaciated.

 

Someone told me the local vet had over sixty cases of rabbit virus with domestic rabbits around here and a neighbouring farmer says he has no rabbits where there were hundreds a couple of years ago.

 

This is in the Lincolnshire Wolds, has anyone else seen a similar rabbit disease?

[leswold]

I also help out a couple of farmers with their massive rabbit numbers. Only one of the other shooters tell me they've noticed mixxy but I've only seen one case in the last 2 yrs. Haven't heard of the disease you mention but will ask. Mine go for mate's dog food.

[toolbagted]

Many rabbits were lost in the floods last year drowning in their burrows.Some we shoot have a scaring around the face and these are rabbits which have overcome mixcy needless to say these are left for the fox.

 

If you do get some rabbits try the river cottage recipe for rabbit madras

[Bren.]

Could be viral haemorrhagic disease.

A bit like a Rabbit version of Ebola.

Horrible, I think it's becoming increasingly common.

[Andymacp]

About 1 in 3 rabbits I shoot up near Inverness has mixy.

We lost a hell of a lot through the big snow 3 years ago

[Billhook]

Could be viral haemorrhagic disease.

A bit like a Rabbit version of Ebola.

Horrible, I think it's becoming increasingly common.

 

Bren, I just had a visit from a wild life expert and that is exactly what he said it was.

Started in Southern Europe and working its way North. Mucks up the stomach and seems even more cruel a death than Myxomatosis.

He said he had seen them wheezing and having great difficulty breathing so perhaps it constricts the throat as well and prevents them both from eating and breathing properly.

Some have an immunity so they will probably do what rabbits do best and recover their populations.

[Bren.]

I think it started in Asia, but as it has spread into Europe, the Iberian peninsula has been worst affected.

[wisecobandit]

We call it rabbit flu around this neck of the woods. Its pretty widespread and wipes them out quickly.

We have the same problem, the rabbits aren't there to be had and its driven the price of rabbit up due to the shortage to almost double.

Up to a few years ago we would shoot 60-70 rabbits in an evening now we would be lucky to get 10-15 on the same farms.

[leswold]

Many rabbits were lost in the floods last year drowning in their burrows.Some we shoot have a scaring around the face and these are rabbits which have overcome mixcy needless to say these are left for the fox.

 

If you do get some rabbits try the river cottage recipe for rabbit madras

I shoot around the Medway so yes, plenty drowned but doesn't seem to have thinned the numbers much. Hmmm...rabbit madras sounds good.

[pycoed]

May be VHD, which wiped out all our local rabbits about 10-15 yrs back & they've never recovered to any degree.

It's a viral haemorrhagic disease which does sound similar to Ebola, it has 99% plus fatality level apparently.