Does anyone have any knowledge on rabbit diseases?

Question

My husband recently started raising meat rabbits and are having trouble with some dying. They don't exhibit any symptoms before we find them dead. All are a healthy weight, eyes and ears are clear, no diarrhea, respiratory or neurological symptoms. We'll just find them dead in their cages. All are fed a commercial rabbit food and have access to fresh water at all times. One rabbit is housed per cage, and cages are cleaned at least twice weekly. They are housed in a shed with adequate airflow and don't get over-warmed either. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We've had pet rabbits for years without problems, and this is frustrating!

They are given plenty of fresh, clean hay and their feed is not moldy and nothing can get into it-we keep it in locked containers. Inbreeding isn't an issue, and our rabbits come from different sources, and any new ones are quarantined for a period of time when we first get them.

P.S. Our animals are all treated well and we raise beef cattle, pigs, and horses as well, and don't have any problems with any of them. And all you bleeding hearts....where do you think your food comes from? The meat fairy? Our animals are probably treated better than you treat most people!

P.S. Our animals are all treated well and we raise beef cattle, pigs, and horses as well, and don't have any problems with any of them. And all you bleeding hearts....where do you think your food comes from? The meat fairy? Our animals are probably treated better than you treat most people!

Answer 1

You seem to know your stuff. The very fact that you can't see any symptoms before the rabbits die tells me it's time to call in a professional, who can run samples to the lab, etc. The Chicken Little in me is screaming "VHD!" but there are other reasons rabbits die.
Are they stressed by strange noises? Doubtful, since they're in a shed, but watch for raccoons and loose dogs.
You might make some headway with a necropsy of your own. You'll be in good shape if one of you normally butchers the rabbits, and should be able to see anything unusual in the dead rabbits. Otherwise, harvest a healthy rabbit and open it next to a casualty for comparison.
Examine everything possible: the lining of the intestines, the inside of the liver, the heart, the color of the lungs, the bony nasal passages deep in the middle of the nose, anything you can think of. Make sectional cuts through any large organs: the liver, lungs, kidneys, maybe the brain. Pay attention to texture and color, and especially look for lumps and pus pockets. Any findings will speed up the vet's, or your own, research.
In the mean time, wash your hands and take your coat off before you handle your pet rabbits.
Good luck! Sounds like you're starting out with some nice facilities for those animals.

Edit:
"Mixy," or myxomatosis, is transmitted by biting insects like rabbit fleas and mosquitoes. It's extremely contagious, and a sure killer, but infected rabbits have obvious physical symptoms: their eyes crust over, and parts of their bodies, typically ears and testicles, swell. A vaccine is available in the UK, but not the US.
Since it sounds like your rabbits just suddenly die out of the blue, it sounds like your entire herd has some condition that makes them vulnerable, and only strikes individuals under particular strain.

Answer 2

How often does this happen?? One a day, one a week? Once in a while?

Problem with rabbits is that they sometimes will die without signs. If it is something that you can not pin point down and continue to loose one right after another, you may want to consider taking one or two to the vet for a necropsy to find out what really they did die from.

Start with checking your feed. If there is any hint of mold or contamination, this will result in death in numbers. Make sure you smell it and believe it or not, some people even taste their rabbit pellets to ensure it's quality!! I did this once...it was gross to me!! Tasted like alfalfa!! Which was a good thing of course!!

If not the feed, I'd check for rodents or other visitors. Are there rats/mice/coons/possum, anything that can be getting into the rabbit area and causing the rabbits to get scared, causing broken backs, heart attacks, etc.

Other than that, it sounds like everything else you are doing fine. They are well protected, good air flow, healthy up to the point of death, etc.

One last thing...double check the bloodlines. Are these rabbits that die, are they from the same bloodlines?? Maybe there is a history in a certain lineage of weak hearts, etc to cause premature/unsuspected death.

Answer 3

Sounds to me like you've got a desease or infestation of some
sort.
My thoughts would be to get a couple of them to a vet & have some blood work done,if, you want to raise them for meat.
Did you,by any chance,get the rabbit hootches from another
source,besides,building them yourself????
This is a risky thing to do,because certain deseases & viruses
will remain w/o proper precautions being taken.
CHECK IT OUT WITH A VET!!!

Answer 4

Do the rabbits actually eat the food you give them? If not, they may be suffering from overgrown teeth (malocclusion), which they can die from if not treated (they can't eat). If they are, bring them to the veterinarian and the vet will file their teeth down. Provide wood in their cages to keep them at a healthy length (not overgrown)

Answer 5

Are the bunnies given unlimited hay as well as their feed? If not, they may be going into gastrointestinal stasis, which can kill them in about 12 hours.

Answer 6

hi i have lost about 6 rabbits and my vet said that it is an air bourn disease.you can get them injected against it,have forgotten what it is called i alsohave them injected against mixy

Answer 7

they probably know your going to kill them! thank god all people dont kill them to EAT them! there are some normal people that dont eat their pets! ... and my rabbits are treated very well thank you very much

Answer 8

It may be to cold for them.