How is rabies spread? Is it airbourne?

Question

Is there by any chance that it's airborne? It says so on wikipedia, but I’m pretty skeptic about it.

Here’s the thing, I have a little bunny, and she’s been in my house since she’s a month old, and now she’s almost half year old, and never been to outdoor, because the vet advised me of the infectious disease for small animals that can be contracted when they go outdoor. But lately she became strangely aggressive, this morning when she started chewing on her cage, I tried to stop her from chewing, and she bit on my fingers so hard that it started bleeding. Right now I’m just wondering if it’s possible that rabies can somehow spread to my bunny even though she’s never been around any other animals for the past five months. I mean, I highly doubt that she contracted it before she’s a month old in the pet store. So is it somehow possible that rabies is airborne? (Or maybe she’s just feeling bitchy today) And do I need to get shots of any kind?

Answer 1

Airborne means the disease is spread through particles that travel in the air that you breathe.

Rabies is spread by direct contact by the infected (bites).

Sounds like your bunny is becoming sexually mature and the aggressiveness is related to this. Get her spayed and this will improve.

Answer 2

As far as I know, it's not an airborn virus (most viruses aren't airborn, as their proteins tend to be fragile and break down without strict homeostatic conditions...it's why you get a fever when you have a cold, your body is trying to kill the virus by heating it beyond the range at which it can survive). Rabies typically is transmitted through the saliva of infected animals in a bite wound, but the virus can survive for a few hours on the ground near the body of an infected animal and can be picked up by other animals that way (it only infects mammals, scavenging birds are not at risk, though scavenging and predatroy mammals are...your rabbit is neither of these).
In answer to your original question, your rabbit almost certainly does not have rabies. It would be fairly uncommon for even a wild rabbit to contract the virus, since they're strict herbivores. She's never been outside and the virus just isn't that communicable. She was probably just scared and she defended herself in the only way she knows how...with her teeth. Clean the wound with soap and water, apply neosporin and a band-aid and you should be fine, although if you haven't had a tetanus shot in a while, it might not be a bad idea to discuss it with your doc.

Answer 3

It could be rabies, however, is you pet in pain? Maybe you could observe your bunny and see if it's in pain in anyway the bunny may have injured itself, take it out and carefully feel different parts of her to see if she finds anything painful. She could also be sick for other reasons. Sometimes pain can cause aggression. Rabies is usually transfered through saliva. could your pet have caught anything after visiting the vets? Could it have caught something there?

I would try a different vets and see what they think. I would definately make an apointment anyway.

Good luck

Answer 4

needless to say, provided that the rat had rabies. Rabies might properly be unfold by any animal that has it and provided that it contacts an open wound... the two an latest wound or from a chew. This incorporates respiration in rabies laiden air.

Answer 5

I don't think you have anything to worry about because if she had rabies, she would have died by now. Rabies is spread through the saliva of an infected animal. Chances are her aggressivness is just a sexual thing. If you get her fixed, it may calm her down a bit.

Answer 6

Now I'm no expert but I'm pretty darn sure you must be bitten by another animal with rabies.

Answer 7

It is spread mainly through close contacts with dogs, especially when one gets injured by a dog!

Answer 8

Saliva or body fluids only.