Preventitive Health Methods in the Rabbitry

[TinysMom]

First off - I'm what Art calls a "Bunny-holic". If I'm not talking rabbits on here, I'm reading about how to care for rabbits, talking on breeder's lists (usually asking questions to learn more), or trying to talk to him about rabbits (I'm pretty much done talking him INTO more rabbits). Oh yes - then there is feeding, grooming and cage cleaning.

Anyway - for an early Valentine's Day present, Art bought me Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits- the most recent edition. On pages 160 and 161, the author talks about his preventitive health plan for his rabbitry and I really liked it. I'm going to paraphrase it and not go into all the detail he did..



One week a month - he treats the water with a sulfaquinoxaline-sodium solution. This is to prevent coccidiosis and also diaherrea.

Once a week he treats the water with oxytetracycline (Terramycin soluble powder). He does this for grown promotion, diaherrea prevention and because he's certain it increases litter size.

Finally - before each litter emerges from the nestbox - he disinfects and rinses the hutch floor. (He doesn't specify this but I'm assuming the rabbits are NOT in the hutch when he does this - that he has removed the nest box.

He states that these measures are cheap and trouble free - and that his stock has maintained good health with very little diaherrea and no signs of coccidiosis....and he hasn't had snuffles in years!

When he disinfects the hutch - he uses a lysol solution (I would've thought bleach and water or vanodine and water).

This book is a really good read for breeders - it gives advice on preparing your stock for the show (feed-wise) and well...just all sorts of good stuff. I guess it helps that he's been working with rabbits for over 50 years!

Peg

 

[naturestee]

Regular doses of antibiotics? I'm wondering if any breeders who do this have had problems with drug-resistant bacteria. I could see treating new rabbits/ rabbits that just came back from a show, but from a biology-trained standpoint I'd be worried about frequent mass treatments.

I hear you on the Bunny-holic!

 

[TinysMom]

naturestee wrote:

Regular doses of antibiotics? I'm wondering if any breeders who do this have had problems with drug-resistant bacteria. I could see treating new rabbits/ rabbits that just came back from a show, but from a biology-trained standpoint I'd be worried about frequent mass treatments.

I hear you on the Bunny-holic!

That was part of my concern and I'm asking about this on a list I'm on for breeders- to see what they do regularly. I have just started adding electrolytes to the water for my nursing does and I like the results I'm seeing there.

The author does state that he's been doing this for 30 years (the Neo-Terramycin soluble powder) - that its been out since 1949. He uses 1 tsp of the soluble powder to every 5 gallons of water. He also waters them with this before and after shows, before he ships them, when there is a drastic change in the weather - all of these times to alleviate stress. He buys his from the feed store.

The author is Bob Bennet who wrote "Raising Rabbits the Modern Way" back in the 70's...he's updated that book several times and now has written this book in 2000. From what I understand - he is a top breeder of...I want to say "tans" but my memory is slipping on that as he mentioned various breeds.

According to the back cover, he was the founder of Domestic Rabbits magazine (ARBA's magazine) and is on the board of directors for ARBA.

The Storey guides to raising animals are sort of like the travel guides you see in stores for different places? They have books on raising beef cattle; chickens; dairy goats; ducks; horses, etc. etc. etc. - all written by people who are considered experts in the field.

Anyway - I'd love to hear if others do this and I'm dying to find out what the breeders on the lionhead list say about it.

Peg

 

[TinysMom]

By the way - for the coccidiosis - he treats them 4 days per month. They get two days of treatment - two days off - then two more days of treatment.

 

[TinysMom]

naturestee wrote:

Regular doses of antibiotics? I'm wondering if any breeders who do this have had problems with drug-resistant bacteria. I could see treating new rabbits/ rabbits that just came back from a show, but from a biology-trained standpoint I'd be worried about frequent mass treatments.

I hear you on the Bunny-holic!

As soon as I get permission - I hope to post something from my breeder's list that I think you'll want to read Naturestee. It pretty much agrees with you exactly (I'm awaiting permission) and it was written by a vet tech who works with rabbits a lot and is a breeder. She basically states that sanitation is the key thing for good health in the rabbitry (woo hoo - I can do that for practically free).

My concern - limited though it was - was that perhaps the methods would mask any symptoms of illness a rabbit might develop. I hadn't thought about that when I first posted - but once again - I was trying to see what others thought and if others did something like this since I was considering it.

Peg

 

[naturestee]

TinysMom wrote:

naturestee wrote:

Regular doses of antibiotics? I'm wondering if any breeders who do this have had problems with drug-resistant bacteria. I could see treating new rabbits/ rabbits that just came back from a show, but from a biology-trained standpoint I'd be worried about frequent mass treatments.

I hear you on the Bunny-holic!

As soon as I get permission - I hope to post something from my breeder's list that I think you'll want to read Naturestee. It pretty much agrees with you exactly (I'm awaiting permission) and it was written by a vet tech who works with rabbits a lot and is a breeder. She basically states that sanitation is the key thing for good health in the rabbitry (woo hoo - I can do that for practically free).

My concern - limited though it was - was that perhaps the methods would mask any symptoms of illness a rabbit might develop. I hadn't thought about that when I first posted - but once again - I was trying to see what others thought and if others did something like this since I was considering it.

Peg

It's probably a good thing for us multiple rabbit owners to know too. Were you concerned about the antibiotics masking illness or the disinfectant routine? I find that regular cleaning helps me keep track of things like normal consistency/amount of poops and urine, which are indicators of illness. Maybe I'll see your concerns if/when you get permission to repost her advice.

 

[TinysMom]

My concern was two-fold. At first I was concerned about the use of Lysol with little kits in the same cage. I would think that vanodine would be much better since it designed for disinfecting, etc. and I'm not sure about all the chemicals in Lysol.

But after I posted and thought about it - I started thinking about the fact that perhaps you'd be masking something and wouldn't catch it....by the use of the terramycin.

Peg

 

[TinysMom]

Well - the general consensus of all the breeders I talked to was that the regular use of antibiotics could make the rabbits less resistant to viruses in the long run (or maybe it was less able to use the antibiotics in the long run when they do get sick). I've only gotten four hours of sleep and am about to crash.

But most breeders felt (and I'm sure others will agree) that good sanitation is the best thing for the rabbitry.

However...the book did have other helpful things I do agree with....

And as far as disinfecting....I think I'm sticking to Vanodine...

Peg

 

[SunnieBunnie Rabbitry]

TinysMom wrote:

Well - the general consensus of all the breeders I talked to was that the regular use of antibiotics could make the rabbits less resistant to viruses in the long run (or maybe it was less able to use the antibiotics in the long run when they do get sick). I've only gotten four hours of sleep and am about to crash.

But most breeders felt (and I'm sure others will agree) that good sanitation is the best thing for the rabbitry.

However...the book did have other helpful things I do agree with....

And as far as disinfecting....I think I'm sticking to Vanodine...

Peg

I agree... in the long run the use of antibiotics can make the rabbits less resistant to viruses. Good sanitation is the best preventative measure any breeder can take (and it doesn't cost anything extra, except for a little elbow grease).

I clean my trays weekly (day before trash gets picked up), wash & rinse out water bottles & feed dishes bi-monthly, and nestboxes are cleaned & disinfected immediately when removed from the cages.

For disinfecting (which for the cages I do about every 6mos to a year, depending on the cage) I use a combination of: 1) scrubbing down the cage with a Zaps-it & Water solution (for the smell) and 2) rinse with vinegar & water solution. Sometime's I'll also use Bleach & water if I feel it's necessary.

IMO, it's just like raising kids - how do you expect them to have a good immune system if you don't let them have the natural opportunity to build their resistance to different strains of illness? I'm not saying to purposefully get them sick to build their resistance.... I'm saying let them build it naturally, the way they know best, with what little bit of exposure they have that surrounds them constantly in their daily life.

That's my 2cents anyway.

 

[gentle giants]

I have to aggree with SunnieBunnie. I get very nervous about using any kind of actual chemical in cleaning my rabbits cages. If I had to, I think my choice would be bleach/water solution, and only if I had a rabbit who had something nasty and contagious in that cage.
Thankfully (fingers and eyes crossed, LOL) I have not had that experience yet. I had rabbits years ago when I was in 4-H, and just got started in them again about a two years ago, and I still have sooo much to learn.
Anyway, as I was saying when I interuppted myself, IMHO a careful cleaning schedule is the best way to keep your rabbits healthy. I don't like to medicate an animal until/unless it is actually sick.

 

[TinysMom]

I love your cleaning schedule SunnieBunnie - of course - it helps that it is the same as mine....except I'm trying to do the cages every 3 months because I have so many and they are inside.

I think I'm going to stick to Vanodine...and because I know someone will probably ask about it - here is one of the best links about it:

http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/fam30.htm

I'm not recommending buying it from this particular site - or buying it at all (I bought mine from www.bunnyrabbit.com which is closer to me)...but I have found that it seems to help here when I've done my cages and I use it on my nestboxes and then let them air out.

Which leads me to.......nestboxes.....do you use wood or wire/metal? Anybody can answer - not just Sunnie!

Peg

 

[SunnieBunnie Rabbitry]

TinysMom wrote:

Which leads me to.......nestboxes.....do you use wood or wire/metal? Anybody can answer - not just Sunnie!

Peg

I use the metal ones with the removable bottoms from KW Cages. I like these alot because they're easy to clean and they don't harbor germsas the wood does.

I use 1-2 inches of CareFresh at the bottom and cram the rest of the nestbox full of Timothy Hay for the does to use to build thier "Tunnel nests" in. If the doe eats some (or all) of the hay, I replace it with more and I keep doing so until she kindles. Once she kindles, and the babies eyes have opened, I don't add any more hay. When ALL the remaining hay disappears, it's weaning time (usually this happens between 7-8 weeks). I'll then give the weanlings a handfull of hay for the first 3 days away from mom.

 

[aurora369]

I use a wooden box for Wildfire, I had my uncle make it for me. I clean it out with bleach and lots of rinsing after I take it out of the cage, then it air dries for a long time till the next time I use it. My uncle does lots of wood working, and has lots of scraps, so he can make me a new one when this one gets too dirty.

--Dawn

 

[gentle giants]

I use wood, personally. I aggree with what SunnieBunnie said about germs, what I do is a day or two before I put the nestbox in with the doe, I soak-and I mean soak-it in straight vinegar, and leave it out overnight to dry. Since I hand-built my nests, I left small gaps between the boards on the bottom to let pee run through. I just worry about the babies getting to cold in a metal box. Plus the lumber for my hand-built boxes was free! LOL

 

[SunnieBunnie Rabbitry]

*Bump*

Wondering about Pam's opinion on the subject.

 

[SunnieBunnie Rabbitry]

:bump

 

[pamnock]

Pinworms are very common in rabbits, so we treat twice a year with piperazine. I don't use any other type of preventative treatments.

It is often said that the best defense against intestinal cocci is a wire brush. Simply keeping the cage clean of feces is the best prevention.

Rabbit feeds for containing antibiotics have been discontinued due to the concerns of resistant parasites and bacterias.

Excellent sanitation, ventilation, feed and fresh water are the keys to good animal husbandry.



Pam

 

[flemishr2cool]

Does the book say whether this breeder is a commercial breeder or a show breeder? There would be a huge difference in the long end. Commercial rabbits have short lifespans, and there is a large amount of new stock moving in and out of the barn. So if the rabbits are on long term antibiotics, it doesn't really matter if they only live to be 1-2 years of age (i.e. by short lifespan I figure they are bred once and cullled, or butchered out, not that they die of old age)

IMO long term antioboitics for show rabbits is a bad idea. You can use preventative measures that do not involve antioboitics. You can buy disinfectants to clean you cages, Give 1-2 injections of ivermectin a year to prevent mites, worms, etc. clean out dishes once a day, cages once a week, do not let manure sit in cages, disinfect litter boxes,carriers, and quarantee new rabbitsfor 2-3 weeks. Proper ventilation, throughly clean the entire barn twice a year. Keep manure pilesa safe distance from the barn, use fresh feed that is kept in plastic bins, rather than in the bag sitting on the floor. Ifyou can keep your brood stock in another room from your show stock,keep hay or other bedding in a dry bug/rodent free room. Keep flys mice, rats, feral cats out of the barn. jeez I could probably keep the list going!

The general idea is to keep a clean/disinfected, ventilated area, keep animals that are shown or new animals away from brood stock or your herd, and use nturitous fresh food, water, and bedding.

Julia Crawford