Vaccinations

[rebeccalyn7]

What vaccinations do rabbits need is Australia?

Need to take my baby back to the vets for a check up and was wondering what other vaccinations

 

[Imbrium]

Myxi and calicivirus, I believe

 

[Azerane]

You can only get the calicivirus vaccine (RCD), the myxoma vaccine is banned in this country for fear of it escaping into the wild population. So yes, only the calici. Which reminds me I have to book Bandit in for his shot soon.

 

[Imbrium]

ugh, that's ridiculously evil considering myxi spreads through mosquitoes and such

 

[Azerane]

Something to do with it being a live vaccine when administered. It's pretty far-fetched (though possible - more of a worst case scenario thing) but knowing the damage that wild rabbits do here, I can't be too harsh on the law. It just means that we have to fly screen our hutches. In most cases it's not too much of an issue unless you live in a country area or nearby large properties like that which are bound to have wild rabbits. Every now and then there is a break out in the suburbs, but it doesn't happen too often I don't think.

 

[BridgetsFlame]

Outbreaks happen more often then you'd think. I live out in the country on property and monitor myxi reports whenever I can and it's more often reported in or near coastal cities than it is inland. Calici on the other hand is everywhere.

I'd love for the myxi vaccine to be allowed, but I think the way things are going we should be counting ourselves lucky that it still legal to have rabbits in most states and vaccinate for calici. Though I can't say the Qld laws seem to be preventing many people... the amount of 'refugee' rabbits that are being brought south into NSW from the crack down on rabbit keeping is a tad ridiculous.

 

[MrB]

Yep, no myix vaccine allowed in Australia. Australia has a definite hatred of the rabbit :-(

I remember reading an article that the federal government here has given a few million for research into more potent strains of the myxi virus to be developed

I'm a little at odds with Australia's venomous hatred of all things rabbit.

Yes, I've seen the video's of rabbit devastation etc but I've been looking for research as to the benefit rabbits can bring and the research is severely lacking!

The only bit of research I found was some American research that showed rabbits can actually have a stabilising effect on hilltops.

I've also noticed that in my enclosure outside where I take my indoor bunnies outside to let them run, they have dug the usual pits (but no actual burrows) that these pits actually trap water and instead of turning into a dust bowl as I thought they would turn it into, my bunnies have actually helped slow down/trap the flow of water resulting in deeper seepage of water into the soil.

I also have the objection that Australia labels rabbits as exotic because they were introduced yet Australia's human population is in fact exotic anyhow as it was introduced itself!

The crazy thing is that myix kills about 60% of the wild rabbits in Australia now, so it's potency is diminishing but that figure jumps to like 98% of domestic rabbits, so disallowing vaccination for domestic rabbits is pretty cruel in my opinion. It's still a very biased country towards rabbits as it favors the wheat and beef industry and quite happily overlooks the environment damage beef farming has caused *sigh*

In terms of farming, Kangaroo meat is so much better than beef because it's so incredibly lean, I'd imagine rabbit meat would be similar, much better health wise than beef, but the beef industry here holds such sway politically that alternative meat farming fights an uphill battle despite the obvious health benefits of non-beef products both on people and the environment

Until there is an attitude shift and we look into how we can work with the rabbit, the poor old Rabbit will continue to be hated in Australia. To gauge the stupidity of our government and it's inability to fathom even the simplest of interactions with nature, have a look at the shark culling that is going on in Western Australia, unbelievable stupidity and irrational fear driving the destruction of shark species that had nothing to do with the attack that prompted all this non-sense. I long for the day when research and science drives action rather than fear or profits

 

[rebeccalyn7]

shes all booked in, getting her vaccine tomorrow night.
and a general check up


i dont know if i agree with it, or disagree..
but personally, it is a bit humane ....
i mean seriously, swelling of the eyes... ears, tongue...
how harsh and painful do you want to make a rabbits death....
Id rather be shot than go through that.

 

[pani]

It's awful. Felix and Clementine are inside buns, so I thankfully don't have to be ultra concerned about exposure to myxi, but I don't see why the government wouldn't allow domestic rabbits to be vaccinated against it. It's cruel!

 

[HayHey0248]

I know, it really worries me so much. I go out of my way to make sure their is not even one gap in Rockys house so mosquitoes cant get in, because all it takes is one bite. As a owner of any pet, i don't think we should have to constantly worry that our pet could die or be infected at anytime. If they're so concerned about pet rabbits with the vaccine escaping to the wild, their just being ignorant. First of all, someone who has gone out to actually get their rabbit vaccinated ($30+) obviously cares for their pet and will happily give money to protect them even if its expensive as most vaccines are, so why would they let their pet into the wild or be careless and have un-proper housing that would enabled their rabbit to escape. Also, even if a rabbit did escape they would'nt last long at all, either a dog would get them or they would just die anyway as they are not wild and don't have those skills. AND the virus is temporary so its not going to make them immune forever.

It just makes me so sad seeing sooo many loved pet rabbits die every week due to this. Just last week 5 rabbits from my town died just from it. It shouldn't have to happen. Wild rabbits have better self immunity to myxomatosis then pet ones do, so pet rabbits dont even have a chance.
I think this is also getting ignored because people think, oh its just rabbits, they're not like dogs or cats, so in saying so they don't deserve it, as say if it were dogs in this situation, as rabbits are not as 'friendly, or smart'. This shouldn't matter!
We really need to do something. Its gone on for way to long now. Not even wild animals deserve to die in such a cruel and excruciating way.

How about instead of spending so much money on sports, we think about saving lives and finding other ways to solve both the problems of wild rabbits and pet rabbits.

 

[Azerane]

Agree with you there, it's really an issue that needs to be addressed. Vaccinating the domestic population will have no impact on the wild population since they already have a higher immunity anyway. Can vaccinated rabbits still act as carriers? If not, perhaps they're more interested in the carrying aspect of domestics for spreading the disease around whenever it is released? Cruel, but possible.

Yes wild rabbits in Australia are a major problem, and yes in my opinion they are a pest, I have seen the damage they can do, out-competing native species, reducing breeding habitat and causing problems with soil erosion etc. But does that mean that we shouldn't be allowed to have a vaccine for our pet rabbits? Absolutely not, two different worlds. And until this country views rabbits on equal ground with cats and dogs (which it is far from), it's never going to happen. Rabbits are very much an abused domestic species and it's all because of lack of regulation, whereas as soon as someone mistreats a cat or dog, it gets noticed.