Hi all,
So we decided to start breeding rabbits, we did our homework but it seems like its never enough, I dropped huge $ on nice large cages , and a full sized shed for the hutch, but as we are getting going we ran in to a few problems.
We adopted a group of Champaign rabbits all very nice and healthy. the second group came from a farm and although they are very nice bunnies they came with mites and bite holes in their ears(community housing at the previous place). we got the mites under control and there are no more signs of them, they all have very pink ears now, even the worse one whos whole ear was brown on the inside has made a great recovery.
Part of the hutch I also added drain plates under the cages with a flushing system to remove their waste, specifically the stinky urine.
During the winter every thing was fine but as the days got warmer we discovered we did not have enough ventilation for them, also the flush ran in to a problem where it is not working right at the moment, in the mean time we are doing our best to manually wash out the waste. As the summer is coming in to effect the hutch developed a bad ammonia smell, we have added addition ventilation and things are way better but I am worried. Also the delays in retail due to covid have limited my response time when it comes to system repairs, ie fan, plumbing parts... ect
1) 2 of the rabbits we noted started sneezing alot and having short breath, we have moved them out doors. we are also feeding them parsley and ekenatia. one has stopped sneezing and the other not as much, and the breathing has returned to normal so we are confident they will recover. their eyes and paws always and continue to look clean (no snot). Also these were the rabbits closest to the drain which i believe is why they were affected first. I am worried about what kind of impact they endured being in the stink for a bit. without other symptoms, could it still be snuffles? or just a small cold?
2) Today I was petting another one of them when a noticed a small black dot about 1-2mm on the cheek below the ear half way down his face. it almost looks like a sm turd stuck in his fur but i can tell its not that, and think scab . He has them on both sides of face and on back on neck, but no missing fur patches. Its hard to get a good image, but that black dot is all i can see to till i can get someone over and out to hold him for better pic. also he had an eye booger floating around on the eyeball that I have just noticed but no weepy eye. so far he has had no breathing problems or any other problem. so I wonder what this could be, and if i should be worried? also is it normal to be wet under the chin, they have always been like that and came from a happy home as pets.
3) also one of the litters(all of them in the litter) I noted have very strange floppy ears(parents all have normal perky ears), I wonder if this is normal or if they are genetically toast?
all help appreciated!
I just want the best for all of these little guys!
thanks!
So we decided to start breeding rabbits, we did our homework but it seems like its never enough, I dropped huge $ on nice large cages , and a full sized shed for the hutch, but as we are getting going we ran in to a few problems.
We adopted a group of Champaign rabbits all very nice and healthy. the second group came from a farm and although they are very nice bunnies they came with mites and bite holes in their ears(community housing at the previous place). we got the mites under control and there are no more signs of them, they all have very pink ears now, even the worse one whos whole ear was brown on the inside has made a great recovery.
Part of the hutch I also added drain plates under the cages with a flushing system to remove their waste, specifically the stinky urine.
During the winter every thing was fine but as the days got warmer we discovered we did not have enough ventilation for them, also the flush ran in to a problem where it is not working right at the moment, in the mean time we are doing our best to manually wash out the waste. As the summer is coming in to effect the hutch developed a bad ammonia smell, we have added addition ventilation and things are way better but I am worried. Also the delays in retail due to covid have limited my response time when it comes to system repairs, ie fan, plumbing parts... ect
1) 2 of the rabbits we noted started sneezing alot and having short breath, we have moved them out doors. we are also feeding them parsley and ekenatia. one has stopped sneezing and the other not as much, and the breathing has returned to normal so we are confident they will recover. their eyes and paws always and continue to look clean (no snot). Also these were the rabbits closest to the drain which i believe is why they were affected first. I am worried about what kind of impact they endured being in the stink for a bit. without other symptoms, could it still be snuffles? or just a small cold?
2) Today I was petting another one of them when a noticed a small black dot about 1-2mm on the cheek below the ear half way down his face. it almost looks like a sm turd stuck in his fur but i can tell its not that, and think scab . He has them on both sides of face and on back on neck, but no missing fur patches. Its hard to get a good image, but that black dot is all i can see to till i can get someone over and out to hold him for better pic. also he had an eye booger floating around on the eyeball that I have just noticed but no weepy eye. so far he has had no breathing problems or any other problem. so I wonder what this could be, and if i should be worried? also is it normal to be wet under the chin, they have always been like that and came from a happy home as pets.
3) also one of the litters(all of them in the litter) I noted have very strange floppy ears(parents all have normal perky ears), I wonder if this is normal or if they are genetically toast?
all help appreciated!
I just want the best for all of these little guys!
thanks!