First off - my internet and home phone line have been down for a couple of days if you were wondering where I was. Just part of rural life. But I've also been busy busy busy planting those 500+ trees and some fruit trees in my orchard (really, really excited about the fruit trees!).
But then I heard some nasty news. The local council are releasing calicivirus into areas around Northland to control wild rabbits. Calicivirus was released illegally into New Zealand in 1997 and is now licensed for tightly controlled use as a pest-control measure. But it doesn't discriminate between domesticated rabbits and those little wild ones who do all the damage, but there is a vaccination.
I rang my vet and explained that transporting my five breeding adults into the surgery was going to be difficult. I don't like the mums leaving their litters and one doe is due to kit today or tomorrow. Plus I don't have that many cages. I also explained that I was a midwife and very used to giving injections (to humans, but it can't be that different, huh?). She said that seeing as they were a 'stock' animal and not a pet, and that she could trust me not to inject myself, she would sell me five vaccination doses over the counter without an actual consult. Yay!
So tonight when Hubby gets home, he gets to hold the bunnies, I get to inject. The young kits (under 6-8) apparently don't die from it even if they contract it. But I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.
Great timing! My partner and I have been talking about raising meat rabbits since your oma rapeti post. But in the past few weeks he has found two wild bunnies turn up dead on the lawn, unmarked. We wondered if there were any calicivirus releases happening around the area and could only find info on the northland one, not around Rodney. But we began to wonder anyway if the need for vaccine would rule out eating - I'm guessing not from your post. Did the vet say anything about that? Like a withholding period?
ReplyDeleteThe vaccinated rabbits would be safe for eating, but the ones I'm jabbing are my breeding stock so I won't be eating them. MAF (the link on calicivirus above takes you to this info) say that it is safe to eat a bunny with calicivirus - not that you'd want to. But infected ones die within 48 hours so the chance of eating an infected one would be pretty slim.
ReplyDeleteMy kits are all under 7 weeks so they should be ok. Even if they get infected, they shouldn't die and will be well over it and ok for culling at about 15 weeks.
But I'll be watching them closely and if any seem sick around culling time - we'll hold off until we are certain they are well.
Saw the picture of the injections & wondered what you were using to have a good time. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI remember when I was in pediatric nursing school & we'd inject each other NaCl .9% (I swear that's all it was!) to "practice." - A flashback to the good ole times.
I hope your bunnies will be okay. :-)
Cadi
those needles brought back memories! I had to inject my cat with insulin twice a day so if you'd needed a hand I could have nipped over.
ReplyDeleteSorry I didn't stop to chat yesterday - I was in a rush and am always a bit dazed when wandering round New World! But I would like to come over sometime and see your wee rabbits and all the chooks! xx
There's always something to worry about. Our paper today was telling about wild boar becoming a nuisance in our state of Kentucky.I was thinking black bear would be our next problem, but it appears not. Who would have thought of wild boar, but evidentally some dummy has let a couple of them loose, and started this new nightmare for farmers.I hear they multiply like rabbits.Oops,sorry!I'll change that to rats or roaches.Good luck with your bunnies.
ReplyDeleteWhoah.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with it!
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