Ask RiotACT: Pet rabbit deaths

dungfungus said :

steveu said :

apologies for my ignorance, how is the virus spread if a bunny is confined to a backyard? I presume airborne?

Sorry to hear about so many lost pets. 🙁

Mosquitoes; and there are plenty of them in Canberra.

Maybe bring it inside if you can, Ours are inside. The virus is quite hardy and spreads with mozzys but also Birds,Dogs,Shoes and even dust to some extent.

Direct virus transmission by
Faeces
Urine
Saliva
Nasal and eye secretions
Mating

Indirect virus transmission by
Insects/wild birds/rodents
Clothing, shoes, etc.
Cages and bedding
Dogs or people
Cleaning equipment and tools
Food or green feed
Dust

Source: http://www.idt-animal-health.com/veterinarian/rabbit/diseases-rabbit/rhd/aetiology/rhdvrhdv2/

I don’t think TAMs had anything to do with this release. They did fumigation and pellets i think.

crackerpants said :

Nilrem said :

BooUrns said :

I think a map would be a great idea, our vet said a few months ago that it was confirmed in Goulburn 6 months ago so it spreads fast we had all ours double doesd just recently. We will probably start leaving our shoes outside as you only need to walk up Mt Taylor or go for a walk along the tails were the wild bunnies live and you could potentialy bring it inside.

Hope they do find a vaccine and politcs stays out of it, one can only imagine the outccry if everyones dogs or cats started dropping.

Good luck all

Does it affect guinea pigs?

I called the RSPCA to find out – their vet said no. Our guinea pigs are indoors most of the time, but it’s no guarantee when mosquitoes are a vector.

Thanks mate.

dungfungus said :

XK140 said :

Anniedehoog said :

I had 4 baby bunnies die yesterday. I suspected heat stroke as the mumma bunny had knocked the shade down, and some are still alive. Hope the others aren’t dying of the virus too!

Dungfungus,

– don’t like your chances, we had 14 rabbits from three generations in an outdoor, but totally contained enclosure, and over a period of two weeks, babies and two-mothers, all died one by one.

Absolutely sickening to see, one mother died, so her barely 8 week old daughter, tried valiantly to protect her siblings all dying one-by-one, until she succumbed herself.

All wiped out over two weeks.

If you are referring to my comment about the Mugga Lane land fill odour, you are correct.
The toxic odours from there only kill humans, not rabbits.
I really hate to see pets and wildlife suffer too. It also concerns me how insidious this virus is.
Imagine if something like this stuff that affected humans was dropped in our water supply?

Sorry Dungfungus – I meant to reference Anniedehoog’s comment, but I agree the analogies of such a deceitful and uncontrolled release of such a deadly virus, without any ACT Government warning and available vaccine for pets, and now TAMS downplaying extent, is mind-blowing.

Nilrem said :

BooUrns said :

I think a map would be a great idea, our vet said a few months ago that it was confirmed in Goulburn 6 months ago so it spreads fast we had all ours double doesd just recently. We will probably start leaving our shoes outside as you only need to walk up Mt Taylor or go for a walk along the tails were the wild bunnies live and you could potentialy bring it inside.

Hope they do find a vaccine and politcs stays out of it, one can only imagine the outccry if everyones dogs or cats started dropping.

Good luck all

Does it affect guinea pigs?

I called the RSPCA to find out – their vet said no. Our guinea pigs are indoors most of the time, but it’s no guarantee when mosquitoes are a vector.

XK140 said :

Anniedehoog said :

I had 4 baby bunnies die yesterday. I suspected heat stroke as the mumma bunny had knocked the shade down, and some are still alive. Hope the others aren’t dying of the virus too!

Dungfungus,

– don’t like your chances, we had 14 rabbits from three generations in an outdoor, but totally contained enclosure, and over a period of two weeks, babies and two-mothers, all died one by one.

Absolutely sickening to see, one mother died, so her barely 8 week old daughter, tried valiantly to protect her siblings all dying one-by-one, until she succumbed herself.

All wiped out over two weeks.

If you are referring to my comment about the Mugga Lane land fill odour, you are correct.
The toxic odours from there only kill humans, not rabbits.
I really hate to see pets and wildlife suffer too. It also concerns me how insidious this virus is.
Imagine if something like this stuff that affected humans was dropped in our water supply?

XK140 said :

Give us a break – ACCIDENTAL RELEASE of a targeted rabbit disease in the ACT, a fauna reserve.
The Minister responsible and accountable – presumably Urban Services Green Rattenbury is either complicit or incompetent, and should be held personally accountable. If indeed he is innocent then he is still responsible for now pursuing this crime and charging all those responsible, and coming up URGENTLY with an inoculation.

What’s the matter with this Green, happy to shoot Kangaroos, happy to murder pet rabbits, but wont do anything about feral and dangerous wild foxes marauding the suburbs and back yards nor do anything about the plague of dangerous domestic dogs regularly injury children and killing pets.

We have now lost 14 pet rabbits 2-months ago to what now is evidently this calicivirus strain, and on inquiring of Urban Services, RSPCA and two local vets they had no explanation nor idea, and now we have TAMS claiming only six reported examples.

So we have only two weeks ago purchased two new kittens from Melbourne – what do I do with them now with no inoculations that work?

Please advise ACT Government?

So, can this virus affect other domestic animals, like guinea pigs?

Anniedehoog said :

I had 4 baby bunnies die yesterday. I suspected heat stroke as the mumma bunny had knocked the shade down, and some are still alive. Hope the others aren’t dying of the virus too!

Dungfungus, – don’t like your chances, we had 14 rabbits from three generations in an outdoor, but totally contained enclosure, and over a period of two weeks, babies and two-mothers, all died one by one. Absolutely sickening to see, one mother died, so her barely 8 week old daughter, tried valiantly to protect her siblings all dying one-by-one, until she succumbed herself. All wiped out over two weeks.

Give us a break – ACCIDENTAL RELEASE of a targeted rabbit disease in the ACT, a fauna reserve.
The Minister responsible and accountable – presumably Urban Services Green Rattenbury is either complicit or incompetent, and should be held personally accountable. If indeed he is innocent then he is still responsible for now pursuing this crime and charging all those responsible, and coming up URGENTLY with an inoculation. What’s the matter with this Green, happy to shoot Kangaroos, happy to murder pet rabbits, but wont do anything about feral and dangerous wild foxes marauding the suburbs and back yards nor do anything about the plague of dangerous domestic dogs regularly injury children and killing pets. We have now lost 14 pet rabbits 2-months ago to what now is evidently this calicivirus strain, and on inquiring of Urban Services, RSPCA and two local vets they had no explanation nor idea, and now we have TAMS claiming only six reported examples. So we have only two weeks ago purchased two new kittens from Melbourne – what do I do with them now with no inoculations that work? Please advise ACT Government?

steveu said :

apologies for my ignorance, how is the virus spread if a bunny is confined to a backyard? I presume airborne?

Sorry to hear about so many lost pets. 🙁

Mosquitoes; and there are plenty of them in Canberra.