11 December 2015

Ask RiotACT: Pet rabbit deaths

| MissChief
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Ask RiotACT

In the past week we’ve lost 3 of our 4 very healthy pet rabbits suddenly, and are aware of another instance of 4 pets rabbits being lost suddenly 3 weeks ago.

Has anyone else had this happen to them recently?

Is it possible the ACT Government has recently released calicivirus near the suburban areas of Tuggeranong without consultation or notice to residents? Tracking down the relevant Government webpage only reveals information from a few years ago.

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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.

Charlotte Harper9:41 am 15 Dec 15

That’s correct.

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.

crackerpants1:17 pm 11 Dec 15

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.

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. 🙁

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’ll let you know.

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 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

It would be useful to map the fatalities to see the spread. I think i’ll keep my bunnies quarantined rather than risk the vet for a vaccine that probably doesn’t work.

Alexandra Craig9:30 am 08 Dec 15

The RSPCA have just put out a statement confirming a European strain of the virus is present in the ACT and the vaccine efficiency for this strain is unknown 🙁 Rest in peace all the bunnies that have passed.

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!

Hi Thats sad,
We have 4 rabbits that are inside bunnies.

Our vet said that there is a new strain of calicivirus going around that was from europe? or someware.

In any case they do not have the correct vaccine as the gov wont allow them to import it as they think it will get into the wild pop if a pet rabbit escapes.

Even tho it has been proven that pet rabbits cannot survive or join other rabbit groups due to rabbits being extreamly tribal and territoral. They will kill other rabbits from other groups.

However I digress, You can get a double dose of the current vaccine and it may prove effective which is what we have done.

But it could also be snakes as well.

Charlotte Harper said :

That link doesn’t mention anything about the past fortnight?

Well, you are right and that’s because of the poor sub-editing on the ACT Government website (Hot Topics).
The first part of the advice reads:”Closing hours for the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary will be extended for a two week period starting Monday 30 November to allow for the ongoing program to control rabbit and hare populations.

The Sanctuary will be closed from 1 am to 8 am on Monday 30 November 2015. It will then be closed 6 pm to 8 am nightly from the evening of Monday 30 November 2015 to the morning of Friday 4 December 2015. These closures will be repeated the following week from 1 am to 8 am on Monday 7 December 2015, and then 6 pm to 8 am nightly from the evening of Monday 7 December 2015 to the morning of Friday 10 December 2015.

Operations will cease over the Christmas and New Year’s break meaning the sanctuary will be open at all times to the public between the dates of Friday 18 December 2015 through to Monday 4 January 2016 when the program will recommence.

Notification signage is in place at all public entrances to the reserve to alert people to the closure. As this is an ongoing project, the public will be notified if further work is done in the area. For enquiries on the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary rabbit and hare control program please call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.
“Read more” is at the end and when this is clicked on it goes to the link I posted.

Charlotte Harper5:37 pm 08 Dec 15

OK I have found out a bit more about that via a press release I hadn’t received last month. The program you’re talking about is not using calicivirus there but fumigation and shooting:

The ACT Government is advising visitors to Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve that closing hours for the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary will be extended for a two week period starting next week to allow for the ongoing program to control rabbit and hare populations.

“The Sanctuary will be closed from 1 am to 8 am on Monday 30 November 2015. It will then be closed 6 pm to 8 am nightly from the evening of Monday 30 November 2015 to the morning of Friday 4 December 2015,” Ranger-in-Charge, Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary, Mark Sweaney, said.

“These closures will be repeated the following week from 1 am to 8 am on Monday 7 December 2015, and then 6 pm to 8 am nightly from the evening of Monday 7 December 2015 to the morning of Friday 10 December 2015.

“The control program involves shooting and fumigation methods undertaken by highly qualified ACT Government rangers. This is a jointly funded program between the Capital Woodlands and Wetlands Conservation Trust and the ACT Government, and is an essential component of our scheduled control program.

“The program allows our rangers to actively search for rabbits and hares and to reassess previously controlled locations. Since the formation of the Sanctuary in 2009, the ACT Government has been actively controlling feral pest species. The most recent monitoring results indicate that the rabbit numbers are currently at an extremely low level, a testament to our control efforts over the years.

Mr Sweaney said operations will cease over the Christmas and New Year’s break meaning the sanctuary will be open at all times to the public between the dates of Friday 18 December 2015 through to Monday 4 January 2016 when the program will recommence.

Notification signage is in place at all public entrances to the reserve to alert people to the closure. As this is an ongoing project, the public will be notified if further work is done in the area.

For enquiries on the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary rabbit and hare control program please call Access Canberra on 13 22 81.

You can get your rabbits vaccinated against calici if you’re worried.
Another possibility at this time of year is snakes.

If the problem is in Tuggers it could be the ongoing odour and toxic odourless releases from the Mugga Lane land fill .
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/mugga-lane-tip-expansion-plans-lodged-20151202-gldnld.html

Alexandra Craig11:17 am 07 Dec 15

Oh no, I’m very sorry for your loss. So sad.

I do have a recollection of calicivirus being released in Tuggeranong, I think in the Pine Island area, somewhat recently however I can’t remember where I read this, nor can I find anything online.

It may be worth contacting Canberra Lost Pet Database on Facebook as they are really in-the-know with this sort of thing.

Charlotte Harper2:48 pm 07 Dec 15

That link doesn’t mention anything about the past fortnight?

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