Category: News

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease in Quebec

9/1/2016

Important message, please SPREAD THE WORD TO ALL BREEDERS:

Limit rabbits movements; sales, purchases, agricultural exhibitions, shows, rallies.

If suspected, contact 1-844-ANIMALS; unusual symptoms, mortality, etc.

This is the statement from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency:

Declaration: Survey of a local outbreak of rabbit haemorrhagic disease in Quebec

August 25, 2016 - Ottawa (Ontario) - Government of Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) investigation of a local outbreak of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) in small recreational farms East-du-Québec.

A survey is conducted on three farms near Rimouski, Quebec. The three farms are under quarantine to control the movements of animals, products and equipment and to prevent the spread of the disease. The outbreak is restricted to small recreational farms. Rabbits breeding commercial farms are not subject to this investigation.

The rabbit haemorrhagic disease is highly contagious and often fatal for the affected rabbits. This virus is transmitted to other rabbits through secretions, including saliva, eyes and nose runny, urine, feces and bedding, contaminated food and water. It can also be spread accidentally by humans, wildlife and insects or infected meat or fur.

The disease does not affect humans and has never been known impacts in other animals.

We remind operators of commercial and recreational farms to use biosecurity practices to minimize the risk of spread of the disease. Producers must do the following:

Report any suspicious symptoms to a veterinarian or provincial veterinary authority. 1-844-animals

Do not introduce new rabbits in their establishment if the animals come from a place where there was illness or death during the previous 60 days.

The CFIA is working with the province of Quebec as part of this survey and will provide updates as they become available.

UPDATE!!!!
Update on the Quebec Rabbit Hemmorhagic Disease. Only two PET rabbits at ONE person's home tested positive for the disease in Rimouski Quebec. The other two farms are under quarantine only because of the close proximity to the one hobby farm. This information came from the Veterinarian in Rimouski. No info yet on where the rabbits got this disease from. There are NO other cases.

What is RVHD?

Rabbit Viral Hemorrhagic Disease (VHD) is a highly contagious disease caused by a calicivirus that affects only rabbits of the Oryctolagus cuniculus species. This includes wild and domesticated European rabbits, from which our own domesticated rabbits are descended. It has not been known to affect any North American native rabbits or hares, such as cottontails, snowshoe hares and jackrabbits. VHD is also known by several other acronyms: RHD (Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease), RCV (Rabbit Calicivirus), and RCD (Rabbit Calicivirus Disease). VHD was first seen in China in 1984, and has since spread to Mexico, Continental Europe, Israel, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Symptoms may include:

Loss of appetite
Lethargy
High Fever
Spasms
Sudden death

VHD, however, is often a very swift and sudden killer, giving little warning. Rabbits may die without showing any symptoms at all. Some bleeding from the nose, mouth and rectum is sometimes seen. Any sudden rabbit death is suspicious and should be reported to your veterinarian or the State Veterinarian as a possible case of VHD

The incubation period of this disease is very short, and rabbits may die within 48 hours of exposure to the virus that causes VHD.
The death rate of rabbits exposed to this virus is very high, between 50 and 100%, with the latter number probably being closer to actual mortality rates. Rabbits who survive this disease are carriers and shed the virus for at least 42 days, perhaps longer.
Rabbit calicivirus is a very hardy virus, remaining viable in the environment for 105 days at 68F (i.e. remains stable for 105 days at room temperature) and for 225 days at 39F. It resists freezing.
There is no known cure for VHD. Vaccinations are available in countries where the disease in endemic, but there is no vaccine currently available in the US.

Suggestion:

Do not buy any rabbits from Quebec at this time. We have no vaccine available in Canada. Exercise caution when buying rabbits from breeders who have shown rabbits in or near Quebec. Contain this rabbit deadly virus.

Pika Story

3/26/2015

click image to go to source

The Ili Pika, formally known as Ochotona iliensis, was discovered by conservationist Li Weidong in 1983, who named it after his hometown.

The animals can only be found in the Tianshan mountain range in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, and its territory is under threat, with the population rapidly declining.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3009783/Is-cutest-endangered-animal-world-Meet-tiny-mammal-Ili-pika-lives-Chinese-mountains-1-000-world.html#ixzz3VXP5wa67
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Rabbits in the News

12/8/2014

I have to admit, when I first read this article I though.. impossible.. how can he make $4000 from selling one rabbit, until I did the conversion from Jamaican dollars to Canadian. Then it was like oh.. $40 a pop.. that's doable, depending on the rabbit you have.

This article makes me go "Ick" inside. I know you can raise some fish on rabbit manure, and do it successfully, but the idea of using it to raise ruminants.. so goats, cows and the like, for some reason just raises my "ick" factor. The article notes there are some concerns about using it, but thinks with time is a viable option.

" Running the Daisy system for rabbit feces in rumen fluid gave some inconsistencies, weakened the functional relationships, and appeared not to be correlated with the potential values of IVTD and NDFD. Nevertheless, the energetic potential of feces appears to be similar to some conventional crops at different degrees of maturity. Thus we conclude that rabbit feces has potential value as a ruminant feed and for biogas production."

It is winter now and so protecting your rabbits from the elements is a good idea. Michigan State University puts out this timely article. For my rabbits it means putting an extra tarp over the rabbitry and switching from bottles to crocks. The guinea pigs get a light over them. Other than for bitterly cold winters, this keeps my rabbits comfortable (as they reproduce and grow well).

News Articles

12/3/2014

A few news articles you may or may not wish to peruse.

Teachers using rabbits to help folk understand where their food comes from.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/11/13/3485128_nampa-biology-teacher-slaughters.html?sp=/99/1687/&rh=1

http://www.ktvb.com/story/news/local/2014/11/13/rabbit-class-killed/18989771/
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2014/nov/13/teacher-kills-skins-rabbit-class/

Rabbits as food?
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-humane-association-ceos-of-major-food-organizations-animal-welfare-pioneers-and-top-chefs-go-to-capitol-hill-to-urge-americans-to-set-a-humane-table-for-the-holidays-and-support-humane-farm-practices-282632671.html ""Animal welfare is not a new concept to America's farmers and ranchers – it is a responsibility they have taken seriously for centuries," said Smith. "But recognizing our society is now three to four generations removed from the farm and wants to know more about where their food comes from and how it's produced, the animal agriculture community recognized the need to demonstrate their care and commitment to their animals in a more concrete way. It's important to recognize that farm animal welfare is complex because how farm animals are raised impacts other important factors, such as food safety, the environment and costs, as well. It's not in the animals' – or the farmers' – best interest to make decisions about housing or space based on emotion, but rather on science and with a full understanding of how any change will impact these other important issues. That's why the Alliance has long advocated that science-based animal care programs be implemented on farms and ranches of all sizes and types – because it's the right thing to do for the animals and the best thing to provide consumers the assurances they need."

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/eating-rabbit

http://tacade.com/health-benefits-rabbit-meat/ found it very interesting in this article where it says that the rabbit meat is very good for those undergoing chemotherapy

http://rabbitmeat.webs.com/

http://grapevine.is/news/2014/11/16/rabbit-meat-is-for-gentlemen/
"Birgit Kositzke, who raises the rabbits, described the meat as “gentlemen’s food” for gourmet palates. Her booth featured rack of rabbit and rabbit legs for sale, and she made a point to emphasise that the animals are raised ethically."

http://metronews.ca/voices/ricardo-cooks/1212404/ricardo-cooks-are-you-game-to-try-something-new/

Animal Abuse? Animal Welfare?
http://www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-offers-assistance-local-governments-drafting-rules-curb-animal-abuse

http://www.currentargus.com/carlsbad-news/ci_27050767/eddy-county-animal-ordinance-be-voted. So dogs can't be tired safely in a yard or out front a business while nipping in for a quick purchase? No animals can be sold where there is a public road?

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/new-york-ag-puts-bite-puppy-mills-blog-entry-1.2008065 “New Yorkers value their pets as companions and are entitled to know that they came from sources that treated them in a safe and healthy manner. By working with municipalities, we will help ensure that New Yorkers can be confident that their cats and dogs are healthy when they purchase them and that they were raised in a safe place.”

http://www.thepinelog.com/opinion/article_fb1cee10-6a16-11e4-b7af-dbb967f233f1.html

Caring for your rabbits
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/caring-for-your-pregnant-rabbit-ze0z1411zhur.aspx#axzz3J1luzoE3

This class sounds fascinating

11/20/2014

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A prof at Northeastern Junior College has led a class on ancient cooking methods.
Does it not sound just interesting?

I would have LOVED to have taken part in something like this as a student in college.

Anthropology instructor Jeff Schiel held a Paleo Day activity Wednesday, to teach students an ancient style of cooking that was used centuries ago. This is an annual event for him; he likes to do it every year fall. This year he used rabbits, last year it was a goat.

The activity was held outside in front of the greenhouse on campus. Fortunately, the weather cooperated and it was "a perfect day" for cooking
.....

For the assignment, students spent the day preparing rabbits to eat just like people would 3,000 years or more ago. That meant collecting wood to start a fire and starting the fire without using matches. A bow drill method was used to start the fire and while it did take awhile, the students did eventually get a fire going using only sticks.

Schiel then humanely dispatched the rabbits the students would be cooking, "just like they would in a butcher shop or family farm."
.....

Students were also responsible for gathering the herbs they wanted to season the rabbits. With Schiel's knowledge of botany he knows what's edible, so he helped the students pick out the herbs.
.......

The students came up with three different methods of cooking it, including a method similar to that used centuries ago to cook soups or stews. This method involves putting the items to be used to make the soup or stew into a hide, filled with water, and then putting rocks that were heated in the fire. In this case the students used a pot to cook the stew.

Along with the stew, the students also cooked the rabbit rotisserie style and on a BBQ grill that was lit with the fire that was started using only sticks.

They made sure to use every part of the rabbit, including the liver, which they used to make shish kabobs.

While some students had a hard time with the activity, not wanting to look at the rabbits; others enjoyed the hands-on experience it provided.

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Learning from ARBA - the dog folk

4/15/2014

I thought this an interesting article from the dog channel. . I'll include some excerpts below.

A recent visit to a breeders showcase, however, provided a shining example of how one organization, the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA), celebrates its heritage, protects its interests, and encourages the participation of breeders and exhibitors, both young and young at heart. ARBA (not to be confused with the American Rare Breeds Association) held its 90th annual convention last October at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa. The expansive facility, a popular site for many local all-breed dog shows, seemed both familiar and novel during my visit. Leporine (Latin for "rabbit”) shows, I can safely say, are at once reminiscent of and vastly different from most contemporary canine exhibitions in the US today.

Every rabbit show I've ever been at the youth have been encouraged to come. Some do it better than others.

The rabbits I saw filled me with a sense of awe, certainly, but even more amazing was the number of young people in attendance at this show. Teens and tweens were everywhere. At first I thought that the hundreds of kids milling about were school students on a field trip or a Sunday school outing. I quickly realized, however, that most of the youngsters were actually exhibitors with their rabbits entered at the show! In fact, it seemed that every rabbit at the convention had been entered by someone under 18 years of age.

Mentoring happens as well.

Every kid competing at ARBA events needs a solid foundation in order to succeed, and experienced breed mentors play a critical role in the lives of young rabbit enthusiasts, just as they do in the dog sport. At the convention, a healthy interaction of adults and children was evident throughout the Farm Show Complex.

There is much more to the article. I invite you to check it out. :)

Plush Mini Lops

4/9/2014

A new breed of rabbit in Australia.
A plush Mini Lop.

Read more here.

LISMORE locals Sean Rich and Max Moras are one of just three bunny breeders in the nation to be working with the newly recognised miniature plush lop rabbit.

The miniature plush lop breed combines the long floppy ears of the miniature lop with the dense velvety coat of the rex rabbit breed.

The breed was put in front of a UK judge two weeks ago at the National Rabbit Extravaganza in Melbourne and declared a new breed.

The rabbits make me laugh

1/24/2014

silly boy X

It's really cold and windy out tonight so I went out planning to give the rabbits LOTS of hay to huddle in.

Three of them I gave sitting in boxes due to where the wind was coming in from as well as tons of hay.

Carma sits in her box like a little queen carefully gathering hay all around her and when she has it where she wants starts gnawing on the box.

"X" makes a tunnel with his hay and box and then runs around like a little crazy boy as if he's saying LOOK WHAT I DID! LOOK!!!!! :)

Tory just quietly sits on her hay and peers out from between the stalks like she's tunneled in all safe and sound so can now survey all she sees.

Their behaviours suit their personalities perfectly.. it's just funny to watch them.

When I have PinPin her hay she proceeded to mess it all up even more than I did and then bundled herself all up inside and starting munching away. I am hopeful I gave her enough she won't eat it all overnight... Acorn was delighted to get her hay but she won't sit in it or tunnel....she pushes it all into a corner and then huddles down like she's cold and just munches away. I don't understand bunnies sometimes.... :) I've tried giving her a box when it's chill out and she won't sit in it either so I let her make do. What else can I do? If I bring her in she stresses, so she's best left where she's at.

Acorn... doesn't like the cold but won't help herself stay warm either... She's an odd lass.

Kijiji ads...the third time

12/25/2013

So I tend to sell most of my rabbits through Kijiji. Here's a listing of my current ads.

Three times in a row now... around major holidays, Kijiji stops letting me post pictures with my ads.

The response I get when I complain is the following

Thank you for contacting Kijiji Canada Community Support.

I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing this issue. Here is what I would suggest regarding your problem uploading images:

1. Please ensure you have JavaScript enabled in your web browser. Enabling it fixes the problem 90% of the time.

2. Please disable any firewall, antivirus, and popup blocking software. These programs may break the image uploading feature.

3. Finally, make sure you are using the most recent version of your web browser as some old browsers may have bugs in them.

Again I'm really sorry about the issue and I hope after following these steps you are able to successfully post your image. Good luck and thank you for using Kijiji!

Then immediately following the holiday (or on the holiday itself), mysteriously my photos start to be able to uploaded again.

This is feeling too much like coincidence to me.

Rather frustrating that's all I can say, rather frustrating.

What seems to be....

12/13/2013

And what actually is, isn't always the same thing....

Here's a post that points that out rather well.

What seems to be and what is.

Many people and groups criticize and attack agriculture with horrible videos and pictures. They say if we had nothing to hide then we wouldn’t be concerned about photos. Yet the explanation for photos isn’t always accurate. Here are some examples of photos that could be twisted on explanation. These are ordinary photos taken when I happened to have the camera out shooting something else for the blog. It’s ordinary, but with a sensationalized “what appears to be” ‘explanation’ it sounds horrible, which is not reality. A snapshot or a 10 second video clip doesn’t tell the whole story.

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