Breeding rabbits at home is a rather complicated process, as these animals very often suffer from various diseases. You can deal with misfortunes with the help of competent vaccination. In our article, we will talk about when to vaccinate rabbits and whether it should be done at all if the animals feel comfortable. This information will be relevant for the most part for beginner farmers, but professionals can find something interesting for themselves here.
From what decorative rabbits are vaccinated
If you are interested in when and what vaccinations do decorative rabbits, then you should first familiarize yourself with the basic theoretical information on this issue. For example, each pet owner should know that in rabbit breeding there are two of the most dangerous diseases that can lead to the death of an animal - myxomatosis and viral hemorrhagic disease of rabbits, or simply HBV. Both infections are equally dangerous and spread at a fairly high rate in the herd. Mortality can range from 70 to 100%, but if you manage to get vaccinated on time, this figure decreases to almost zero.
Also, for rabbits should be vaccinated against rabies, as this disease can be transmitted to humans through a bite. Although the chances of a rabbit contracting rabies are very small, you should not neglect vaccination, especially if young children like to play with your pet. It will be extremely difficult to cure a child of this terrible disease, since the disease is difficult to diagnose at the initial stages of development.
At what age are vaccinated
"When to vaccinate a decorative rabbit?" - a question that should concern every owner of a chinchilla. As a rule, when buying a pet, most sellers cover this issue or even provide certificates that all vaccinations were given to the rabbit. However, if a friend presented you a rabbit and you don’t know whether your pet was vaccinated against all kinds of diseases, then it’s worth it to deal with this issue yourself. To do this, you will need to contact the nearest veterinary clinic and arrange a time for all procedures.
When should rabbits be vaccinated? As a rule, the first vaccination is done between the ages of 1.5 and 2 months, when rabbits are still fed breast milk. However, nothing bad will happen if you carry out this procedure a little later, for example, 3 months after birth. At this age, immunity in young animals is just beginning to take shape, so vaccination will be very helpful. If you do not know how to determine the age of the animal, then you can focus on the weight of the rabbit. Most veterinarians recommend vaccinations until the rodent reaches a mass of 500 grams.
How often do adults need to be vaccinated?
And when and what vaccinations do rabbits who have been living with people for several months do? As a rule, the answer to this question will depend on many factors. The standard period for revaccination is usually about 6 months, that is, an adult rabbit needs to be vaccinated twice a year. However, there may be exceptions that depend on the breed of the animal or the particular disease. For example, re-administration of the HBVC vaccine is permitted only after 9 months.
In addition, the time of year is also worth considering, as some vaccines work best when rabbits are most active. So, vaccination against myxomatosis is best done in late spring, as soon as mosquitoes begin to spread this infection. In the winter season, there will be practically no sense in re-vaccination, especially if the animal is always indoors.
Vaccination schedule
"When to vaccinate rabbits?" - a question that worries every farmer who wants to get more dietary meat and quality fur from animals. Each such farm should have a rabbit vaccination schedule so as not to miss the vaccination time. It should take into account not only the time when the last vaccine was given to the animal, but also the time of weaning of the rabbits from the mother, because the sooner this was done, the stronger immunity adults will have. Most veterinarians recommend novice entrepreneurs to maintain a schedule based on the use of complex vaccines. In this case, re-vaccination should be carried out after about six months. You can also use additional vaccines to prevent the development of viral diseases characteristic of a particular region.
Rabbit vaccines
Perhaps, now our readers should not have a question about whether rabbits should be vaccinated . However, vaccination of animals is a rather serious event, which does not tolerate errors. To prevent the rabbits from getting worse, it is strongly recommended that you contact experienced veterinarians for help, since only such a person can tell you in detail about the rules for vaccination.
As for the vaccines themselves, preference should be given to divalent or trivalent drugs with a wide spectrum of action, which can prevent the development of several diseases at once. Many farmers in this case worry that after vaccination the rabbit’s immunity will not work as expected, but there is no reason for concern. Mono-vaccines have exactly the same effect on animals, but they fight only one disease.
Monovaccine Overview
Answering the question of what vaccinations rabbits should do, one cannot but mention that in the modern world there are a large number of different preparations that can save rabbits from diseases. As for monovaccines, drugs intended to combat myxomatosis and viral hemorrhagic disease of rabbits deserve special attention. In the first case, you should choose one of the following vaccines:
- "Ribbivac-V" is a Russian-made drug from BiAgro LLC.
- Lipimun Mix is a Ukrainian medicine from BTL company.
- Muhogen is an expensive but very effective Czech-made product;
As for HBV, the vaccines against this disease look something like this:
- Lapimun Gem - BTL company, Ukraine.
- "Rabbivak-V" - LLC "BiAgro", Russia.
- Pestorin - Bioveta, Czech Republic.
For diseases such as listeriosis or rabies, a vaccine that is intended for all animals should be used. Although, as mentioned earlier, rabbits rarely get rabies, and if you breed them for meat or fur, then there is practically no point in vaccinating them.
Complex vaccines
Many novice farmers ask the same question to vets: "How many vaccinations do rabbits get?" As a rule, the answer of professionals will always be one: "And what kind of vaccine are we talking about?" It is not surprising. There is no need to make several vaccines during the year, when you can do one, for all diseases. Of course, a bottle of such a drug will cost a little more, but the cost is more than paid for by the fact that not a single animal dies from diseases.
As for individual drugs, it is most often recommended to use a vaccine called "OKZ" against bacterial infections. This drug helps fight salmonellosis, colibacteriosis, myxomatosis and HBV. The drug is manufactured by Agrovetservice, which is located in Ukraine.
How to prepare a rabbit for vaccination
When to vaccinate rabbits - this is not all that a novice breeder should know. It is much more important to properly prepare an individual for vaccination, so that the vaccine administration event brings maximum effect. For this, two weeks before vaccination, rabbits are mixed with food special preparations that remove worms from the body. During this period of time, it is necessary to monitor the temperature of the body of rodents (in the rectum). If it is in the region from 38.5 to 39.5 degrees Celsius, then you can safely vaccinate. You should also carefully monitor the rabbits, paying particular attention to the nature of the stool and the color of urine. Also, when vaccinating, you should adhere to the main rule - only healthy individuals can be vaccinated. If the vaccine is administered to a rabbit whose immunity is weakened by the disease, this can lead to the depletion of the individual (it will begin to lose fat mass).
How to vaccinate
Now you know almost everything about when to vaccinate rabbits. However, the correct implementation of the vaccination procedure also has a huge impact on the health of four-legged pets. In order to avoid any complications, it is necessary to strictly follow the instructions that are attached to the vaccine. Also, one should not introduce a large dosage in order to “surely” kill the disease, as this can provoke a deterioration in the well-being of the animal or even death. Also, vaccination is strongly not recommended during hot days, when the air temperature is above 28 degrees Celsius, since some drugs do not take root at high temperatures.
Vaccination of breeding rabbits
And when to vaccinate rabbits that are bred for the tribe? According to the instructions for vaccines, this can be done without any restrictions, but it is still better to refrain from vaccinating nursing and pregnant rabbits, since this can cause severe stress in animals. There is also a rather high risk that the mother will not develop immunity to the vaccine and she will become ill. In this case, raising healthy rabbits will be much more difficult than if they were fed mother's milk. Well, it’s best to vaccinate the males two weeks before the mating so that their body can process the virus that you inject them.
List of possible complications
"What and when to vaccinate rabbits so that there are no complications?" - A similar question novice farmers ask veterinarians quite often. It should be understood that absolutely no one is immune from the appearance of various complications. Some vaccines may not take root in the animal's body due to its individual characteristics. In this case, the characteristic symptoms will be:
- redness of the mucous membrane;
- loss of consciousness or lethargy;
- high salivation;
- rash on the body;
- dyspnea.
Such allergic reactions can be stopped without special problems with special antihistamines, which are sold in almost any veterinary pharmacy.
When can I get a vaccinated rabbit?
This question most often worries farmers who grow rabbits for their own use. Most vaccine manufacturers state with confidence that their drug does not in any way adversely affect the human body. Nevertheless, slaughter is best not earlier than two weeks after the vaccine is administered. In this case, you will be almost one hundred percent sure that you eat healthy meat. In addition, after the introduction of the vaccine, various inflammatory reactions can occur in the animal's body that reduce the presentation of the carcass.
Video and conclusion
We hope that now you know more about vaccinations for rabbits - how and when to take them, which drugs are best used for this, what is the meaning of vaccination, and so on. If you still have any questions, you can watch a short video in which the author tells in full detail all about how to properly vaccinate animals.
Now you should definitely not have a question about whether to vaccinate rabbits. If you are raising animals for slaughter, then this procedure is strictly mandatory, especially if the rodents have to be kept not in the most favorable conditions. However, owners of decorative rabbits should not ignore the question of vaccinating their pets. If you do not care about the health of your pet, then sooner or later he can get a fatal disease, so be responsible for those you tamed!