Fast moving rabbit viruses?

[Elliriyanna]

My friend has lost 3 rabbits in the last 2 weeks , all under 3 months old. ( they were adopted as pets and housed separately while she waited for them to be old enough to be altered)

However whatever this is is not affecting her two older rabbits both are over a year old.

It’s possible it also took out her pet mice.

They are fine one day then get weak and sick and stop eating and drinking then die, all in 24 hours with no symptoms she has seen. The mice had the same symptoms.

I worry that since she got her oldest rabbit back from a friend who was petsitting fairly recently that she may be a carrier for something.

[LBJ10]

No other symptoms at all? Does she live in the US?

[Elliriyanna]

yes and none that she noticed. she said all were fine the day before. The mice all came down sick at the same time and were all dead within 24 hours.

The rabbits have passed one after the other.

She Is not bringing anything else into the house until she finds out what is causing this.

We are thinking her oldest rabbit ( who just back from the sitter) may be a carrier for something but wouldn’t that affect her son too? He is the only other one that is ok. ( He is a year old and no it wasn’t an intentional breeding.)

[Roberta]

Toxins ? Airborne or on some recent food stuffs ? How long had they had the 3 that died ?

[LBJ10]

Hmm, I don’t know of anything that would kill that fast. At least not something that both rabbits and mice/rats can catch. Calicivirus, for example, is not known to infect rodents. Could it be something in the environment?

[Elliriyanna]

Its not affecting her rats, just the mice, thats part of what is so confusing..

It could be environmental, Something only affecting the pets with a weaker immune system. I don’t know.

Um I am not sure on how long they had had them… They had just gotten one, to ” replace ” one that had passed , before they knew. One had to be taken from her mom early … actually the mother died. and the other was a healthy happy little boy and just declined over night. I know she said the one who was taken early woke her up screaming in the middle of the night, then she sort of seized and died.

[Roberta]

I think you have already answered some of your own questions in that description. The mother died before the babies were weaned. The babies could have been carrying it and finally succumbed and the mice could have been affected by cross contamination from hands, shoes or clothing. I would be cautious about keeping the others well away and ensuring hands are washed and clothes changed when moving between segregated animals.

[Elliriyanna]

The babies are 3 different types from 3 litters … only the one had her mother pass before she was weaned.

[Roberta]

If they were in together that may have been the bunny carrying a virus, parasite or bacteria. It just seems the most likely if the original buns have been away and are still well.

[Bam]

As LBJ says, rabbit calicivirus (VHD) would be a likely candidate but it’s very rare in the USA and affects adult rabbits worse than young rabbits. The symptoms, rapid progression and sudden deaths and also the screaming is consistent with VHD, but I think you’ve only had 1 confirmed outbreak.

Clean everything thoroughly – well, obviously. There is a disinfectant called Virkon S that is rabbit safe and used in horse-stables. It kills loads of pathogens. I’ve used it. At least here it can be bought it small sachets and it’s not expensive.

[Elliriyanna]

Each rabbit had its own pen and the mice were in a different room.

But I will tell her about the cleaner to hopefully keep her current rabbits and the rats safe. I don’t think she can take much more, 12 deaths in less than a month is a lot

[Elliriyanna]

The one rabbit came back a month ago, so both rabbits that are fine have been in the house this whole time. It’s just they are fine. Or at least it seems right now, the others seemed fine up until the day they died too

Her oldest rabbit even shared a room with the babies

[LBJ10]

Bam – there have been several documented outbreaks in rthe US, but it is rare. What’s being observed does sound consistent, except for the mouse portion.

[Elliriyanna]

You said it affects older rabbits as well though? Her one and two year old rabbits have been in the house the whole time and at least seem fine.

[Bam]

Ok, LBJ, I must’ve looked at an old web-page then, I checked again now and found more USA outbreaks =(. But it wouldn’t affect the mice and since it’s very contagious and does affect adult rabbits, they must’ve been incredily lucky not to have caught it. In fact adult rabbits seem more sensitive to the disease, some think it’s due to immunoglobins from the mother’s milk that protects the babies or that the immature immune system of the very young can’t produce enough blod-clots to kill the animal.

I vaccinate my bunnies against it yearly, but I don’t think that’s done in the USA. It’s a disease that primarily affects European rabbits (our pet bunnies are European rabbits).

[LBJ10]

Yes Bam. I believe some resistance has been observed in adult rabbits as well. Just like Myxomatosis, some rabbits become partially immune to the disease and more end up surviving.

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