[Herdygirl]

I know that rabbits can be pests but in the last week i have found 3 bunnies with mixy (not sure of spelling).  took them to vet to be put to sleep.  horrible desease and according to the vet and local rspca inspector it is on the increase.

[Fleecewife]

I can remember as a very young child helping my brother to dispose of a mixy rabbit - horrible but necessary.

I understand that the disease had become less prevalent for two reasons: the first is that the rabbits had become more resistant to it (in that those with resistance survived and passed on the resistance to their offspring), and the second is that they had changed their behaviour so that more lived above ground like hares, where disease spread is less likely.
In the nature of things perhaps the rabbits have gone back to their burrows, or perhaps myxamatosis itself has evolved a bit so previously resistant animals are now susceptible again    Certainly rabbit numbers have increased dramatically in recent years.

Whereabouts are you herdygirl?

[jaykay]

My mum remembers cycling about as a child when myxi had just been introduced - she said there were heaps of dead rabbits by the roadsides    It's a horrid disease. Rabbit numbers do need controlling but I just wish it weren't so rotten 

[Fleecewife]

And the smell    A number of years ago when mixy was bad in Norfolk and the summer was very hot, the whole county smelt overwhelmingly of decomp.  The numbers soon bounce back.  I suspect that the thing with the causative organism mutating to become effective again, then the rabbits developing immunity is a cycle which will go on for years, a bit like human 'flu.

[Smalltime]

Its the only time my neighbour gets out his air rifle - when the badly infected rabbits come crashing into the garden, its a kindness in truth. 

[Sylvia]

It comes in waves, about every five years here. I'm not a great lover of rabbits, except to eat, but hate to see them suffer from this horrible disease. If you can't bring yourself, or don't know how to break their necks, then take them by the hind legs and hit their head and neck HARD against a fence post or similar. PLEASE don't look away and pass by, your momentary horror will save them days of suffering

[Fleecewife]

I had to do that once with a hare which had been run over across its back, on the A9.  A life lesson for my kids who were watching from the car, and pretty horrible to do, but as you say, you can't pass by on the other side of the road.  The poor thing was still trying to run with its front end  but a quick clean kill was mercy.

[Mammyshaz]

It is a slow callus death this disease. Best humanely destroyed as soon as the little blighters are found.

Highly contagious so vaccinate your pet bunnies against it if living in a myxy area. They very rarely survive even with treatment.

[Small Farmer]

We keep a CO2 air pistol for the purpose

[Brucklay]

As an animal addict, as a child I brought back a mixy rabbit from the waste ground out the back of my house - think I was 10 - so happy to cuddle a rabbit, my Mum had a fit!! Dad killed it and explained all about mixy - hated the disease from then. I know they need to be kept under control but a horrid disease like that is "just no right"

[Tree Farmer]

Absolutely hate this disease. I am a rabbit lover, have had rescue rabbits for many years. You can imagine how it distresses me. Thankfully my other half is far more pragmatic / less emotional than me, so if I ever were to come across a myxi rabbit, he will end it's life for me. Although once I deliberately ran over one with the wheel of my car - it was the best I could bring myself to do and I still have nightmares thinking about it.

My vet tells me it is a vector borne disease and increases when we have had a run of warm damp weather - more midges etc about. So if you have pet rabbits, do make sure they're vaccinated.

[robert waddell]

tree farmer stop having nightmares  have happy thoughts    and keep practising your driving skills  i use cans on the road and get them with the wheels      this does come in handy for all sorts of vermin that take the chance of using my road space    once ran over a crow that was stuck to the road by its feet much to the annoyance of the idiot that was trying to save it in heavy traffic   have another crow story but wont post on here

[feldar]

Robert sometimes you crack me up!!
On a more serious note i had my rabbit vaccinated ( OH thought i had  a severe rush of blood to the head,only good rabbit is one you put in the pot) and the bloody thing still got myxi! Apparently its viral, so changes every year just like the common cold so vaccinating will only give bunny limited cover.

[Penninehillbilly]

WE had it round here a couple of years ago, kept having to finish the poor things off, one morning I looked out and saw one in the lane, still alive, by the time i was dressed, looked out and someone with a jack Russell was letting it 'play', shaking it, by the time I got there it was dead, and just left in the lane, annoyed but saved me a job.
hundreds of baby rabbits about just now, no doubt we'll be having to do the deed again soon.
Pity many people of this country think they are above eating rabbit, or class it as cruel, more control as a 'crop' woud be best all round. (IMHO of course  )

[bigchicken]

As a ferret er I see lots of rabbits and this disease is horrible, I have seen hole populations wiped out and never recovering and places where they get it every year but bounce back as strong as ever. I know that some landowners deliberately put a mixy rabbit down as I have in the past been asked if I could supply one. I of coarse would no do this  I always bury the carcase of effected bunnies to help stop the flies passing on the disease.