[Sunnybank]

we have just had our first "Mixy" rabbit, sitting in the field, with the sheep, sat there for ages, hubby went to investigate why it was not moving and said it had gone blind and had mixy so it was dispatched, my question is how are you supposed to dispose of them??

[Small Farmer]

We have an arrangement with the local fox population...

[Sunnybank]

Thanks Small Farmer - i was hoping that was going to be the answer

[Rokx]

Mixy is a horrible disease and I still find it shocking that people would deliberately release something like that    We had one in the garden here a few days after we moved in; tried to catch it to kill it but it managed to escape, after running headfirst into a tree and breaking its nose first    It was horrific and it was awful that we couldn't help it, just ended up making it worse

[Plantoid]

Myxomatosis is caused by the myxoma virus, a type of pox virus that only affects rabbits. It was first Discovered in 1896 in Uruguay and was imported to Australia for rabbit control where the rabbits were stripping field and field bare of crops.
 
Initially introduce my Ministry of Food in the 50's to control the UK populations that were starting to do the same as the ozzie ones the minstry used b;lack rabbits to spread the disease and the y asked thast farmers would not shoot the black ones because of this .
.
 It is spread mainly by biting insects such as mozzies and rabbit  fleas.
 vaccinating them is not a sure way of protection especially in the first few days after vaccination or a year or so down the line.
good hygine in the hutch and coveing the hutch front with a heavy sack at night do seem to help keep the mozzzies away
foxes usually get the rabbits well before their eyes totaly close , you can eat myxi rabbits if skinned and de headed. The swellijngs  on the eyes , mouth bum and sex organ area are superficial though once they get infected open sores it's best to avoid them .

If you see a well infected rabbit with totally closed eyes approach it quitely .. they might not be able to see but they can hear , smell and feel vibrations .
 
Depending upon the time of year and the stage of pregnancy  , an in kindle doe can pass on antibodies that repel the myxi and this is passed onto subsequent off spring from surviving females of her line.. This immunity weakens over several generations  and the new rabbits then get hit by the cycle again.
 
 The cycle is not evenly spread all ove the UK at the same time it flares up in little pockets and spreads outwards.
 There is an even bigger threat to wild and domestic rabbits called the calci virus , VHD or RHD ... not much survives that   , againit runs in waves and outbreaks . Yet we still have a massive rabbit problem in the UK despite the attentions of foxes and birds of prey whch are also on the increase..