Vaccinations for rabbits: when to do, rules for conducting and vaccination schedules

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Breeding rabbits at home is a rather complicated process, since these animals often suffer from various diseases. You can fight adversity 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, however, professionals will also be able to find something interesting here.

From what ornamental rabbits are grafted

If you are interested in when and what vaccinations to do decorative rabbits, then you should first familiarize yourself with the basic theoretical information on this issue. For example, every pet owner should be aware that there are two of the most dangerous diseases in rabbit breeding that canlead to the death of the animal - this is myxomatosis and viral hemorrhagic disease of rabbits or simply VGBK. 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 have time to vaccinate in time, then this figure drops to almost zero.

Also, decorative 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 extremely small, vaccination should not be neglected, especially if small children like to play with your pet. It will be extremely difficult to cure a child from this terrible disease, since the disease is difficult to diagnose at the initial stages of development.

At what age do they vaccinate

"When to vaccinate a decorative rabbit?" - a question that should worry every owner of a chinchilla. As a rule, when buying a pet, most sellers will cover this issue or even provide certificates that all vaccinations have been done to the rabbit. However, if a friend gave you a rabbit and you don’t know if your pet has been vaccinated against all kinds of diseases, then you should deal with this issue yourself. To do this, you will need to contact the nearest veterinary clinic and agree on a time for all procedures.

When should rabbits be vaccinated? As a rule, the firstthe vaccination is done at the age of 1.5 to 2 months, when the rabbits are still feeding on mother's milk. However, nothing terrible 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 form, so the vaccine will be very helpful. If you do not know how to determine the age of the animal, then you can focus on the mass of the rabbit. Most veterinarians recommend vaccinating until the rodent reaches 500 grams.

How often should adults be vaccinated

And when and what vaccinations should be given to rabbits that have been living with people for several months? Typically, the answer to this question will depend on many factors. The standard period for revaccination is usually about 6 months, which means that 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 specific disease. For example, re-administration of the HBV vaccine is only allowed after 9 months.

Also, consider the time of year as some vaccines work best when rabbits are at their most active. Thus, 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 point in re-vaccination, especially if the animal is indoors all the time.

Vaccination schedule

"When should rabbits be vaccinated?" - a question that worries every farmer who wants to get more dietary meat and high-quality fur from animals. Each such farm should have a vaccination schedule for rabbits so as not to miss the vaccination time. He must take into account not only the time when the last vaccine was administered to the animal, but also the time when the rabbits were weaned from the mother, because the earlier this was done, the stronger the immunity of adults will be. Most veterinarians recommend that aspiring entrepreneurs 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, animal vaccination is a rather serious undertaking that does not tolerate mistakes. To prevent rabbits from getting worse from the drug, it is strongly recommended to seek help from experienced veterinarians, since only such a person will be able to tell you in detail about the rules for vaccination.

As for the vaccines themselves, preference should be given to divalent or trivalent broad-spectrum drugs that can prevent the development of several diseases at once. Many farmers in this caseare worried that after vaccination, the rabbit's immunity will not work as it should, but there is no reason to worry. Monovaccines have exactly the same effect on the body of animals, but they fight only one disease.

Single Vaccine Review

Answering the question of what vaccinations should be given to rabbits, one cannot fail to mention that in the modern world there are a large number of different drugs that can rid rabbits of diseases. With regard to monovaccines, drugs designed to combat myxomatosis and viral hemorrhagic disease of rabbits deserve special attention. In the first case, one of the following vaccines should be selected:

• "Ribbivac-V" is a Russian-made drug from BiAgro LLC.
• "Lipimun Mix" is a Ukrainian drug from the company "BTL".
• "Muhogen" is an expensive but very effective means of Czech production;

As for HBV, vaccines against this disease look something like this:

• "Lapimun Gem" - "BTL" company, Ukraine.
• "Rabbivac-V" - BiAgro LLC, 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 in suchvaccination makes little sense.

Complex vaccines

Many aspiring farmers ask veterinarians the same question: "How many vaccinations are given to rabbits?" As a rule, the answer of professionals will always be the same: "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 make one for all diseases. Of course, a bottle of such a drug will cost a little more, but the cost is more than paid off by the fact that not a single animal dies from diseases.

With regard to individual drugs, against bacterial infections, the most commonly recommended vaccine is called "OKZ". This drug helps fight salmonellosis, colibacillosis, myxomatosis and VGBK. The drug is produced by the Agrovetservice company, which is located in Ukraine.

How to prepare a rabbit for vaccination

When to vaccinate rabbits is not all that a novice breeder should know. It is much more important to properly prepare an individual for vaccination so that the event for the introduction of the vaccine brings the maximum effect. To do this, two weeks before vaccination, rabbits are mixed with special preparations that remove worms from the body. During this period of time, it is necessary to monitor the body temperature of rodents (in the rectum). If it is in the region from 38.5 to 39.5 degrees Celsius, then you can safely vaccinate. Also followsobserve the rabbits carefully, paying particular attention to the nature of the stool and the color of the urine. Also, when vaccinating, one should adhere to the main rule - only he althy individuals can be vaccinated. If the vaccine is administered to a rabbit whose immunity is weakened by the disease, then this can lead to the depletion of the individual (it will begin to lose fat mass).

How to properly 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 he alth of four-legged pets. To avoid any complications, you must strictly follow the instructions that come with the vaccine. Also, you should not enter a large dosage in order to "certainly" kill the disease, as this can provoke a deterioration in the animal's well-being or even death. Also, vaccination is strongly discouraged during hot days when the air temperature is above 28 degrees Celsius, as some drugs do not take root well 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 lactating and pregnant rabbits, as 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 get sick. In thatIn this case, it will be much more difficult to raise he althy rabbits than if they were fed on mother's milk. Well, males are best vaccinated two weeks before mating, so that their body has time to process the virus that you inject them.

List of possible complications

"What and when to vaccinate rabbits to avoid 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 body of an animal 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 body;
• shortness of breath.

Such allergic reactions can be stopped without any problems with special antihistamines, which are sold in almost any veterinary pharmacy.

When can a vaccinated rabbit be slaughtered

This question most often worries farmers who raise rabbits for their own use. Most vaccine manufacturers claim with confidence that their drug does not in any way have a negative effect on the human body. Nevertheless, it is best to slaughter not earlier than two weeks after the introduction of the vaccine. In this case, you will be almost one hundred percent sure that you are eating he althy meat. In addition, after the introduction of the vaccinevarious inflammatory reactions may occur in the animal's body, which reduce the presentation of the carcass.

Video and conclusion

We hope you now know more about vaccinations for rabbits - how and when to do them, what preparations are best for this, what is the point of vaccination and so on. If you still have any questions, you can watch a short video in which the author tells in detail everything about how to properly vaccinate animals.

Now you definitely should 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 in not the most favorable conditions. However, the owners of decorative rabbits should not ignore the issue of vaccinating their pets. If you do not take care of the he alth of your pet, then sooner or later he may get a fatal disease, so be responsible for those you have tamed!