Rabbits!

[Judy]

If diseases are a factor in our rabbit population I am not aware of it. It seems it is a much more predator/prey relationship. Foxes are fairly uncommon most of the time where I live but when rabbit populations get very high as they are now they start showing up and quite quickly reduce the population significantly. However coyotes hate foxes and kill every one they see. I don’t think coyotes are quite as deadly on rabbits as foxes so when coyotes are in ascendancy rabbits do well. But then when coyotes get thick on the landscape they get mange, rabies and distemper and give room for the foxes to rise again. A year ago I was seeing coyotes almost every day. This year I have not seen one in months so I expect to start seeing foxes again which is fine with me.

Nature in balance, unlike here.

[Judy]

Thanks, Naj. I think rabbits have built some immunity to myxy over the past 70 years whereas VHD is relatively new which maybe doesn't help. Or does if there are too many of the little s*ds depending on how you look at it!
The ones the dogs are bringing me have the usual myxy eyes but are bleeding front and back too which I don't remember seeing before.
Bleah! Hope nobody's eating breakfast while reading this!

[Nickheref]

I saw a rabbit in my paddock a few days ago which is very unusual indeed, last night my bitch bulldozed into a very thick bramble area and came out with a dead rabbit! I presume the same one, it was about the same size.

[CockerCanuck]

So been thinking about this a bit and it did not make sense to me that in a day when every pandemic seems to become global so quickly how could rabbit disease be so prevalent there while I am unaware of it here in Ontario. I consulted my friend Dr. Google and he had some interesting stuff to tell me. While it’s true the UK got myxomatosis from Australia they got it from the Americas. It is a disease which evolved here along side our native cottontail rabbit and while they can contact it it is rarely fatal. There have been outbreaks here but it kills meat rabbits and pet bunnies which are descendants of European animals. VHD (called RHD here) is not present in Ontario but it is moving north with climate changes and is found now is some neighbouring states. It surprises me that your rabbits and ours which appear to be 99% the same can have such different immunology but I guess that is the miracle of evolution.

[Mikew]

Hi, I have never seen a sick rabbit. I shot some in Winter, I was running a Beagle at the time, that had a lot of fleas. I did throw a few away as I was gutting them out I usually examined the nternals to make sure they were healthy. I was aware in the UK both conditions were imported to control the population. Iam south of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes. The Hawks, Owls, fox, as well as house cats get plenty of rabbits. Certainly a balance of healthy woods, waterways, and wildlife is desired. Hawks of several kinds, I personally don't like them. I had my iSetter n a grown up old farmstead working Woodcock and it was nesting time for the Hawks. She , the Setter , had the Hawks so pissed with one flying straight at me like a fighter pilot. Mike

[Judy]

Once saw a Buzzard swoop down towards my liver Cocker, luckily the others were about the same area and the bird realised its mistake and flew off. Scary moment even though even I wouldn't want total her on when she was upset. Guessing I would have been "gifted a very irate Buzzard if it had gone for her.

[Mikew]

Hello Judy, hope you're having a nice Summer. It's been nice here 88 degree many days and sunny. I use to visit a commercial shooting to purchase birds. In September I would work my Cocker a few days and shoot there. Anyways the old man that owned the farm and I discussed raising game birds and he said in the early sixties they would place traps on fence posts to catch and reduce the Hawks. Something one can't do in modern times. Hawks are federally protected here. I felt we had too many. Years ago I was doing my own Grouse study and seen a hawk go after a sitting grouse. The Ruffed Grouse males use a drumming log in their territory to display . I seen logs of all sizes some large with green moss covered. Mike

[EssGrouse]

I'm not shocked at your dogs running in, more so them having enough drive to actually chase

[Judy]

I'm not shocked at your dogs running in, more so them having enough drive to actually chase

Who said that?

[EssGrouse]

I'm not shocked at your dogs running in, more so them having enough drive to actually chase

Who said that?

Its been a minute hasn't it haha