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Eating rabbits and Myxomatosis.

  • 17-03-2006 12:36pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,194 ✭✭✭


    Quick question re the above, I have recently stopped eating rabbit due to finding a few "Mixi" rabbits around my area.

    Apart from the obvious signs of myxomatosis how could I detect the early stages? I quite fancy the odd rabbit but this has put me off, hopefully temporarily :( . Would appreciate your views/opinions.....

    Cheers...


    TJ911...


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,843 ✭✭✭Clare gunner


    It is a viral infection that attacks all organs.It incubates appx 2/5 days and the early symptoms are the traditional hard pustules or lumps under the skin around the head and ears and anus.Then is when you get the traditional symptom of the blind ,glued up eyes,etc.Appx 14 days from first symptoms to death.No effective cure for rabbits or sucessful mass innoculations.Transferred by animal to animal contact or biting insects.Doesnt seem to infect any other animal or human.But still caution is advised when handling,or disposing of infected carcasses etc.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 162 ✭✭scout


    mix will do you no harm


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,194 ✭✭✭Trojan911


    Cheers for the info......

    TJ911...


  • Registered Users Posts: 627 ✭✭✭thelurcher


    There was an article in Countrymans Weekly by Plummer a few years back on about some disease that WAS a threat to humans and dogs - he said that if the liver had any damage/growths etc. it was best to dump the carcass.

    Now I know that Plummer was the biggest bluffer in hunting but any rabbit I get with a dodgy looking liver I still dump it.

    Shot 5 yesterday - all clean, no worms and no sign of mixy anywhere - but they were black with fleas - seems a bit early and cold for them?


  • Registered Users Posts: 113 ✭✭de_shadow


    Personally i wouldn't eat a "mixi" rabbit my self but i have no problems cooking them up for the dogs.

    Quote[ Shot 5 yesterday - all clean, no worms and no sign of mixy anywhere - but they were black with fleas - seems a bit early and cold for them?]

    Any rabbit ive got has had a few fleas on it, i dont think the cold affects them too much once they're in the fur.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 627 ✭✭✭thelurcher


    I've been killing rabbits since the 80's and to be honest I've never come accross fleas outside of May - September roughly - certainly not this time of year - until yesterday.
    Kept dogs for even longer and never seen fleas in winter.

    I must look up the life cycle of the flea.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 162 ✭✭scout


    how do you notice fleas i have never noticed them
    on another note i was out for walk scouting around for more rabbit ,found plenty,but on my way back a fox ran out infrount of my with abouot 2 feet to spare frightened the sh1t out of my ,,i realy did not expect it and in the next field down there was another 2 out for dinner


  • Registered Users Posts: 165 ✭✭WallysWorld


    I think its the general scarcity of food around at the moment makes fox's a little more reckless than usual, a couple of weeks ago me and a friend were out and saw a fox at the crest of a hill we set up and waited but he never appeared again in a position with a backstop, later he shot a rabbit from less than a hundred yards with an unsilenced gun at the base of the same hill at a good distance from any cover, we then sat up and chatted loudly for about 5 mins in plain view only to discover the fox had taken the rabbit!This i think is pretty unusual for such a wary creature?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 162 ✭✭scout


    priceless couple years ago my dad hung a rabbit off a tree while he continued later he saw a fox in the same field with a rabbit ,when he went back bugs was gone


  • Registered Users Posts: 627 ✭✭✭thelurcher


    I met two out yesterday - it's a busy time of year for them - under pressure to feed.
    One sat scratching himself in the field about 50yrds away while I was talking to farmer. Not allowed kill fox there by him - harriers etc. aren't allowed in either.

    scout: it's hard to miss the fleas really - there was literally hundreds jumping around their heads. They all jump ship within a few minutes when the rabbit is dead.
    I shoot with a terrier and he was covered in them but they never last and I take no notice of them.


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