Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 12:50pm

So far so good getting towards the end of septemberand where i shoot, wich is over a large area,there has been no myxy found and the surrounding area is clear as well. Is it the same near you, and do you think the rabbits are getting the better of it at last.please reply my county is east lindsey, lincolnshire, please let me know roughly where you are cheers Ian.

Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 9:17am

loads in sussex, sorry!

Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 1:13pm

North Yorks also got plenty of myxy about although there seems to be an awful lot of fit rabbits too.

Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 8:34pm

hi ian i live in west lindsey and no myxy on our shoot but dont you think it seems to go in 3 to 5 year cycles

Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:36am

Hi Andy, where i shoot I like to keep the numbers quite low this means taking some out during the summer, selective shooting of the young adults that are worthy of the pot. I wondered if this might have helped because it reduces the in breeding to some extent and the rabbits are fitter and more able to cope with deseases.I keep a record of all the rabbits shot over the year and there is no difference between bags by just shooting in the winter or by shooting all year selectively. I `ve also found recently that the rabbits seem to breed all year round . this year there were nests in january,I took a tiny rabbit of a stoat the second week in december . I shoot rabbits over ferrets in the winter and with various rifles in the summer depending on whats reqiured could this be playing a part in the health of the rabbits?

Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:41am

Hi vicky are the rabbits controlled or are a few shot now and again,if there controlled do they take a lot out indisciminatelyor are they managed.I`m looking for differences inwhy some areas are free from myxy and others have loads. thanks, Ian.

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 12:46pm

I hated epidemiology at college, but maybe here is where it is useful...if the bunny population is very high the bunnies are likely to be in poorer health and livingin very close quarters so disease is very likely and will spread quickly. A managed, but stable, population is healthiest. If you try too hard to wipe out your bunnies new ones will come in- mixing of bunnies from different places makes disease more likely as the bunnies will meet new strains of myxy and be under stress.

Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:45pm

Hi vicky, sounds like you`ve had some training in the medical side of things regarding this topic.what you say is correc but there is another side to this what if you get an influx off new blood to a warren thats not infected with myxy would not the rabbits be stronger than the origonil in bred ones. and like mongrel dogs live longer "if allowed to" and be better suited to ressist desease. I also thought there was only one strain of myxy that was put down by the government to protect crops when we needed the food badly after the war. As you see I find the problem with myxy intregueing and have watched and recorded it`s effects on the land that I shoot over, about 4yrs ago someone released 3or four coloured rabbits , they just pulled up at the side of the road and tipped them out, according to a passer bye who lives in the village who saw someone paked up there.these rabbits I did not shoot and the ensueing off spring are a variety of colours from black to ginger and all the various tints in between. the best rabbits have been the standard coloured ones with black guardhair hair coats. as a guide for your info I manage the rabbits and take on average 300-350 per year from this 80acre piece of land and fingers crossed will miss the myxy scurge once again. Thanks for replying please get back with any thoughts on this latest comment.Ian.

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:36pm

Of course i have some knowledge...I'm the sporting shooter vet! I spend about 1/3 of my days at the new practice vaccinating pet bunnies against thedreaded myxy! I am sure you are right that new blood to a healthy warren would only serve to strengthen it, but I am not sure to what extent this would happen. Bunnies seem pretty territorial so I don't know to what extent two warrens would mix without either a lot of shooting or a lot of disease to stir things up. As for strains of myxi- it evolves! As do the bunnies. Myxomatosis virus will change over time, just as flu viruses do so there may be many slightly different versions out there now which may be more or less virulent than the original. the bunnies change too- imagine one bunny, by a trick of nature (a natural genetic mutation) is better able to survive myxy than the others. they die, he doesn't and the subsequent year all bunnies in the warren are sired by him (tired bunny!). Some would inherit this gene from him and be super-bunnies as far as myxy was concerned. At the same time most of the myxy is getting into these super-bunnies and dying out as they can't get past the immune system and reproduce. One day a myxy virus mutates and can get past super-bunny defences and once again the warren is attacked. It's a fascinating battle no doubt. As for the pet bunnies introduced to the wild strain I would suspect their genes will die out quickly as the wild bunny is best suited to life as a wild bunny. The other colors may be more at risk from predators, or their rounder head shape will lead to dental disorders- without a vet they will die and fail to pass on their interesting genes.

Posted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:26pm

hi ian, i had alot of myxy on my farm at the start of the summer and its past away again but im really pleasedhow fast they have come back. i live in south wales by the way

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 3:25am

thanks again Vicky .I`ve been shooting these genetic freeks as you call them , the ones that won`t survive without the intervention of a vet for two years they have no problems with their teethand are as big and fat free as the wild coloured ones. the next time I shoot one I will post it on the rough shoot gallery with detailed "as much as I can" the head mouth and teeth at the side of a natural coloured one .Thanks once again Ian.

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 3:33am

sorry I forgot to mention There has been no myxy for three years on this ground when only eight miles away it`s wiped the rabbits out on another farm that I only get to shoot occasionaly. I`m only asking bacause I find it Unusual and I`am trying to work out why thanks again for all you expert input it all helps If ever I get to know why I`ll let you know. ps; would a blood test on one of the rabbits show anything up such as immune system or antibodies, how much would it cost to get done.

Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:07pm

Good question! I will ask our lab if there are tests for myxi antibodies...most antibody tests cost £30-40.

Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:15pm

Thanks vicky, sorry to go on about this and thanks for all your help ,it`s a thorn in my side that needs pulling, I shot two rabbits last night one had black guard hairs but when I tried to take a photo I couldn`t get the guard hairs to show on the pictures. both healthy both a good size, I`ll try to get a darker one next time.cheers Ian.