alert-pet rabbits---"bunny ebola" AKA RHDV2

[noodles123]

Just a heads-up-- there is a VERY contagious rabbit illness going around the US-- no vaccine etc etc--- killing lots of rabbits.

I don't have any pet rabbits, but I have A TON in my yard and sometimes they treat me like I am St. Francis (even though I never feed them!)!!! I have NO idea why they aren't scared of me! I Googled this to make sure they weren't sick (because sometimes they literally lay in my yard like dogs while I am around and eat within a few feet of me, but they are healthy-verified!)...just happened to stumble across the virus news though, in my quest for answers--"Mine" don't have the virus, but I learned about it because of them

If you have rabbits in outdoor pens etc-- you might seriously want to reconsider how you house them. It is spreading from the Southwest, but it seems to be progressing elsewhere in some instances.

https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/07/bunny-ebola-is-spreading-in-the-united-states-reports.html

 

[Owlet]

are you sure the rabbits are wild and not feral/released pets?

but yeah yall please watch out for this disease, I'm in a lot of rabbit orientated groups and it's been out there for a few months now

 

[noodles123]

are you sure the rabbits are wild and not feral/released pets?

but yeah yall please watch out for this disease, I'm in a lot of rabbit orientated groups and it's been out there for a few months now

It crossed my mind, but honestly, they look just like all of the other brown rabbits in the area...I have like 9 of them or something probably living in my yard! There are lots of cats and hawks around too, so they clearly know enough to survive!
The first time one was eating so close to me, I thought it was giving birth or something...and then I was like "oh no, maybe he has a disease!"...That was months ago--still alive and kicking and no signs of disease lol!

Among those within the group, there seems to be only 1 that is REALLY fearless--- that's the one that lounges like a dog on its side and grooms itself when I am like 8 feet away (I'm guessing it is one..but they all look the same, so really it could be different rabbits behaving this way I suppose!)
The others hang out nearby, but they aren't AS relaxed. It could be that he was a baby in the spring and he grew up seeing me in the garden everyday I guess. I also chase cats out of my yard when they come around, so maybe I earned some bunny street-cred haha!

 

[SailBoat]

"Bunny Street-Cred." Now that brought a smile to the face!

Also, you likely have a yard filled with bunny-friendly, tasty treats. And, you are commonly seen tending said treats...

Or, maybe it's like our Parrots who are much better at selecting Humans and here we have an example of a bunny picking you.

We have a populations of coyotes in our area and the rabbit population is thin as is the feral cat population.

Thanks for the heads-up on "bunny ebola!"

 

[noodles123]

"Bunny Street-Cred." Now that brought a smile to the face!

Also, you likely have a yard filled with bunny-friendly, tasty treats. And, you are commonly seen tending said treats...

Or, maybe it's like our Parrots who are much better at selecting Humans and here we have an example of a bunny picking you.

We have a populations of coyotes in our area and the rabbit population is thin as is the feral cat population.

Thanks for the heads-up on "bunny ebola!"

Lol-- all of MY "treats" are fenced--- they can't reach them at all lol! That having been said, I see them eating my grass and clover a lot lol--no problem with that!