Most small farms that lose their whole herd do not lose it to bad luck. They lose it to a disease that came in from outside: with a newly bought rabbit, on a visitor's shoes or in a borrowed cage. Biosecurity is a set of simple, boring, life-saving habits that stop that from happening.
Why it matters: RHD and myxomatosis
- Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD; called VGBK in Russian and often "o‘lat" in Uzbek groups) kills up to about 90% of unvaccinated rabbits. It incubates for 1–3 days, and death often follows 12–36 hours after fever starts, frequently with no warning signs at all. Sometimes there is blood from the nose or mouth, difficulty breathing or convulsions.
- The newer strain, RHDV2, kills even kits aged 7–15 days, while the classic strain mostly spares rabbits younger than 4–6 weeks. Since 2010, RHDV2 has spread from Europe to Africa, the Americas and parts of Asia.
- Myxomatosis is a viral disease spread mainly by biting insects. It typically causes swelling around the eyes and head.
- Both diseases spread through direct contact, insects, birds, contaminated feed and equipment, and people's hands and shoes.
- There is no public, confirmed data on RHD or myxomatosis outbreaks in Uzbekistan. That is a gap in reporting, not an all-clear. Treat the risk as real.
Quarantine every new rabbit
- Keep new rabbits apart for at least 21–30 days (some sources say up to 35), in a separate room or building, not in a cage at the far end of the same shed. A quarantine cage that shares air with the herd stops nothing.
- Feeders, drinkers, brush, gloves: all separate, nothing shared.
- Look after quarantined rabbits last each day, after the main herd, or wash your hands and change your footwear in between.
- Check daily: appetite, droppings, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, genitals, skin and coat, breathing and alertness. Write down what you see.
- Ask the seller what feed they used, and move the rabbit onto your feed gradually over 5–7 days. The day you buy it is its first diet change, and that is one of the most common triggers of diarrhoea.
- Towards the end of quarantine, deworm and, if the rabbit is healthy, vaccinate as your vet directs.
- If a rabbit in quarantine falls ill, bleeds or dies suddenly, never mix the group with your herd, and call a vet.
- The same rule applies to your own rabbits coming back from a show, from a mating at another farm, or unsold from the bazaar.
Visitors, equipment and the bazaar
- The riskiest visitors are other rabbit keepers, because they have been in other sheds. Give them clean footwear or shoe covers, or keep them out of the shed.
- Keep a pair of boots and work clothes that are only ever worn in the rabbitry.
- Do not bring cages, carriers, feeders or nest boxes from another farm or the bazaar without washing and disinfecting them.
- Get hay and greens from places with no sick or dead rabbits nearby, and do not cut grass where wild hares live.
- As far as possible, keep dogs, cats, birds and rodents out of the shed.
- Ask your district veterinary office whether RHD or myxomatosis has been found in wild hares in your area.
Cleaning and disinfection between litters
- Every day: remove droppings and wet bedding.
- After each litter is weaned, and before a new doe moves in: take out the nest box, remove all bedding and fur, scrub the cage and box, disinfect them and let them dry completely.
- Wash cages weekly, and give the whole shed a deep disinfection at least twice a year.
- The most widely available disinfectants are household chlorine bleach and chlorinated lime. Get the dilution and contact time from the product label or your vet. Do not guess.
- Always air the shed and let everything dry before rabbits go back in. Chlorine fumes damage their lungs.
If a rabbit dies suddenly
- Treat a sudden death with no signs of illness, blood at the nose, or several deaths within a day or two as possible RHD.
- Isolate the remaining rabbits, stop all movement of rabbits on and off the farm, allow no visitors and sell nothing.
- Keep the body cool but not frozen, and get it to a vet within a few hours if you can. Photograph it, and write down the time of death and anything you noticed over the previous 1–3 days.
- Ask your vet how to dispose of the body. Do not throw it on a rubbish heap or feed it to dogs.
Biosecurity checklist
- A separate quarantine space, 21–30 days
- Separate boots and clothes for the rabbitry
- New and quarantined rabbits cared for last
- Borrowed equipment used only after disinfection
- A vaccination plan agreed with your vet
- The vet's phone number on the shed wall
Common mistake: Putting a new rabbit "just for a few days" in a cage next to the herd because it looks healthy. A disease can incubate for days with no visible signs. Quarantine only counts when the air, the tools and your hands are kept separate.
