Myxy

[Lithril]

Just a quickie, I'm toying with the idea of buying an air rifle soon to try a bit of lamping (or dusting of my old one and seeing how bad the sights are on it). Do you have to worry too much about myxomitosis or is it easy enough to spot in a dead rabbit (easy to tell when alive I know)?

 

[Adi007]

Myxy isn't a problem for humans anyway and poses no risk to you from handling/eating infected animals ... however, it doesn' give you the highest quality meat.

Check for swelling around the head or eyes and running eyes, these are pretty obvious.

The liver is the real indicator to health though ... if should be clear and not spotty and gray.

Hope this helps.

 

[Buckshot]

There's not too much of it around my neck of the woods now. we get the occasional one affected but not much.
The tell tale sign is inflamation around the eyes and a yellow/white liquid like puss oozing out - not nice :yikes: (I couldn't find an icon for throwing up)
Also when the rabbits are alive they're pretty lifeless and shabby looking - like they haven't cleaned themselves for while, which is probably the case. Also, often they're thin because they haven't been able to see to feed.

I've seen a lot a rabbits with scare tissue around the eyes where they've recovered from myxy so it's not the devistating killer it once was. :-D Which is a good thing IMO.
But because of this the powers that be have been talking about introducing another type of disease to wipe out the rabbits once again on a similar par to when myxy was first introduced - yuk


Does anyone know if myxy is piosonous to us. I know it looks revolting and is enough to most people off eating an infected rabbit but will it do any harm if someone did ? :shock:
Also, is it transferrable to humans by an infected flea feeding on a human. :-?
I've not heard of any cases of either, has anyone else ? :-?

Thanks

Mark

 

[Buckshot]

Opps Adi you just beat me to it

Cheers

Mark

 

[boaty]

But because of this the powers that be have been talking about introducing another type of disease to wipe out the rabbits once again on a similar par to when myxy was first introduced - yuk

Ah man, I hope not! I grew up in Watership Down country, and as a lad in the 70s when myxomatosis was rife it seemed that we put hundreds of rabbits out of their mysery (though it probably wasn't that many)

Surely they're best off being eaten to control the numbers? Introduce some predators I say! Oh and get Gordon Ramsey and the other super-chefs to make it trendy to eat them in posh restaurants

 

[Lithril]

Cheers peeps, rightie, now to speak to a certain farmer I know of and see if I can use his land :-D

Actually just another afterthought, is there any prep needed after getting your rabbit, ie do they need to be hung etc for any length of time?

 

[Adi007]

Actually just another afterthought, is there any prep needed after getting your rabbit, ie do they need to be hung etc for any length of time?

No, not rabbit, but hare benefits from it.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Make hunting unpopular, make hunting weapons hard to get, fix it so fewer and fewer people are out shooting. Make it harder to sell the rabbits for food. Oops, oh look we have too many rabbits...lest practice some biowarfare on them. :evil:

In the days of yore, when I had somewhere to shoot, myxy wiped out the rabbits several times. They took a long time to come back too.

Health wise, I would be more worried about tularemia than myxy. I don't know whether it is something that occurs in the UK though.
http://www.medicdirect.co.uk/clinics/default.ihtml?step=4&pid=2270

 

[dtalbot]

Cheers peeps, rightie, now to speak to a certain farmer I know of and see if I can use his land :-D

Actually just another afterthought, is there any prep needed after getting your rabbit, ie do they need to be hung etc for any length of time?

The only thing I'd say needs doing is to gut the rabbit as soon as possible (ie in the field) after you have dispached it. Other than that it will be ready for the pot as soon as you have got it home and skinned it. When I buy rabbits they are usually the night befores catch and I cook them same day.
Cheers
David

 

[JakeR]

Whats lamping?

 

[dtalbot]

Whats lamping?

Shine a bright enough lamp in bunnies eyes and he will sit there staring at it while you shoot him!

 

[Buckshot]

Unless they've been lamped alot in which case they get wise and dissapear as soon as you go into the field :-(

Mark

 

[Roving Rich]

I love lamping with a dog. Its got a very bad press, but to me it seems the most natural way to catch a coney.
It is the very reason that man befriended the dog and invited him to share the fireside.
It also gives the quarrie a sporting chance, as the fittest and smartest get away. Its just fantastic, finger on the trigger of a slip lead, show the dog the rabbit, pull and its off, the thunder of paws across the field. It seems as though you ought to be on an African Savannah watching a cheetah and springbok.
Now its under threat with the damn fox hunting.
:twisted:
Rich

 

[Kath]

Whats lamping?

Getting your misses to blind 'em with a bright white light while you shoot 'em! (sometimes whilst hanging out the bedroom window in her nightie! :twisted

 

[JakeR]

:roll:

 

[the naughty boy]

one other tip though ,if your going to shoot bunnies then go for headshots every time and if you cant hit a golf ball from 40 yards consistently then consider snaring instead!

also use at least .20 calibre as .177 will sometimes go straight through and mr bunnie will die slowly under ground.

lamping is good craic [good fun] but carefull about calculating distance as things seem much closer in the dark and if your not used to your scope then open sights make things easier

 

[dtalbot]

one other tip though ,if your going to shoot bunnies then go for headshots every time and if you cant hit a golf ball from 40 yards consistently then consider snaring instead!

also use at least .20 calibre as .177 will sometimes go straight through and mr bunnie will die slowly under ground.

lamping is good craic [good fun] but carefull about calculating distance as things seem much closer in the dark and if your not used to your scope then open sights make things easier

Spot on advice!

 

[JakeR]

My edgar brothers is a .22 . I know about the penetration thing. It would be a disaster for the rabbit to die slowly and pointlessly. I'll try snaring as backup, however, knowing my luck, im pretty certain i wont even see a rabbit!

 

[dtalbot]

:roll:

Indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :shock:

 

[Martyn]

Whats lamping?

A bright light shone at em stimulates the stun response. The sit bolt still and play dead while you take careful aim. Handy!