I wouldn't want to risk taking Mixy to the vet and passing it on to pet bunnies...

I either allow Pharaoh or Kismet to dispatch, they are usually both pretty quick at it, or I can and have done it myself. I was taught by a gamekeeper friend of mine to put the bunnie's head in my hand ears facing my arm then flick the body of the rabbit firmly, twisting and breaking the neck. Then I throw the mixy rabbit deep into the bushes, safe from casual dogwalkers, but hopefully still food for foxes.

Again , that is why I left it in the car while I went in. Had they had any concerns at all at the vets, I'm sure they would have told me not to bring it in. What I would have done with it then I'm not sure Having read on here people's methods on despatching, it is something that now I would be more prepared to do but it is not something I would have wanted to make up as I went along.

I know the feeling Jane, I used to use the cheap mouse traps, the ones on a small wooden base with a wire that flips over, but after finding twice that they had not done the job properly and the little creature was still trying to move around even 'tho one leg was trapped I decided to invest in some 'proper' traps, these have a big plastic 'jaw' that comes down and it can't be triggered until the mouse is fully on the trigger plate so it's instant death every time, I just feel a little easier knowing they haven't suffered.

I must admit I would find it very hard to break it's neck, even if it was suffering. I wish I could though. I did once find a sea bird that was dying on the beach and I took it to the vets to be put down. They were more than happy to do so and even thanked me for my time!!

vets are fine with it.....but i let the dogs do it.

Oh I know Harvey, I hate to think of anything suffering. We had a few mice around the garden last winter, I know the hens ate a couple which wouldn't have been very nice for the mice. Max also has an outdoor water bowl which we usually lift up at night but forgot one night and there was a little drowned mouse in there that I felt very sorry for

Yes, me too Zoe, I understand the technique now, but in practice..........

That's good to hear Layla, I didn't want to annoy them, I'll let you know if my next bill seems higher than normal

I did think about letting Max kill it, he has killed mice and a fox cub once but even with the tiny mice he grabbed, it wasn't instantaneous and I don't know if he would as he used to love my sister's rabbit, if it had run away he might have chased it and killed it, it was just sat there though so I don't know if he would have done.

lol u check that bill for an 'annoyance fee' as they cant charge for wild animals

ah,yes,my guys are quick otherwise no way would i let them 'play' with it

That is a big worry.

In case anyone reading doesn't know how Myxomatosis is transmitted, the main vector is the rabbit flea. Mosquitoes can also carry it but by far the main source of infection, especially in wild colonies where rabbits share burrows etc, is the flea.

If you have pet rabbits at home, and walk your dogs in Myxi infected areas OR take your dogs to people's homes with pet rabbits, then do step up your flea treatment, or choose another place to walk if you are really worried.

Also don't forget to spray your car with something like Acclaim or Indorex, which will kill fleas in the upholstery. I am sure many people who treat their homes and dogs for fleas forget about the car!!

The fleas can survive quite a long time off their natural host. (As a result, in the early days of the disease in the UK, it was deliberately and successfully spread using infected fleas captured from dead or dying rabbits). this means they could hop onto your dog and then hop off some days later and then go on to infect rabbits elsewhere.

If you are worried about your pet rabbits, they can be vaccinated BUT the vaccine is NOT 100% successful and may not protect against all strains, with the result that in a bad epidemic many pet rabbits become sick even though they are vaccinated.

I've noticed around here there's very few wild rabbits this year - last year they were very abundant, I saw well over 100 in just a 15 minute walk on one area last September. This year, not so many at all, I do wonder if the harsh winter affected their numbers. No myxi ones so far but I would have no problem helping it into the next life if I did.

loads of rabbits where i walk the dogs....and im not in the country...all are fat n far too healthy for my dogs liking lol...still fun to stalk tho

I've seen loads of rabbits round here this year too, not as many mxy bunnies though as some years. Max is getting too old to stalk them now though, bless him.