I did manage to get to town to get more bleach and vinegar to continue the cleaning process. This will be an ongoing project too, as everything will need to be re-cleaned regularly. Everything from food bins and water bottles to shovels and scoops will have to be cleaned daily until we can get both illnesses in check. No rabbits will be leaving our property until we are certain that nobody has any communicable illnesses anymore. We will seriously have to re-think our breeding line up when this is all cleared and I can see who I have left. Until then, pardon me for what may be a series of shorter blog posts as I exhaust myself trying to keep ahead of the spread of illness and caring for the healthy remainder of our herd.
In other news, as we were getting ready to leave for the store, I saw a bald eagle circling above our bunny barn. The ducks and goose were out, and I quickly herded them into the barn. As soon as they were out of sight, the eagle flew away. I worry that it's only a matter of time, and likely sooner rather than later, that we will have a bald eagle in the yard and a loss of at least one animal. The only question remaining is who will be the victim? Josh the goose, Leonardo or Tweak the ducks? Or our beloved Gypsy kitten? The worst part is that there's absolutely nothing we can do to prevent it. Eagles are protected (not that we'd ever hurt one anyway), and I have no way to prevent our birds or the kitten from wandering the property. It wouldn't be fair to keep them locked in the barn all the time. If anyone has dealt with bald eagles on the homestead, I would like to hear from you! Predator prevention ideas are welcome!