{"id":270481,"date":"2025-03-01T06:46:54","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T20:46:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/?p=270481"},"modified":"2026-05-31T08:22:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T22:22:18","slug":"protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Rabbit owners across Australia are being urged to take immediate action as councils prepare to release a virus designed to control wild rabbit populations. While this measure helps reduce the damage caused by feral rabbits, it also poses a serious threat to pet rabbits. Here\u2019s what you need to know to keep your furry friend safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is the Calicivirus?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV-K5), also known as calicivirus, is a highly infectious disease that spreads rapidly among rabbit populations. It was first introduced in 2017 and successfully reduced wild rabbit numbers by around 35%. The virus is spread through contaminated surfaces, insect bites, and food or water sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, domestic rabbits are also at risk. The disease can cause fever, breathing difficulties, bleeding from the mouth and nose, spasms, and sudden death. Once infected, pet rabbits have little chance of survival without prior vaccination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Virus Release Dates and Locations:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Western Australia<\/strong> \u2013 Releases began in <strong>January 2025<\/strong> and will continue in <strong>March<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Victoria<\/strong> \u2013 Virus rolled out in the <strong>first two weeks of February 2025<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>South Australia<\/strong> \u2013 Releases recently completed in <strong>public reserves<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>New South Wales (Greater Sydney &amp; Central Coast)<\/strong> \u2013 Planned release in <strong>early March 2025<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tasmania<\/strong> \u2013 Expected release in <strong>late summer to early autumn 2025<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Northern Territory &amp; ACT<\/strong> \u2013 Regularly use calicivirus, but upcoming release dates are unclear.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Protect Your Pet Rabbit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Experts are urging all rabbit owners to vaccinate their pets as soon as possible. Full immunity takes about two weeks to develop, so acting now is crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to vaccination, here are extra precautions to keep your rabbit safe: \u2714\ufe0f Keep your rabbit indoors or in an enclosed hutch with insect-proof screens.<br>\u2714\ufe0f Regularly sanitize food bowls, water dispensers, and rabbit enclosures.<br>\u2714\ufe0f Avoid letting your rabbit roam in areas where wild rabbits are present.<br>\u2714\ufe0f Control insects like mosquitoes and flies, which can spread the virus.<br>\u2714\ufe0f Clean your shoes before entering your home if you\u2019ve been in rabbit-prone areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Don\u2019t Wait \u2013 Get Your Rabbit Vaccinated.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many pet owners are still unaware that rabbits need annual vaccinations to stay protected. Vets have reported lower-than-expected numbers of rabbits coming in for their shots, despite the looming risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you own a rabbit, book a vaccination appointment today to ensure your pet is safe before the virus is released in your area. Spread the word to fellow rabbit owners\u2014prevention is the only way to keep our beloved bunnies healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/\">PetCloud<\/a> is Australia&#8217;s most trusted Pet Management platform. Store your rabbit&#8217;s Profile online and access it from anywhere, on the go. Share it with Vets, Sitters, and more. Join free today <a href=\"http:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/signup\">www.petcloud.com.au\/signup<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rabbit owners across Australia are being urged to take immediate action as councils prepare to release a virus designed to control wild rabbit populations. While this measure helps reduce the damage caused by feral rabbits, it also poses a serious threat to pet rabbits. Here\u2019s what you need to know to keep your furry friend [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":270482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3788],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-270481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now - PetCloud<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Urgent warning for rabbit owners! Councils across Australia are releasing calicivirus to control wild rabbits, putting pet rabbits at risk.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Urgent warning for rabbit owners! Councils across Australia are releasing calicivirus to control wild rabbits, putting pet rabbits at risk.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PetCloud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/petcloud\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-28T20:46:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-30T22:22:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Calicivirus.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"850\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"567\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Deb Webber\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Deb Webber\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BlogPosting\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Deb Webber\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787\"},\"headline\":\"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-28T20:46:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-30T22:22:18+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":447,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Calicivirus.png\",\"articleSection\":\"Pet Care\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"description\":\"Rabbit owners across Australia are being urged to take immediate action as councils prepare to release a virus designed to control wild rabbit populations. While this measure helps reduce the damage caused by feral rabbits, it also poses a serious threat to pet rabbits. Here\u2019s what you need to know to keep your furry friend [&hellip;]\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/\",\"name\":\"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now - PetCloud\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Calicivirus.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-28T20:46:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-30T22:22:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787\"},\"description\":\"Urgent warning for rabbit owners! Councils across Australia are releasing calicivirus to control wild rabbits, putting pet rabbits at risk.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Calicivirus.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/Calicivirus.png\",\"width\":850,\"height\":567,\"caption\":\"A fluffy brown and white lop-eared rabbit sits on green grass with a small orange carrot in front of it, blissfully unaware of the calicivirus threat. The rabbit looks forward, surrounded by a blurred outdoor background.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/blog\\\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/\",\"name\":\"PetCloud\",\"description\":\"Pet Care, Pet Health, Pet Nutrition and more\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787\",\"name\":\"Deb Webber\",\"description\":\"About the Author: Deb Webber, Founder &amp; CEO of PetCloud. Deb is a Certified Trainer and Assessor - credentials she has put to use developing professional training courses for pet care providers. A pet owner herself, Deb founded PetCloud out of a genuine frustration with the lack of accountability and safety standards in the pet care industry - and a conviction that pets deserve better.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\",\"https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/PetCloud\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.petcloud.com.au\\\/d\\\/author\\\/dmorrison\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now - PetCloud","description":"Urgent warning for rabbit owners! Councils across Australia are releasing calicivirus to control wild rabbits, putting pet rabbits at risk.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now","og_description":"Urgent warning for rabbit owners! Councils across Australia are releasing calicivirus to control wild rabbits, putting pet rabbits at risk.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/","og_site_name":"PetCloud","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/petcloud","article_published_time":"2025-02-28T20:46:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-30T22:22:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":850,"height":567,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Calicivirus.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Deb Webber","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Deb Webber","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/"},"author":{"name":"Deb Webber","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#\/schema\/person\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787"},"headline":"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now","datePublished":"2025-02-28T20:46:54+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-30T22:22:18+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/"},"wordCount":447,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Calicivirus.png","articleSection":"Pet Care","inLanguage":"en-AU","description":"Rabbit owners across Australia are being urged to take immediate action as councils prepare to release a virus designed to control wild rabbit populations. While this measure helps reduce the damage caused by feral rabbits, it also poses a serious threat to pet rabbits. Here\u2019s what you need to know to keep your furry friend [&hellip;]"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/","url":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/","name":"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now - PetCloud","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Calicivirus.png","datePublished":"2025-02-28T20:46:54+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-30T22:22:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#\/schema\/person\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787"},"description":"Urgent warning for rabbit owners! Councils across Australia are releasing calicivirus to control wild rabbits, putting pet rabbits at risk.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Calicivirus.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Calicivirus.png","width":850,"height":567,"caption":"A fluffy brown and white lop-eared rabbit sits on green grass with a small orange carrot in front of it, blissfully unaware of the calicivirus threat. The rabbit looks forward, surrounded by a blurred outdoor background."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/blog\/protect-pet-rabbits-from-calicivirus\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Urgent Warning: Deadly Virus Being Released \u2013 Protect Your Pet Rabbits Now"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/","name":"PetCloud","description":"Pet Care, Pet Health, Pet Nutrition and more","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/#\/schema\/person\/a25168ba84bd9530585d9235882ea787","name":"Deb Webber","description":"About the Author: Deb Webber, Founder &amp; CEO of PetCloud. Deb is a Certified Trainer and Assessor - credentials she has put to use developing professional training courses for pet care providers. A pet owner herself, Deb founded PetCloud out of a genuine frustration with the lack of accountability and safety standards in the pet care industry - and a conviction that pets deserve better.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/PetCloud"],"url":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/author\/dmorrison\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270481"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":270483,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270481\/revisions\/270483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petcloud.com.au\/d\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}