Cleaned nest box...MAGGOTS???!!!

[trcarlton]

The kits were born 6/19, and I decided they were healthy and furred enough to be transferred to another container while I cleaned out momma's hutch, and cleaned out the nest box. While going through the old fur and saving the clean stuff, I found, to my horror, 3 small maggot-looking larva. I tossed them to my chickens, and sifted through all the fur, but didn't see any others, and couldn't see anything that looked like insect eggs. The nest was pretty clean and dry, so I'm puzzled how this happened. Has anyone else had this happen? Should I just clean it more often? Can I sprinkle some Diatomaceous Earth in the nest box? Thanks!

 

[secuono]

Maggots only eat dead flesh, so there's little to worry about.
If the nest was clean and the kits have no wounds on them, I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[crazyturkeydesigns]

Did you see disco rice or the little fat brown rice egg things (I really dislike maggots and that word, so I avoid using it lol)? The babies do poop and pee in the nest, so it's understandable that flies would be drawn to it.
For future, though, I would check the nestbox often for buildup, like once a day and depending on the doe possibly more. Some like to use it as a litterbox, so thats something to watch for. As for fly control, moving air helps a LOT. I have found, using trays under cages, that the stall spray stuff works really really well. I just spray it on the droppings + sawdust every 3 or 4 days.
If it's really bad I've heard of people using fly wasps, but you'd have to do some research on them. I've never used them but I know people who swear by them.
I'd also to a check of the babies and make sure they are okay, maybe wipe them off with a warm washcloth if needed. It's easy for them to get infections and lose toes, tails, etc. It doesn't sound like the nest was too dirty, but I'd check em anyway.
Good luck!

 

[trcarlton]

After I found the little nasty critters (not going to say the M word lol), I looked for any eggs, but all I found was tiny roundish irregular sized black things which I assumed were the kit droppings. The nest was so clean and dry, just a couple very small yellowish sections of fur, but still dry even though soiled. I'm completely grossed out. The kits are all fine and healthy, but now I'm worried momma might have something on her too. I think I will give her a thorough checkup tomorrow and then put some DE on her, but I've totally got the heeby-geebies Luckily, momma was litterbox trained before I got her, so she really only uses one corner of her hutch to relieve herself, and when I emptied the nest box, I only found 1 berry in there. All the straw in the nest was dry, except immediately under the kits, which was barely damp. I have been fighting a fly problem, mostly noticeable on warmer days when it feels like the plague hit there's so many, homemade traps with maple syrup don't seem to work well, and I want to kill them, not scare them off, so that's a work in progress, but I keep the rabbit hutches and chicken coop pretty clean, so it hasn't been much of an issue up til now. The nest box has wood sides and top but a wire bottom for easy cleaning and air flow.

 

[terri9630]

There could have been a small bit of after birth that was buried that the flies found.

 

[trcarlton]

Possible, but bleh, gross. If that was what they found, they ate it; there wasn't even any pink tinged fur in the nest. I will check on them daily and make sure more of the little buggers don't show up

 

[terri9630]

It is gross. I pull the kits out count them and check for that stuff the first day.

 

[trcarlton]

I will do that for her next litter - this litter was a first for her and me, and I was being paranoid about stressing her out. I should've known better; she's a total lovebug.

 

[terri9630]

We've had ant problems so I always check as soon as the doe is done kindeling to remove anything that might attract them.

 

[sawfish99]

Do you know exactly how many kits were born and how many you have now? It is also possible 1 or 2 died/were eaten by momma (especially since she is a first timer) and the maggots were on pieces left from that.