rabbits and maggots ewwww

[currycomb]

okay, i am embarressed to say the least, but have lost 2 lionhead rabbits to maggots. hubby has been doing the chores as i hurt a shoulder week and half ago, and pain meds leave me naushous(sp). anyway, he said the buck was not eating, so i stagger out and he brings him to me and he smells BAD. turn him over and his testicles and penis are crawling with maggots. take him inside, wash his butt with warm water, then douse the area with hydrogen peroxide and start plucking out the maggots. trimmed the hair as best i could and took him back to his cage. next night repeated. hubby then give him a cc of red cell and he dies right then and there. the next day he bring me a doe, she is not eating, turn her over and she is covered too. same treatment, but am afraid they were way up inside, and they were, so lost her. the rabbits are housed in wire factory made rabbit cages, 3ft off the ground, the area underneath is raked daily and removed. yes, we have flies, and i feed them golden malrin, but, we still have flies. is this just a problem with hairy breed rabbits, or should we be checking all of them? have been raising new zeland and dutch rabbits for a couple of years and no problems, thought we would try some of the lionheads, have 2 left, and watching them close, also cut any hair on the back end that could hide a fly.HELP.

 

[trestlecreek]

Do the rabbits have poo encrusted on their butts?
That would be why they are getting the maggots inside the body.
Do you have pans underneath your wire floor?
First we need to find out why they have poo on their butts. Are you checking that daily?

 

[laughingllama75]

It is called "fly strike" and it can happen to ANY breed of rabbit. I used to raise and show over 200 Mini Rex and Mini Lops, and once in a while, we would have problems. I personally found it more common on the females if they can't clean themselves properly and those with big dewlaps (under the chin) while nesting.
Here are a few good articles that may help you......

"Flies will strike any healthy animal, but generally it is those which have a wet or dirty groin, which are most at risk. However, any rabbit which is unable to clean itself properly may become infected. Typically this includes obese rabbits, females with large dewlaps, or skin folds around their abdomen, rabbits with urinary problems, elderly or arthritic rabbits, long-coated breeds, and rabbits with teeth problems who are unable to groom themselves. Any animal with a wound is also a prime candidate for the fly to lay its eggs, as the odour and moisture from the flesh attracts these insects."

http://www.darwinvets.com/rabbits/flystrike.htm

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-3/maggots.html

 

[currycomb]

like i said, hubby doing chores for last 2 weeks, and he doesn't always see what he looks at if you know what i mean. love him to peices, but his husbandry skills still need refining. when i cleaned up the rabbits, no poo on hairs, doesn't mean there wasn't, but not when i cleaned them up. thanks for the input. :/

 

[trestlecreek]

I understand.
Well, flies generally do not go into the rabbit to lay eggs(maggots) unless there is an area that has poo collecting or a sore.
So, I would keep watching their butts everyday to see if they may not a have a stool problem? If so, I would correct the diet.
Also, you can put a little screw worm spray around the area to keep the flies off. Also, if you have pans, I put a permethrin dust(or something like seven) in my pans under the newspaper to inhibit fly production. I also have an automated fly sprayer in the barn and several fly strips hanging to get rid of the flies.
If you see an infestation, you can give the rabbit an ivomec shot to help repel and drive out the maggots. The ivomec also helps repel them from the rabbit.
Hope maybe some of these tips help.