How to Prevent Fly Strike in Rabbits
Check for fly strike regularly., Look for fly eggs or maggots., Remove eggs or maggots., Take your rabbit to the vet if it has fly strike., Understand flies and fly strike is in order to avoid it.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Check for fly strike regularly.
Every rabbit, healthy or sick, should be checked over twice a day in warm or hot weather to look for fly eggs.
This means picking the rabbit up and visually inspecting all areas including between the armpits, groin, under the tail, genital area, dewlaps, skin folds and tail base. -
Step 2: Look for fly eggs or maggots.
You should know what you are looking for when checking your rabbit.
Fly eggs are pinhead sized white glistening objects.
Maggots vary in size from short thread like objects to plumper and worm like objects. , Wipe away eggs with a clean disposable towel.
Immediately remove any maggots with tweezers and then seek veterinary help.
If the skin is damaged, remove as many of those on the surface as you can and seek urgent veterinary attention for those that have burrowed deeper into the tissue.
Eggs take a matter of hours to hatch out, so it is possible for a rabbit that was clear at breakfast time, to have fly strike by the evening.
This is why it is important to check twice a day. , This condition needs to be treated quickly and effectively or it could kill your rabbit.
In addition to making sure you have thoroughly eliminated all maggots and eggs from your rabbit, your veterinarian will probably prescribe a preventative medicine to stop further infections. , The fly life cycle involves the adult fly laying eggs.
These eggs hatch out into maggots, and these maggots need to feed in order to grow and ultimately hatch out as adults.
The maggots normally eat rotting flesh.What happens with fly strike in rabbits is that the flies lay eggs in live flesh rather than dead carcasses.
The eggs hatch in a matter of hours and the hungry maggots eat through live tissue.
This is painful for the rabbit, and if the maggots are not spotted quickly the rabbit can quickly go into shock and die.
Flies are unlikely to be attracted to really healthy tissue.
Problems occur when the flies are attracted to damp skin, an infected area, or an area of skin covered in urine or feces.
Thus rabbits with health problems or those kept in poor conditions where their skin is liable to be damaged, are at greatest risk of fly strike. -
Step 3: Remove eggs or maggots.
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Step 4: Take your rabbit to the vet if it has fly strike.
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Step 5: Understand flies and fly strike is in order to avoid it.
Detailed Guide
Every rabbit, healthy or sick, should be checked over twice a day in warm or hot weather to look for fly eggs.
This means picking the rabbit up and visually inspecting all areas including between the armpits, groin, under the tail, genital area, dewlaps, skin folds and tail base.
You should know what you are looking for when checking your rabbit.
Fly eggs are pinhead sized white glistening objects.
Maggots vary in size from short thread like objects to plumper and worm like objects. , Wipe away eggs with a clean disposable towel.
Immediately remove any maggots with tweezers and then seek veterinary help.
If the skin is damaged, remove as many of those on the surface as you can and seek urgent veterinary attention for those that have burrowed deeper into the tissue.
Eggs take a matter of hours to hatch out, so it is possible for a rabbit that was clear at breakfast time, to have fly strike by the evening.
This is why it is important to check twice a day. , This condition needs to be treated quickly and effectively or it could kill your rabbit.
In addition to making sure you have thoroughly eliminated all maggots and eggs from your rabbit, your veterinarian will probably prescribe a preventative medicine to stop further infections. , The fly life cycle involves the adult fly laying eggs.
These eggs hatch out into maggots, and these maggots need to feed in order to grow and ultimately hatch out as adults.
The maggots normally eat rotting flesh.What happens with fly strike in rabbits is that the flies lay eggs in live flesh rather than dead carcasses.
The eggs hatch in a matter of hours and the hungry maggots eat through live tissue.
This is painful for the rabbit, and if the maggots are not spotted quickly the rabbit can quickly go into shock and die.
Flies are unlikely to be attracted to really healthy tissue.
Problems occur when the flies are attracted to damp skin, an infected area, or an area of skin covered in urine or feces.
Thus rabbits with health problems or those kept in poor conditions where their skin is liable to be damaged, are at greatest risk of fly strike.
About the Author
Emily Watson
Enthusiastic about teaching home improvement techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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