Blow Fly Strike in Rabbits

I know I have blogged about this before, but in the past few days I have seen three, yes THREE, rabbits with fly strike. The flies seem to be enjoying this warm, damp weather we have been having. Also, rabbits are sitting on damp grass or in damp hutches, sitting targets for the flies and their eggs.

So if you have rabbits you MUST;
** Check them at least twice daily, turn them over and inspect their bottoms. If they are damp or dirty, ensure they go back into the cage clean and dry. Do not think house rabbits are immune, flies get into the house don´t they?!
** Use a fly repellent from your vet, the ones from the petshop or any homemade remedies will simply NOT be stop enough. There are 2 different products available; Rearguard, which is both a fly repellent and will stop eggs developing, it is a liquid which is ´painted´ all over the rabbits backend; or Xenex, which is a fly repellent only but also works against mites and fleas, it is a ´spot-on´ similar to those used in cats and dogs.

If you are at all concerned, take your pet to the vets, they will be very good at hunting out maggots, they know all the crevices where they hide!

Amazingly, all three of the rabbits have survived their attacks. Two were caught early but the third was very advanced and is going to need extensive reconstructive surgery to repair the damage the maggots caused.

Please check your rabbits!