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.
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.
A common cause of fly strike is that a rabbit has been kept in dirty conditions, with urine stained bedding and lots of pellets. The smell of urine or feces will attract flies to the area. If the rabbit has been sitting in damp bedding, smells of urine, or, worse still, the rabbit’s skin is damaged because of urine scald, flies will be even more attracted to the area. [1] X Research source
If the fur is soiled, tease out the pellets or carefully use scissors to cut the fur away.
For both conditions, always seek veterinary attention. If the rabbit has diarrhea, take it off vegetables and fruit, and feed it mainly hay. However, make sure it actually eats the hay or it may starve itself. [2] X Research source Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Frances Harcourt Brown. Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
Key to prevention is keeping the rabbit at a healthy weight by feeding a diet of mostly hay, supplement with fresh vegetables and only a dessertspoon of pellets a day. If your rabbit is already overweight, then it’s essential to perform twice daily checks as they are at greater risk of fly strike. Aim to slowly reduce their weight by cutting back on their pellets and switching them onto hay. [5] X Research source Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Frances Harcourt Brown. Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann You should also check rabbits with arthritis more often. A stiff arthritic rabbit cannot turn around so easily and is more liable to become soiled. Your vet can supply a painkiller, meloxicam, which is suitable for use in rabbits. This helps ease their discomfort but daily checks are still essential. [6] X Research source Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Frances Harcourt Brown. Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
Rearguard does not repel flies or kill maggots, but it stops any eggs that are laid from hatching into maggots. This product is a tool to help prevent fly strike but it should not replace good clean bedding conditions, regular checks, or attending to your rabbit’s health problems.
Some herbs are said to have fly repellent properties, so consider growing them beside an outdoor hutch or in pots inside. These include chamomile, peppermint, basil, green oregano, hemp, lavender, rosemary and rue. [8] X Research source [9] X Research source
