Fly strike?

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Easy Ears

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Hey guys!
I know the general idea of Fly strike...but how can you prevent it? Does a normal de-womer kill it, or prevent the eggs from hatching? And could someone post a picture of a magget if you have one?

Thanks so much! This sight has been SO helpful to me!!!! :D
 
Diatomaceous earth is a great non toxic way, I bought the non food grade from a local Farm and Fleet..hoping it's not too toxic for the rabbits.
I haven't applied it directly on my rabbits yet, but I put it around my cages and hutches for the earwigs.
 
Do not apply the non-food grade DE to your rabbits. It is far to toxic for them since it has been heat treated. You will need the food grade for actually putting it on the rabbits instead of the surrounding area.
 
Easy Ears":2zj5uq2q said:
What de-wormer should be used for Dutch rabbits? Hollands? Netherland dwarfs???? :)
Safe-Guard for Goats (Fenbendazole) is what you want. Get it at you local Feed or Ranch supply stores.

edit: I saw you asked for a picture of the little nasty creatures in your first post. This is a picture of the bluebottle fly maggots.
fly_maggots-resized-600.jpg
 
Fenbendazole will do nothing for flystike.

Ivermectin will kill the larva but the maggots rotting under the skin and in the muscle will produce toxins and kill the rabbit too, also Dutch and Vienna rabbits should not be given this drug as they can have a bad reaction to it (actually all mammals with blue eyes or are a colour associated with blue eyes are sensitive to ivermectin)

Here is a good article on flystike- http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_disea ... is_fly.htm
 
Dood":2pa4nimn said:
Fenbendazole will do nothing for flystike.

Ivermectin will kill the larva but the maggots rotting under the skin and in the muscle will produce toxins and kill the rabbit too, also Dutch and Vienna rabbits should not be given this drug as they can have a bad reaction to it (actually all mammals with blue eyes or are a colour associated with blue eyes are sensitive to ivermectin)

Here is a good article on flystike- http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/Skin_disea ... is_fly.htm
I believe the question was "what de-wormer to use on Dutch rabbits". I know not use use Ivermectin on animals that carry the Vienna gene. That's why I said Safe-Guard for Goats.

As for dealing with a fly strike, I remember reading a post on RT(sorry, can't find it now) that mentioned packing the breathing hole with salt. Ouch! :x When the maggot comes part way out in about a minute to get air you pluck it out with tweezers being very careful not to crush or break it off leaving any behind.
 
Ok, I just want to make sure I can prevent fly strike, or other worms....so what should be used for Holland lops, Netherland dwarfs, and Dutch? :bounce:
 
The only prevention of fly strike is good hygiene and to make sure your rabbits are clean and dry and don't have access to their wastes and any wounds are quickly treated and inspected for fly maggots.

Good hygiene is also the best for preventing internal intestinal worms but it is nearly impossible to completely prevent them since wildlife (birds, mice, chipmunks etc...) carry worms and any contact your rabbits have with them and their bodily fluids or even the plants they walked on, can cause infection.

Not all wormers work for every parasite and you must use specific ones that kill the specific parasite (pinworms, flukes, coccidia, giardia, E. Cuni, tapeworm etc...) that your rabbits have.

Remember that these chemicals are poisons - in Europe you cannot even buy them over the counter and must get a prescription from a veterinarian - they kill parasites and can stress (or even kill) your rabbits so be watchful for odd behaviour, sneezing, runny noses or diarrhea after treatment
 
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