Maggots in drop pans

[Noblegarden]

I am used to keeping rabbits indoors, but we moved and there is no room so they went outside on the patio. With all the moving, I wasn't able to clean them for a week, but because they were outside in a well ventilated area they didn't smell.
I cleaned them today and I feel horrible because there were maggots in all their drop pans.
I have PetLodge cages and was lining the bottom with a thin layer of pine shavings, about 1/4 inch at most.
Question is: Did the pine shavings make it more hospitable for the flies? Or did I just wait too long on cleaning?
I didn't put more shavings down, just an empty pan. I also got a fly and mosquito repellent thing that sprays every 15min.
Sorry, I just don't know what to expect with keeping them outside.

 

[dayna]

I would be cautious using that spray around rabbits.

Maggots happen pretty quickly outside. I know here I see them in like 48 hours. I don't view them as a big deal unless they are ON the rabbits.

 

[jeannie]

All my rabbits are outside. No maggots *yet*, and hoping not too, but I hang "Resuce Fly bags" in my yard (other brands just lie about working). They hold (according to the bag) 40,000 flies. I believe them! During fly season, the bags are filled in 4 weeks!

I have one in the chicken run (a 16'x16' space) and one about 10 feet from the rabbits. They STINK to all get out, but work! I have hung other brands next to them to compare, and the Rescue ones are the "true" fly eliminators! *thinking they should pay me advertisement fees* :lol:

I did mention that they REALLY stink ~~ the first time I hung them I was searching the yard for a decomposing animal, lol! And that was after I thought the sepic system went down... thank God that was okay! But I worked around the smell issue knowing that my animals were not bothered with pesky flies (I held my breath whenever I walked by) :x

 

[dayna]

Yeah I use those fly bags too, I forgot about that! And man, they smell HORRID. But yeah, they do work. I've filled mine to bursting with flies!

 

[Bad Habit]

I dust my dropping trays with DE and clean regularly(every day or two) to keep down flies and smells. It doesn't completely eliminate flies - I also hang fly strips to help catch them(I've performed my own tests to determine which type of fly strip works best, then bought a case of them, lol!)

 

[Miss M]

Yeah, I don't think I'd be comfortable using the spray... rabbits have delicate respiratory systems.

Somebody on here did the pennies-in-water-in-plastic-baggies thing, and didn't expect it to work, but they said it did.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have dropping boards and the waste falls to the ground- but I have noticed that the maggots will congregate in wet areas of poop. Try using pine pellets (horse stall bedding or wood stove pellets without added accelerant) to absorb the urine and keep the pans dry.

DE doesn't seem to affect maggots, but will kill adult flies.

Fly bags should be placed well away from your animals so the flies are drawn away from them.

Somebody on here did the pennies-in-water-in-plastic-baggies thing, and didn't expect it to work, but they said it did.

I have tried that and it never seems to work for me.

 

[Bad Habit]

de is supposed to prevent maggots. it's supposed to dry out the eggs so they never hatch.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

de is supposed to prevent maggots. it's supposed to dry out the eggs so they never hatch.

Well, it isn't working here. But that is probably because the eggs aren't always in direct contact with it- I sprinkle DE under my cages when I rake up the poo, but don't constantly reapply it, so there is plenty of surface area between the bunny berries that is "safe".

I used to feed it to my horses all the time, because it is supposed to prevent the eggs hatching in their manure too. I'm not sure if it worked or not, since the manure dries out here so fast that I haven't ever really seen maggots in horse poop.