Ensuring an appropriate diet and keeping your rabbits in good, healthy condition can do wonders for preventing fly strike. A large, suitably-sized enclosure is not only important for the mental well-being and physical fitness of a rabbit, but will also allow them to move away from dirty areas, keeping themselves clean. Given the chance, a rabbit is a clean creature, who likes to urinate and defecate in one area, and eat, play and sleep in another.Īnother key risk factor for fly strike is obesity, due to low-slung rear ends dragging through faeces and urine, as well as the inability for overweight rabbits to get to the ‘hard to reach’ areas in order to clean themselves effectively. It is vital that rabbit enclosures are cleaned out regularly, and this is especially true in the spring and summer months because a dirty environment will attract the green bottle fly. ![]() Those with dirty derrieres is the best place to begin. The first step in the fight against fly strike is to identify it early, so it’s helpful to know which rabbits are especially at risk. It is obvious then, that preventing this kind of suffering is far better than curing it. We will provide your bunny with pain relief, fluid therapy, and whatever else they might need for the best chance of recovery. It is as gruesome as it sounds and also extremely painful. The sooner we see these bunnies at the vets, the sooner we, along with our strong-stomached nurses, can painstakingly remove each maggot with special instruments. Having been laid upon the rabbit, eggs develop into maggots, which in turn feast upon your bunny’s flesh. Bunnies, as well as other animals such as sheep, commonly fit the description, especially if their rear ends are covered in faeces or urine, as the odour attracts the fly. The perfect environment is one which is warm and preferably with a ready food source. We can help you to recognise the early signs, and to make some very necessary checks for this awful disease.įirst it’s helpful for you to know what fly strike is (technical term for fly strike is myiasis), and it really is just as its name describes. The green bottle fly seeks an environment to lay its eggs. Fly strike is an unpleasant, painful and sometimes fatal condition that, tragically, is often only noticed once it is well developed. From the requirement to keep them with at least one other rabbit, to their complex dietary needs, bunnies are being cared for better than ever. And yet there is one issue, one agonising problem that rabbits continually come to us vets with, and that is fly strike. Awareness of the best way to care for rabbits is on the increase. They are increasingly popular, no doubt for their sweet, amusing personalities and, what some might be surprised to hear, their surprising ability and willingness to learn and to be interactive members of the family. Keeping your rabbit indoors at risk periods during warm weather can be helpful, but the risk of fly strike cannot be fully eliminated even for indoor rabbits.An estimated 1.5 million rabbits are kept as pets in the UK. It is included at a discount on our Maven Health Care Club scheme to help prevent fly strike. This can be very useful for prevention and post-treatment of fly strike, but is not a substitute for urgent care in the acute condition. It can be applied every 8-10 weeks, ideally starting before the fly season. ![]() Rear Guard is a spot on preventative medication that can be applied to the skin to prevent the larvae from hatching. Diarrhoea can become very serious very quickly and if you see this in your pet then we would recommend a check up with us to help determine the cause. Loose faeces can be an indication of an inappropriate diet, dental disease or many other gastrointestinal conditions. ![]() Regular health checks are essential throughout their lives to make sure that they do not suffer from these debilitating conditions.Ī rabbit will find it harder to clean themselves if they have diarrhoea or are incontinent. For information on this, please see the rabbit nutrition advice on our website.Īnimals with arthritis also find it harder to turn around to groom themselves and this can be a problem in our older rabbit companions. It is important to keep your rabbit in good body condition and not allow them to become overweight. This process can be hindered if the rabbit is overweight, as they cannot easily reach their bottom to clean themselves. ![]() Rabbits are usually very clean animals and will groom themselves. Removing all traces of faeces and keeping your bunny dry is also crucial to help prevent the disease. At Maven Vets we recommend checking your pet at least once daily to make sure they are clean, dry and free from infestation. Monitoring is incredibly important for every rabbit.
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