Flystrike

[Roughquest]

When I was young my sister and I kept 2 rabbits, they lived to a ripe age but both died of flystrike, which upon finding them one day being half eaten alive by maggots was a very horrfic sight when you are just 9years old. To this day i love rabbits and would dearly love to get another one but I am scared this will happen again and it is putting me off keeping rabbits again.
Both my rabbits were cleaned out regularly.
RQ x

[Tammera]

flystrike is when the eggs are laid in the poo/matted fur stuck around their bum. its very important that rabbits back ends are cleaned and groomed as they can lay eggs if the fur is matted there to. as long as they are groomed very often, as much as daily, in the summer you shouldnt need to have to clean them there aswell, unless there is some poo on the fur or skin. no amount of cleaning the rabbits cage will stop flystrike as its the rabbits rear end thats targeted not the cage.

[thebigchill]

Ooooh blimmin heck that sounds really nasty i'd never heard of that before

[Noweia]

Flystrike is more likely to happen to older rabbits, as sometimes they can't get round to their back ends to groom and clean any more, so the dirt builds up and then the flies come.

Here is an article on flystrike, which you may find useful!

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/rwf/articles/Flys trike.htm

Don't let it put you off keeping rabbits again, flystrike can happen to any rabbit.