I have had a bad past when it comes to taking care of rabbits, and I have not cared about them nearly as much as I should have, but this is a case of rabbit care that I intend to take seriously.
Early this year, I had three rabbits in total; two of them have since died. Neither rabbit died of old age (both were probably about four years old), and as at least one of them had flies landing on it not long before it died, I believe that there is a chance that both rabbits died of flystrike. It was only today that I found out that flystrike is both possible and a serious problem in rabbits (I previously believed that it was only possible in sheep). The rabbits were kept outdoors, and my remaining rabbit is currently being kept outdoors as well.
Today was a hot day, and I noticed that my remaining rabbit had some flies landing on it. I wanted to stop this from happening, so I removed most of the dung-covered fur that it had around its rear. This filthy fur had been present for at least several weeks, and I am aware that leaving it in this condition was inexcusable (I thought that the soiled fur would eventually fall off, as I have seen happen at least once before). Removing this fur, however, did not stop the problem of flies landing on my rabbit. It was after this that I looked up flystrike in rabbits and found out that it was a real possibility, and I don't want to lose my rabbit to the condition. Subsequently, I took the rabbit inside and used warm water to wash its rear (I am aware of the fact that rabbits should never be given full-body washes); warm water can apparently lure out maggots, but I saw none. This was clearly a very stressful experience for the rabbit, but it did not struggle or scream. I carefully cleaned the rabbit's behind and removed one possible maggot egg, as well as all of the remaining dirty fur. As I write this, the rabbit is drying off in a cardboard box, where it will hopefully calm down.
I am not allowed to keep the rabbit inside to prevent the possibility of flystrike. It would not like being kept inside, anyway, because it has a fairly large outdoor enclosure all to itself. I do not want to have to clean my rabbit's rear every day, because catching and cleaning it is difficult for me and very unpleasant for the rabbit. I doubt that removing a large number of the flies that live outdoors is a viable option, and I don't know about any medicine for preventing flystrike in rabbits that is available in my country.
I would appreciate any advice from experienced individuals.
Early this year, I had three rabbits in total; two of them have since died. Neither rabbit died of old age (both were probably about four years old), and as at least one of them had flies landing on it not long before it died, I believe that there is a chance that both rabbits died of flystrike. It was only today that I found out that flystrike is both possible and a serious problem in rabbits (I previously believed that it was only possible in sheep). The rabbits were kept outdoors, and my remaining rabbit is currently being kept outdoors as well.
Today was a hot day, and I noticed that my remaining rabbit had some flies landing on it. I wanted to stop this from happening, so I removed most of the dung-covered fur that it had around its rear. This filthy fur had been present for at least several weeks, and I am aware that leaving it in this condition was inexcusable (I thought that the soiled fur would eventually fall off, as I have seen happen at least once before). Removing this fur, however, did not stop the problem of flies landing on my rabbit. It was after this that I looked up flystrike in rabbits and found out that it was a real possibility, and I don't want to lose my rabbit to the condition. Subsequently, I took the rabbit inside and used warm water to wash its rear (I am aware of the fact that rabbits should never be given full-body washes); warm water can apparently lure out maggots, but I saw none. This was clearly a very stressful experience for the rabbit, but it did not struggle or scream. I carefully cleaned the rabbit's behind and removed one possible maggot egg, as well as all of the remaining dirty fur. As I write this, the rabbit is drying off in a cardboard box, where it will hopefully calm down.
I am not allowed to keep the rabbit inside to prevent the possibility of flystrike. It would not like being kept inside, anyway, because it has a fairly large outdoor enclosure all to itself. I do not want to have to clean my rabbit's rear every day, because catching and cleaning it is difficult for me and very unpleasant for the rabbit. I doubt that removing a large number of the flies that live outdoors is a viable option, and I don't know about any medicine for preventing flystrike in rabbits that is available in my country.
I would appreciate any advice from experienced individuals.