Maggot/Worm on indoor rabbit. I don't know what to do.

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A & B

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I don't even know where to begin. I'm having a bonding session with my two when Bugs stretches out and falls asleep. I noticed something on his foot that looked a lot like a maggot. I pulled at it and I'm 100% sure it's a maggot/worm creature. It doesn't appear to have a head anymore. It's dead, but it looks like it had its head near the skin (I pulled it out by its rear end). I have noticed a few flys in my room, but definitely not a large amount. For the most part, their cages and litter boxes are clean. He hasn't been outside for about a month. He is acting normal, no limping or refusal to eat. I don't know what to do. I'm practically in tears and I don't know how it could have gotten in my room, much less on him. What does it look like and what should I do about it? He has a vet appointment on Saturday. Any help is very appreciated.20190623_112028.jpeg
Edit: I meant to post it to the Health and Wellness section. Sorry :(
 
Alyssa! Firstly, don't panic! Just check them thoroughly if you find any more then get them to a vet immediately. Hope they'll be fine keep us posted when you got a minute, good luck!
 
I checked their bottoms and nothing, thankfully. It's so scary to think about. I can't kill the flies either because I just can't ever seem to hit them either hard enough or see them. I have noticed Bugs's back twitching a bit, like there was something crawling on him but I never thought too much of it. It makes sense why they would be attracted to Bugs as he had that wound on his side. That is scabbed over fully now and his skin is getting darker (like it does before fur grows back in). He doesn't seem to be in pain, so I don't think that it (any?) are eating him yet. Gosh, just saying that is terrifying. Evie looks great though. I don't want to say that he's okay and then wake up tomorrow to him gone. He can't die yet. I was aware of what fly-strike is, I just thought it only happened to outdoor bunnies. I'm going to email my vet and ask if we can move their appointment up to tomorrow.
 
No reason necessarily to panic quite yet. These things can happen as there is a litter box right there by them with poop and pee in it, which is likely where it came from and just stuck to his bum. It's always good to check your rabbits over at least once a day, especially the bottom. As long as their fur is staying dry and clean with no goopy eye, wet chin, urine soaked fur, or poop stuck to the fur, then they should be just fine. I would also regularly check Bugs wound 2 or 3 times a day, just to make sure it is staying dry and scabbed over. So as long as that's all good then things should be just fine and just something to keep an eye on.

Won't hurt to keep a fly swatter handy in your room too.
 
I have trouble with checking them over, they just won't sit still. I checked his wound a minute ago and it looks amazing. The fur is growing back and there is no signs of maggots getting to it. My mom actually just went to get a fly swatter. I've always thought that there are a group of maggots, and when you see one, there's probably more. I have noticed some pee on Bugs's tail, but that is something that will occasionally happen. I think I will get some fly traps too. Thank you!
 
Hey Alyssa! I don't think its anything to get panicked about, and your care for your buns is amazing! Vet appointment is good, don't jump to any conclusions just yet. I'm sure you're keeping their litter boxes clean, but just a reminder, I know we can get busy sometimes. Keep us updated on sweet Bugs!
 
I do my best to keep their litter boxes clean and I clean them about every 3-4 days, except for the large storage tote one that gets cleaned every 5-6 days. I'm a bit obsessive over keeping their areas clean. I sent a message to my vet, just asking if we can move their Saturday appointment up to a time earlier during the week. I feel disgusted being in my bedroom and I hate knowing that I may have missed one on them. If they can't get the bunnies in before Saturday, it won't be that big of a deal unless they start acting different. I'm actually surprised there's none on Evie. I suspect she may have ear mites (that's one of the main reasons I scheduled their appointment in the first place) and she has scabs/red and brown areas in the tips of her ears. If Bugs's almost healed wound attracted them, wouldn't her sore ears do the same? I'm glad his was on his foot, I can't imagine if it was near the head or ears.

Does anyone have any idea as to why the maggot was dead and decapitated when I pulled it off?
 
The fact it was just stuck to his foot really suggests the flies are laying eggs in the litter rather than on your bunnies. Plus the fact it was only one maggot, and a pretty big on at that. Which is a good thing, because that’s easier to fix. Sometimes when it starts to get warmer you might need to clean out more often, as that damp warm environment is just too tempting to flies, and they can lay eggs that develop into maggots within 12 hours so it doesn’t take long to get an infestation!
 
That does make sense because the night before I found it, I had cleaned the two litter boxes he doesn't use but didn't clean the one he does. I didn't clean the one he uses yet but I did give him a completely different one last night and I don't see any on him now. My brother came in and killed all of the flies in my bedroom last night. The maggot definitely wasn't there for long because it was still moist? I talked to my vet and she would like to look them over before Saturday. They will be going in on Wednesday at 10:30.
 
Hi! I know how stressful this must be for you. Hopefully everything works out. Did you make sure the head didn’t get stuck in bugs when you pulled it out? I know this can happen with tics and may be why it was decapitated. As long as they are eating,drinking and acting normally I would say they will be fine until Wednesday. As you know, if you notice anything unusual bring them to an emergency vet. I think they will be fine. Maybe as a way to monitor clean out the litter everyday. Best of luck! Keep us posted.
 
I didn't even bother looking for the head! I hope it's not stuck in him, but I still have no idea how it died. It wasn't flat, so it wasn't killed by him stepping on it. I don't think it's going to cause any problems because he's acting fine. Their appointment is tomorrow, I will be sure to share what the vet says.
 
I've been watching this thread since it was started and got scared myself! Changing my litter boxes every evening at least removing wet spots etc for the two my males as there's only dry berries in their boxes and only one little corner is wet, but I remove it and add some fresh pellets. Googled some photo about flystrike really scary stuff, thanks for posting this.
 

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