Fear of Fly Strike and Sadation

[foofoosmom1]

Last year Foo Foo had a fly lay eggs on her that hatched into maggots that ate through her flesh and almost killed her. Luckily I had read about this and realized immediatley what was happening. She spent a week and half at the vet and I had to move her to my basement for four months after that to keep her safe from the flies. The whole mess was heartbreaking and expensive....$3,000 later. Anyway - I need some advice. The flies are out with a vengence this month. Foo Foo lives outside in her own hutch, along with my other two (all individual hutches) that are surrounded by a fenced in10x10 dirt pen (that's full of red ants and now big blackflies). I keep the pen and hutches very clean! Bu tI think the smell just stays and attracks them. Moving the pen or bringing the bunnies inside is not an option for me.

Foo Foo is on the heavy side. She cannot clean her bottom and she is filthy. She does not let you pick her up. My neighbor and I tried to wrap her in a towel and dipher in some gentle puppy wash and I wiped her with warm wash cloth but she kept braking free. After two attempts, I decided to leave her alone and not stress her. I want to keep her butt clean so the flies don't get her. I called my vet but they want $63.00 just to see her than additional $$$ to bathe her!

Question - can I sedate her with very small doses of Xanax or Ambien? If I can calm her down, then I would be able to clean that area. But I don't want to hurt her of course.Maybe I should just pay the vet? Any suggestions, advice or comments are greatly welcomed. Thank you.

 

[BunnyMommy]

Hi, foofoosmom. Welcome to the board.

I by no means have experience in this area, so I'll leave theanswers up to the experts here. However, I just wanted tooffer you a word of encouragement and support. So sorry thatyou and FooFoo are going through this.

Sherman and I will be sending positive thoughts and prayersyour way that everything will get resolved.

 

[bunty]

I m even scared of it in my house because thestupid dog opens the door and stands there letting them in. I had onthe we kept his but shaved because he was old and arthritis kept himfrom grooming and cleaning himself and also made it easy for me toclean, not surgically shaved but clipped close. We also rent and thescreens are awful s owe use the air conditioner and pay the big bill.This way we don't have to worry and flyspray which are bad for all ofus and I do not want my husband to hang those ugly strips with deadflys again this year. Also my husband keep the doors open when I cookbecause the stupid food keeps catching fire and smoking out the house.What can be used in house for flies besides those dead fly strips

 

[MyBunnyLovesMe]

The good thing about being where I am...we don'thave any flies. There's a few outside but I've yet to see on land onMegan. And there aren't any indoors. Megan is always cleaning herself,so is this something I need to worry about?

 

[phx_punk_girl]

something i would suggest to help would be get oneof those rolls of fly tape. actually get a couple. they look likelittle roles of film. the flies get stuck on them and cant get off.they work really good.

for the ants what id suggest is sprinkleing some dry malt-o-meal cerealoutside the cages. this is supposed to be like a natural remedy.supposedly the ants bring it home and eat it and it swells up in theirtummies and kills them. ive never tried it before, but it might beworth a shot.

and heres something you might want to ask your vet about. i know theyhave fly spray for horses and i think they even have it in wipes. maybeyou could just lightly spray the rabbits or use one of the wipes onthem. im pretty sure its safe as its safe for horses, but id ask thevet just to be sure.

hope some of this might help! good luck!

 

[phx_punk_girl]

as far as cleaning her goes, does she let you holdher and pet her? bnecuase they also make small animal wipes thatcontain a cleaner. oh, and the other day at pets mart i saw a spraythats a shampoo/cleaner. maybe you can put her uin your bathroom justfor an hou or so and spray her down good and let her dry before you puther back out?

 

[Carolyn]

Hi FooFoosmom1,

I wouldn't recommend sedating with medication without the supervision of a veterinarian.

Comfrey (herb)is often used to calm stressed, sick, or weak rabbits down. Feed both root and foliage.

A small drop of vanilla in her water can help to keep the flies away.

* * * * * * * * * *

Phx_Punk_Girl:

Borac acidmixed with waterand sprayed on theoutside and the corners and seams of the cage will kill ants ifthat'sa problem, but it won't hurt the rabbit.

-Carolyn

 

[MyBunnyLovesMe]

So this is nothing I have to worry about, is it???

 

[Buck Jones]

For starters, get a scissors andcarefully crop the fur around the anal area, so as to leave lesspurchase for the fecal matter to cling to. I would suggestobtaining a study pair of leather welders' gloves(gauntlet style)thatwould enable you to pick her up, whether she wants to bepicked up or not. Ours often fight me when I try to do theirnails, but I persist in having my way, for they have to recognize thatI am the Alpha Rabbit, the Daddy, the Big Kahuna. Once theyacknowledge that in their own minds, they tend to settle down.

Don't be afraid to be strong and forceful, without genuinely hurtingher. Rabbit society is a hierarchal one and they respect thedominant rabbits above them in the rank order.Assert yourself as such, and she should fall intoline. Indecision and fearfulness on your part is readilydetected and acted upon.

Secondly, add 1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract to her drinkingwater. The measurement of the vanilla is not all thatcritical, and it matters not whether it is pure or artificial vanillaextract, other than the artificial is usually less expensive.

The theory is the vanilla smell embedded inthe fecal materialand urine is repugnant to flies, therefore they will not so readily layeggs on the rabbit. I cannot say with 100% accuracy that therabbit is perfectly safe after ingesting the vanilla flavored water,but I can say there was a noticeable reduction in the number of flies Isaw hovering in and about our outdoor hutches after starting thepractice

Don't know much about the sedation question, so will not reply to that.

Buck

 

[Carolyn]

No, Michelle, I don't think so.

You should always be aware of it and checking Megan, but I know youalready check her and cuddle her enough to see notice such aproblem.

Since she's an inside rabbit, she's not as suseptible to flystrike asoutdoor rabbits are. Of course if you have a lot of flies inthe house, you should probably add vanilla to her water.

-Carolyn

 

[MyBunnyLovesMe]

Well madame, I dont have any flies in my house atall....not even one... a bee got in yesterday but my mom killed it.Megan keeps herself very clean, and I always watch her carefully whenshe's outside.

 

[Carolyn]

Then, no worries, Doll!

-Carolyn

 

[MyBunnyLovesMe]

Oker Doker Smoker, just makin' sure!!! I try tokeep her as safe as I can!! I suddenly can't stop thinkin about theLord Of The Flies....ewww....lol.