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Flystrike Q - is rearguard worth it?

B

beki

Mama Doe
Just wondering because when I took ruby to the vets today for her jabs the vet mentioned flystrike. I said I check their bums daily and she said she recommends rearguard and I said I would check it on the internet.

I don't have loads of flys in my garden and the bunnies have clean bums and are young and normal weight, so I don't feel i need rearguard for them. Does anyone use it as a preventative or recommend it? Is it really a good idea to spray it on the bunny's bum as surely they will just lick it all off?
 
I personally don't do it as a prevention. If I had a bun with a dodgy tum or mucky bum I would but I think as long as their environment is kept clean and they are checked regularly then it is ok. Rear guard is really expensive! I do keep a bottle in my garage just in case tho.
 
Having used it once on Jimby as a preventative measure and him going into statis we stay away from it now.
Like MichG has said as long as the bunny is healthy and not overweight and the environment is kept clean then it is not really nessersary.
 
I have some Rearguard but I haven't used it since last year. Personally I find it quite hard to apply, I had to press down very hard on the sponge applicator to get the liquid out which is difficult with buns who don't like being handled and when you're trying to get it done quickly!
 
thanks for the replies. Sounds like it isn't really worth it for healthy buns then. and i don't want to distress reggie too much, he isn't really a fan of being handled much. I shall carry on with the bum checks.
 
:DHi, just reading your comments. I obviously give my buns their injections and being a first time bunny owner I bought all the panacur and spot on for my first rabbit, although now my rabbit is bonded, I havent as yet put any spot on, on my second bun as thought what if my first bunny licks it off his neck??! then was thinking about rearguard, but you all think its not really worth it? I was inbetween with what to do but if they are healthy and ok then no need to worry? My second bunny does seem to have a few extra catastrophes that my first bunny and today their was a muckier poo which I did see flies on, I have checked her and she seems fine? any advice??:wave:As long as she does not have any muck on her bum she should be fine, right??
 
Unless she has a mucky bum I wouldn't use it. If she has poo problems you should probably look at fine tuning her diet as a way of stopping the poo problems. For an incontinent rabbit I would definitely consider using rear guard. There is also another preventative measure called flyguard you can buy in shops that deters flies rather than killing an existing infestation, but you have to spray it on quite liberally and may cause your buns more upset than it's worth.
 
ok excellent thanks very much. Her poos are not too bad but like you said I think her diet may need a retune. They get plenty of hay and small amount of veg but I think maybe I need to slightly reduce their pellets, I give 4 handfuls of excel pellets in the morning (small hands) for two buns but I think I will reduce this a bit as the vets do actually only recommend 1 or 2 tablespoons so think will use a tablespoon now. Could this upset her stomach if reduce too quickly?
 
I now only use it if I am going away on holiday and someone else is looking after them. When I don't use it I always have some in as an emergency as flies can also lay eggs on clean bunnies. I also do a minimum of 2 checks a day in the summer.
 
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