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How can I protect my rabbits from Fly strike?

2

2rabbitsfull

New Kit
Hi everyone, since summer is right around the corner I’ve been seeing more insects about and I’m trying to prepare my rabbits for the weather. I have the beaphar fly free spray spray that I’ve never used before but I’ve heard there’s no need to use it on healthy buns. Also, on the back of it, it says it’s “dangerous for the environment” surely it’s not safe for rabbits then?? Has any one tried this? X
 
2rabbitsfull said:
Hi everyone, since summer is right around the corner I’ve been seeing more insects about and I’m trying to prepare my rabbits for the weather. I have the beaphar fly free spray spray that I’ve never used before but I’ve heard there’s no need to use it on healthy buns. Also, on the back of it, it says it’s “dangerous for the environment” surely it’s not safe for rabbits then?? Has any one tried this? X
Click to expand...

This may be useful to read

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/rabbit-health/flystrike/
 
If you keep your rabbit's hutch/toilet area really clean and give your rabbit a good diet then there should be no need to put chemicals onto them to avoid flystrike. Flies won't hang around if everything is kept clean. Does your rabbit keep himself clean at the backend?
 
Thanks for replying, one of my rabbits has a really sensitive stomach and produces excess Cecotropes, most of the time she manages to keep herself clean and I disinfect their room weekly and litter trays daily to every other day.
 
Hi there

My bunnies live indoors so when the weather starts to get warmer I put fly nets on the windows to stop any flies getting in. I get them quite cheaply from Aldi and they're very quick and easy to put up. Since I started using them I've found they're very effective and I've had no issues with flies coming in.

I think it would be a good option for you if you have indoor buns. I reckon it could also be used to put around the accommodation if you have outside buns as the netting still allows the air to circulate.

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk
 
Often flies are difficult to stop in the summer months as they are relentless. My previous rabbit lived outside half of the time (indoors the other half) and she got flystrike twice. This is one of the many reasons I would never keep a rabbit outdoors again, as despite all the precautions you may take, it may not be enough to stop them especially if your rabbit produces excess cecotropes as you mentioned as these really entice flies. Fly strike is extremely painful and often deadly to rabbits, so I personally wouldn’t take the chance but if you have no option other than keeping them outdoors in summer, I’d say that the best way to prevent it is to make sure that the area/living space is kept very clean and check the bunnies twice or more daily to ensure that they are keeping themselves clean. Also reduce pellet amount and increase consumption of good quality hay to help reduce the number of excess cecos.
 
Thanks, I was planning to put them in the outdoor enclosure for the summer but will keep them indoors as I don’t want to risk it, and I will definitely get some fly nets this weekend. She’s had a problem with her cecos from when I got her at 14 weeks (probably from the poor diet the breeders had her on, she was bred for snake food), I’ve tried reducing pellets to 2 tablespoons a day but she ended up losing a lot of weight. At the moment I’m giving her about 5 tablespoons of pellets a day with her normal salad.
 
That sounds like a good idea. But just to note, 5 tablespoons of pellets per day seems like a lot. Usually the ratio is around 1 tablespoon per 2kg of the rabbit’s weight. Don’t quote me on this ratio, as it could be slightly off, but I’d definitely cut down on her pellets and this should also reduce the excess cecos.
 
Sorry I didn’t read your whole comment, regarding the weight loss, maybe contact your vet? Because otherwise there is an imbalance in her diet meaning she’ll eat a lot less hay than she’s supposed to which could lead to stasis. Hay should be 80% of a rabbits diet whereas pellets should be 5%. Also possibly review the pellets you’re feeding if you think that is what helps her maintain weight.
 
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