Blowflies
Flysrike this is a common and particularly distressing and very often fatal disease. Flystrike can affect any mammal but is particlarly reevant to rabbits, it occurs most during the warm summer weather. If a rabbit get a sore area, typically around the rear end, this could be by their faecal and/or urine soiling. Flies will be attracted to the sores and lay their eggs in them. These eggs hatch into maggots which then will eat away at the tissues in the surrounding area which will then die off and decay.
Finally as the maggots eat the dead tissue they eat turther into the rabbit often emerging into their abdomen, by this time the rabbit has suffered so much pain, they have to be put to sleep. Flystrike is easily prevented with good housing, jusbandry and good hygiene. Alway keep the hutches clean and dry is the utomost importance and feeding the correct diet to avoikd diarrhoea which can also attrack flies. Checking animals daily to clean up any soiled areas and keep everything clean and dry ensures that they are kept healthy Never neglect rabbit or rodents handle daily and fed adiet which is high in fibre.
In addition to these general care and hygiene meausres, futher insurance against flystrke may be provided by the use of sutable insecticides and insect repeeents such as Xenex Ultra. If you spot any signs of flystrike such as flies eggs or maggots on your pet, seek urgent veterinary advice.
Mites
Mites can be put into two groups, ones that dwell in the fur and surface fo the animals skin and the ones that burrow into the skin. Both of these can cause skin lesions to varying degrees, but the treatment will depend on the species. You will need to consult a vet who will then identify the pest and prescibe the most suitable treatment for your pet.
The surface dwellers such as Cheyletiella and Leporacus (Rabbit), Chirodiscoides and Mycoptes (Guinea Pig) and Myobia, Radfordia and Mycoptes (Rats and Mice) can be treated with a suitable topical insecticide.
The skin borrowers such as Demodex, Notoedres, Chirodiscoides, Myocoptes and Saroptes will require an insecticide which penetrates below the skin.
Ear Mites
Ear Mites are very common ectoparasite in ferrets and are caused by Otodectes. It may be acquird at birth or when in close contact with other ferrets or they share the same parasite from dogs or cats. There would be a dark waxy and scaly debris caused by these mites is often abundant and odorous. Psoroptes is the rabbit ear mite and is common. These can be easily treated, many mites will jump which means that other pets and evern you may be at risk. It is very important to get veterinary advice.
Fleas
Rabbits have a specific species of flea call Spilopsyllus Cuniculi, but these fleas are more common in wild rabbits and not seen on rabbits that are kept as pets. Rabbits as well as other small mammals like guinea pigs can be infested with Ctenocephliders canis and C felis which is the dog and cat flea. Our homes can get infested and we can get bites from the fleas too. All pets need to be treated and our home environment with suitable products to keep fleas at bay.
Lice
There are two types of lice:-
Mallophaga the biting lice
Anoplura the sucking lice
Lice is quite common on the smaller rodents such as rats and mice. They are bloodsucking insects of the genus Polylax and can only infest one species. Polypax spinosa infests only rats and polylax serrata only mice. Human are not attack by these lice but we do have couple of lice species of our own, and they can be very very bad news for your pet. The lices consume so much blood that it can cause anaemia and also the means by which certain fatal blood borne diseases such as Ricketsia are transmitted. Lice are passed between individuals and via the bedding.
The teatment for fleas and lice is the same. keeping up with flea treatment and making sure the house and bedding are completely clean will help prevent flea infestion.
Insect Parasites common to Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Rodents and Ferrets
     
Blowfly Blowfly maggots Lice Mite Ear Mite Mite
Flea
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