Feel awful! Maggot in piggy cage!

[Fudge and Rainbow :)]

I just cleaned out the piggie's hutch and feel so bad. There was a maggot in the hutch! :x I clean out their hutch once a week as they're only in there for night because they are in their runs all day. So it doesn't get very dirty. But I found a maggot! It's dead now and I have totally sprayed their cage with fly strike spray. I don't know if guinea pigs can get fly strike but I checked them over anyway, no signs, all have a very clean rear end but I just feel so bad. They were sleeping in a bed with maggots! 8... I'm guessing there will have been more than one. I'm gonna clean them out more than once a week now!

This is just a warning that maggots can even be hiding in the cleanest cages. I'm quite worried about the girls, will they be ok?

 

[clairelove]

guinea pigs can get flystrike, i think you have done the right thing though by spraying the hutch and the guinea pigs and checking their rear endrolleyes i would advise cleaning maybe twice a week as the flies will lay eggs in the poops/wee that are in the hutch even if there isnt much in there...

 

[doglovinpiggylover]

maybe because it has been humid recently? theres blooming flies everywhere mallethead

 

[Wiebke]

Don't feel bad - this is the time for flies (an this year is definitely a fly year!You are not the first consciencious member this has happened to! It may be useful to clean out the sleeping quarters twice weekly for the time being.

Fly strike can happen to guinea pigs.

 

[Fudge and Rainbow :)]

Thanks everyone and yes I will definitely clean out twice a week or more from now on. I'm just glad I found out today that it being too late!

 

[flips]

It's great that you care so much for your piggies. Am I right in thinking you got a third piggie recently? This would explain the need to clean out more often. I know you'll be on top of this straight away so don't feel bad.

 

[Fudge and Rainbow :)]

It's great that you care so much for your piggies. Am I right in thinking you got a third piggie recently? This would explain the need to clean out more often. I know you'll be on top of this straight away so don't feel bad.

Thankyou, and yes I did get piggy number 3. I guess having an extra one does make a big difference! Cos I have had the older girls for 5 years and have never found a maggot!

 

[flips]

When I got piggy number 3 I was sure she must have brought extra poop with her in a suitcase! It's amazing how much more poop just one extra piggy makes. |)

 

[christine]

As well as the usual hair trimming and keeping a close eye out at this time of year,I have found that spraying the piggies rear ends with Tea Tree spay helps to put flies off. I also use it to spray around the solid surfaces in the piggie house,flies do not seem yo like the smell.

 

[christine]

As well as the usual hair trimming and keeping a close eye out at this time of year,I have found that spraying the piggies rear ends with Tea Tree spay helps to put flies off. I also use it to spray around the solid surfaces in the piggie house,flies do not seem yo like the smell.

Sorry that should read"spray" not "spay"!

 

[Carma Violet]

Don't feel bad! Earlier this year we had a spate of 4 weeks of maggots in their cage. And they are indoors. As soon as we cleaned them out the flies where invading again.

I proper felt aweful. But there wasn't much I could do other than clean them out frequently enough that the maggot didn't get too big.

The first time I found them they were in the caccoon stage. Horrible! They were about to become flies!

The problem ended once the weather changed. For us it was when the rain started. Not much else to do but wait for a change in the weather. I found keeping an eye on the very dampest areas and lifting it up to see the base of the bedding to check for maggots was the only way to monitor it effectively.

-Carma

 

[wales1000]

we had a few maggots in one of our guinea pig hutches, but it was underneath the towels and vet bed - i think it was so warm there was a few flies about - we now have a fly trap, but i felt awful when i found them - this was when i was cleaning them out, so i cleaned it out thoroughly and have checked since, but it hasnt happened again - luckily the fly trap is working!

 

[Romily]

It has happened to us before and I was really upset but I know that my piggy care is good and as others have said I just clean out more during the fly months.

 

[Astral Heart]

I know winter is bad with the cold weather, but it's great for making those flies go away! I get sick of seeing them in summer literally everywhere urgh...

 

[Astral Heart]

...

 

[Pebble]

Please dont beat yourself up too much about "one" maggot (I know it's diffcult - I do the same )

However I cant' help recall when i was 10 years old with my first piggie (over 30 years ago) that maggots were par for the course in outdoor cages those days and he lived to a ripe old age of 7 with absolutely no problems whatsoever at any stage in his life.....

Good that you're vigilant and aware of flystrike.... they couldn;t ask for a better mummy ....so pat yourself on the back.

Johnson insecticidal cage sparay is good - but it has permetrhin ....so leave it to biodegrade for a couple of weeks before putting piggies back in.

I have just done this for my pigs who have been diagnosed with ear mites......and by gum the spray killed everythingwith potnetially 6 legs that moved (judging by the bodies in the cage afterwards )

x

 

[Fudge and Rainbow :)]

Please dont beat yourself up too much about "one" maggot (I know it's diffcult - I do the same )

However I cant' help recall when i was 10 years old with my first piggie (over 30 years ago) that maggots were par for the course in outdoor cages those days and he lived to a ripe old age of 7 with absolutely no problems whatsoever at any stage in his life.....

Good that you're vigilant and aware of flystrike.... they couldn;t ask for a better mummy ....so pat yourself on the back.

Johnson insecticidal cage sparay is good - but it has permetrhin ....so leave it to biodegrade for a couple of weeks before putting piggies back in.

I have just done this for my pigs who have been diagnosed with ear mites......and by gum the spray killed everything with potnetially 6 legs that moved (judging by the bodies in the cage afterwards )

x

Thanks. I sprayed the hutch with Johnson's fly strike protector. Hope there's no permetrhin in that cos they went in the hutch at the end of the day. (obviously when the spray had dried and hutch was ready for them) But it didn't say anything about it on the bottle. Thanks for the advice.