Maggots in cage :(

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hoggle*&*Ludo

Hoggle*&*Ludo

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
3,089
Reaction score
1
Points
0
Location
Preston, Lancashire
Absolutely vile.

I came to clean the pigs before and found a big patch of poo in the corner with tiny maggot type things crawling in it. I have checked their bums best I could and bathed them. I am so annoyed because I bought this net to put over the windows to stop flies coming in and it still happened.

I cleaned them out properly about a week ago but swept the poops out on Saturday, and have been away over the weekend so only just got chance to do a proper clean.

I scrubbed the cage too with a scourer and threw the fleece away (their favourite Peppa Pig one) 8...

Really hope they are ok. What should I keep an eye out for health wise? They are jumping about after their baths and have eaten their veg. I sprayed their bums with deodorant after the baths too.

I am so worried. :( I hate this weather.
 
I'm really not sure, mine are indoors and because it's been so hot and humid lately we've had all the windows open and I've been worried about the amount of flies too. I've been trying to be a bit more vigil and make sure they get a thorough sweep out at least once a day and a full clean out twice a week to keep on top of things. I'm not sure whether there are any treatments available for guinea pigs for flystrike? If there are may be worth treating as a preventative method to be on the safe side
 
Thank you. Sorry I tell a lie, it was Monday cos I was off work. I gave them a sweep on Monday, fresh food and hay etc then this happens today. There haven't been flies in my room for well over a week that I know of cos I went on a massive killing spree.

mallethead
 
Hoggle*&*Ludo said:
Absolutely vile.

I came to clean the pigs before and found a big patch of poo in the corner with tiny maggot type things crawling in it. I have checked their bums best I could and bathed them. I am so annoyed because I bought this net to put over the windows to stop flies coming in and it still happened.

I cleaned them out properly about a week ago but swept the poops out on Saturday, and have been away over the weekend so only just got chance to do a proper clean.

I scrubbed the cage too with a scourer and threw the fleece away (their favourite Peppa Pig one) 8...

Really hope they are ok. What should I keep an eye out for health wise? They are jumping about after their baths and have eaten their veg. I sprayed their bums with deodorant after the baths too.

I am so worried. :( I hate this weather.
Click to expand...

I've seen some in my rabbit's hutch before in the past but I've never had any in my guinea-pig hutches. It is scary when you find them.

Fly-strike will make itself known pretty sharpish so you'll know if anything is wrong within a day. Considering fly eggs hatch within hours, they were likely caught just in time before they got to your pigs so I shouldn't worry about their health now they've been bathed and clean down below :)
 
Maybe the have worms? Worm them as well as spray the cage. Hope this helps and you never have to see them again... YUCK!
 
I am really worried now, sat at work wanting to be home to check on them. I am going to the pet shop after work to get some spray but worried they could have already been attacked - how soon would they be showing symptoms? They were acting fine this morning, wheeking for their hay. I am so worried, I just want to leave work early. :(

With the maggots already being 'born' in the poo, would they have started to cause my pigs to deteriorate already?

:0
 
Get some of this:

http://www.petsathome.com/shop/fly-guard-spray-75ml-by-beaphar-15806
You don't have to get it from Pets at home, most pet shops sell it.

It's the BEST stuff, not like the fly strike spray mentioned above.

You spray your piggies bottoms and a little on their tummy and back.. making sure it gets right down to the skin. You do this every 3 months.

If they were tiny maggots, then they had only just hatched.. thus would probably not have made it to your piggies yet.
 
Thanks. :)

I am just concerned about the amount there were, if they are already hatched could they have gotten inside my pigs or does the fly have to do that?

God I hate this. :(

Will that stuff treat them if they are infected or does it just prevent future attacks? I really can't get to the vet, they are living at the other end of town and it is a few weeks off until I get my car. It is all just a mess. :0
 
Hoggle*&*Ludo said:
Thanks. :)

I am just concerned about the amount there were, if they are already hatched could they have gotten inside my pigs or does the fly have to do that?

God I hate this. :(

Will that stuff treat them if they are infected or does it just prevent future attacks? I really can't get to the vet, they are living at the other end of town and it is a few weeks off until I get my car. It is all just a mess. :0
Click to expand...

argh it's that time of the year again isn’t it? Damn flies!

Someone may correct me if i am wrong but I think that the maggots need a warm and damp environment to live in so if your pigs bums are dry then I doubt you will have a problem.

Flystrike is relatively rare in pigs... Generally its only an issue when you have a sick pig with a dirty bottom or a pig that sits in his/her wee.

When it is hot and humid like it has been I always try and clean the toilet spots daily as this is where flies with lay their eggs (because it is warm and damp from...). If you are not able to do it daily i wonder if you could use something a little more adsorbent just for the trouble areas to keep them dry for a couple of days?

try not to worry too much I am sure it will be fine.

Lx
 
Time to clear up a few misconceptions I think and stop poor Hoggle and Ludo panicking.

Maggots in cages are NOT a threat to the animal. (and NO, they are NOT worms guineagurl - guiea pigs don;t normally get worms in the UK)

In order for flystrike to occur, the fly first has to lay eggs actually ON the animal (usually around the anus, or in open wounds). If a fly does lay eggs, they will hatch in a few hours and the maggots will start burrowing into the skin and vet attention is needed urgently to remove the maggots. Proper inspection on a daily basis will enable you to see the eggs and then the maggots at quite an early stage.

Providing the animal is clean and dry and able to move properly, it is unlikely to happen. Animals more at risk are those who don;t move around as much because of illness/arthirits, those with open wounds/skin conditions and those with urinary/diarrhoea problems so they continuously have wet, drity, smelly bums and tummies. For healthy piggies, it's important to ensure they have no matted damp fur around their bum especially the long haired varieties...and their cage is kept clean and dry on a regular basis. You cannot however always prevent flies laying eggs in the poo piles/wet sawdust/wet hay/underneath wet fleece etc and maggots hatching out ..but they are unlikely to transfer to the animal once hatched.

Many many years ago, when I was 10, I had a guinea pig kept outdoors and cleaned out once a week. In the summer there were always maggots in his poo pile in the corner....he lived to a ripe old age and never suffered from fly strike....because he never had a dirty bottom

As to sprays to prevent it - you need to be very careful using preventative insecticide sprays intended for rabbits (who are much more prone to flystrike) and only direct at their rumps. You need to be even more careful about spraying houehold fly sprays near the cages. Both contain permethrins and breathing these in quantity can cause permanent problems with the piggies respiratory system so be careful how/where you spray. One year when I had a problem with flies in the house, I hung fly paper strips from the lights which worekd quite well.

The best way to prevent flysrike is to keep the cage clean and dry (which means cleaning more regularly in summer and if flies are a porblem, clean every other day or even daily); remove all uneaten veggies in a timely fashion so they don;t wilt/attract the flies...and keep your animals clean and dry around their bottoms. If you know your piggie is a copious wee'er, then up the frequency of cleaning (One of my pairs needs fleece changing every day, the rest can go 3-4 days without a problem)

Hoggle and Ludo - if your piggies had flystrike you would know by now. so please don;t panic. If you really are still worried, bathe them in Johnsons insecticidal shampoo.

Edit: Oops - see Laure got in before me!
 
Last edited:
Thank you so much both of you. My mum is off today so I keep ringing her to check on them, she said they are wheeking (as they do as soon as the door opens rolleyes :(|) ) She gave them fresh nuggets and hay.I did check their bums but not really sure what I was looking at, I was just looking for movement.

They don't look sore and are active, they were rumblestrutting last night and being their normal selves and weren't any more awkward during their bath time as they normally are and I gave them a scrub with the towel. One thing that concerns me is I think in Ludo's poo, they had a lighter shade of brown in them.

I was looking online and it said only to worry about bottle flies and not normal house flies as their maggots are just looking for poo and food. Is this right? They were as far as I know normal flies.

I have actually bought what is like a mosquito net to put over theirs and Harry's cage. (Harry Hammy seems ok I think).

I will just buy some insecticidal shampoo later then and some cage spray. They were on fleece but I think I should go back to shavings as the fleece does get rather wet.

I feel so guilty that I let them get in that state. Feel like such a bad mum but they got through worse than this before, my last house had a massive fly infestation every year and that never happened. :(
Edit:

I think one or both of them does have a little clump of fur that they just wont let me cut, I am scared of hurting them. How can I get their hair really short without causing too much stress for them?
 
Pebble said:
Time to clear up a few misconceptions I think and stop poor Hoggle and Ludo panicking.

Maggots in cages are NOT a threat to the animal. (and NO, they are NOT worms guineagurl - guiea pigs don;t normally get worms in the UK)

In order for flystrike to occur, the fly first has to lay eggs actually ON the animal (usually around the anus, or in open wounds). If a fly does lay eggs, they will hatch in a few hours and the maggots will start burrowing into the skin and vet attention is needed urgently to remove the maggots. Proper inspection on a daily basis will enable you to see the eggs and then the maggots at quite an early stage.

Providing the animal is clean and dry and able to move properly, it is unlikely to happen. Animals more at risk are those who don;t move around as much because of illness/arthirits, those with open wounds/skin conditions and those with urinary/diarrhoea problems so they continuously have wet, drity, smelly bums and tummies. For healthy piggies, it's important to ensure they have no matted damp fur around their bum especially the long haired varieties...and their cage is kept clean and dry on a regular basis. You cannot however always prevent flies laying eggs in the poo piles/wet sawdust/wet hay/underneath wet fleece etc and maggots hatching out ..but they are unlikely to transfer to the animal once hatched.

Many many years ago, when I was 10, I had a guinea pig kept outdoors and cleaned out once a week. In the summer there were always maggots in his poo pile in the corner....he lived to a ripe old age and never suffered from fly strike....because he never had a dirty bottom

As to sprays to prevent it - you need to be very careful using preventative insecticide sprays intended for rabbits (who are much more prone to flystrike) and only direct at their rumps. You need to be even more careful about spraying houehold fly sprays near the cages. Both contain permethrins and breathing these in quantity can cause permanent problems with the piggies respiratory system so be careful how/where you spray. One year when I had a problem with flies in the house, I hung fly paper strips from the lights which worekd quite well.

The best way to prevent flysrike is to keep the cage clean and dry (which means cleaning more regularly in summer and if flies are a porblem, clean every other day or even daily); remove all uneaten veggies in a timely fashion so they don;t wilt/attract the flies...and keep your animals clean and dry around their bottoms. If you know your piggie is a copious wee'er, then up the frequency of cleaning (One of my pairs needs fleece changing every day, the rest can go 3-4 days without a problem)

Hoggle and Ludo - if your piggies had flystrike you would know by now. so please don;t panic. If you really are still worried, bathe them in Johnsons insecticidal shampoo.

Edit: Oops - see Laure got in before me!
Click to expand...


thanks Pebble very informative! Confirms what i thought but I wasn't 100% :)

I have personally not known any pigs get flystrike but I know bunnies are more likely to be affected – not sure why though...

I think it is extremely rare in pigs which is why I don’t use any preventative spray – I like to keep chemicals as far away from the pigs as much as possible.

Now if I had an unwell pig with a wet or dirty bottom and I had to say go to work or be away for a few hours I may use something then… but as a general rule I don’t bother. Pigs are normally very meticulous with cleaning themselves anyway…
 
Thanks again for your advice. :)

Fingers crossed they will be ok, they won't like me tonight, a second bath and a bum trim! Off to the pet shop in an hour, my colleague has kindly offered to take me. :)
 
very informative - thanks pebbe. i too found maggots in the girls' poo pile a few weeks back, but as their bums were clean and dry i knew they'd have no problems. nice to have a more definitive answer though! x
 
Hi everyone, they are back in their clean cage after their baths and trims. I found nothing untoward apart from Ludo had that awful boar sticky fur thing going on near his bum, not sure what that is.

I bought some insecticide shampoo and also, the shop only had this Johnsons flystrike spray thing, I haven't used it yet on them as they are still wet, but I sprayed it under their newspaper.

Also I have stuck a velcro strip to the base of their cage and put a net over every inch of it, I feel so much better now. Here are some pics. :)

photo.php


photo.php
 
I have to add though that I am NOT a fan of Johnson's products and neither are our vets. I urge people to search for "pyrethrin toxicity" and also refer to what I wrote on another thread:

I wouldn't use this or anything containing permethrin (a pyrethroid) as they are of questionable safety, being derived from a toxin that comes from chrysanthemum (that would kill a guinea pig or make them extremely ill if they ate it).
Click to expand...

It's unlikely to cause problems in small quantities but with repeated exposure its safety is questionable.
 
Thank you for the warning. I think I may just lightly spray the base with each clean then rather than actually putting it on them, must admit, the smell isnt the nicest but I didn't put them in till it all dried. I covered the base with thick newspaper and lots of shavings.

The mesh I have used on the bars will do a better job anyway. :)
 
Hi,

what has happened is the flies have been attracted to the poop in the cage and then laid thier eggs on there flystike is when the flies lay their egg around thier bottoms:( .

Personally I am not a fan of sprays etc because sometimes they can cause more harm than good:(

fly strike usually occurs if the area around their bottom is dirty or infected. If you keep thier bottoms clean, just wiping around with a cotton pad everyday in the hot weather should be enough and a bath when they start to smell then the flies will not attract to that area.

Rabbits are much more prone to flystrike than piggies, but just keep vigilant.:)
 
Thanks, I am hoping it was just the poops that got attacked, it is now over 24 hours since I found it and have cleaned the cage and bathed them twice since so I am hoping things are ok now. They are acting weird now but that is cos they were on my knee being trimmed and they hate me! :(|)

Will give them some veg to cheer them up. :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top