Angora Rabbits and Fly Strike
Lots of people are talking about how to keep rabbits cool in this heat but there is another danger that comes along with hot weather. Fly strike. In case you don't know what that is and have sensitive eyes, don't search in google images. It is a whole lot of nastiness.
Fly strike refers to a condition where flies are attracted to lay their eggs on a live animal. They are attracted to foul odors which can come from an infected wound or soiled fur. Those eggs quickly hatch maggots which are voracious eaters. The maggots begin to eat everything in their reach. That starts with the skin they were laid near and the infestation quickly spreads. Some remain on the surface but others burrow into the tissue and begin eating the animal from the inside out. It's truly nasty stuff and it can progress very quickly. Many people associate fly strike with unsanitary conditions or dirty cages, but angoras are at risk even when they are kept in very clean surroundings.
Once wool gets wet, it is notorious for how long it holds on to that moisture. Fantastic if you want to use it as mulch in your garden but terrible if it is still on the animal. This is why we always warn against not letting your angoras get wet from having any standing liquid on the floor or from how they drink their water. The wool on their feet will soak up what ever liquid they are standing in. If your angora has a fuzzy face and drinks from a bowl, there is a very good chance it ends up dipping some of those face furnishings in the water which then ends up dribbling down their chin, leaving the entire throat and muzzle area wet. Same thing happens when liquid is coming out of the other end. Some angoras are more susceptible to soaking themselves with urine because of how they are structurally put together. That usually includes the crotch, inside of the legs, and can include the stomach on some. This is one reason why breeding for correct rear end structure and angulation is so important. Angoras that really like to raise their butt into a corder when they pee can end up with splash back on the back of their tails. Angoras are also prone to having poop and cecotropes get stuck in their coat. The longer their wool is in all those areas, the more capacity it has to soak up and hold all that moisture and smell. The smell doesn't have to come from urine and feces. Water soaked wool will irritate skin and that also will begin to smell.
The risk of fly strike is higher in hot weather because the fly life cycle speeds up with higher temperatures and higher humidity levels. This is why flies love those wet waste trays and unfortunately why they also love areas covered by wet wool. Once the fly lays her eggs, maggots can hatch in as little as 8 hours and immediately begin to cause damage. The injury caused from this rapidly growing infestation can become life threatening in as little as 24 hours. And the scarier thing is that you might not even see that it is happening until it's too late.
A single fly can lay up to 150 eggs at one time and maggots are extremely tiny when they first hatch, only 2mm long. That is the same size as a flea. They start doing damage when you can barely see them plus they are doing it under the cover of a thick wool coat. Unless you are looking carefully, you might not even realize they are there until you see patches of fur falling out revealing what looks like rotted flesh covered by crawling maggots. Even more disturbing, if those maggots were close enough to the waste disposal end of the rabbit, they will crawl inside those openings and keep on eating from there. It takes maggots only 2-3 days after hatching to grow to a size of 10mm. That's almost the size of a button on an Apple keyboard. The more they grow, the more they eat. Even if the physical damage done by them isn't life threatening in itself, the open wounds they leave are at a high risk of infection which can spread quickly into the body and become lethal.
How can you protect your rabbits from this horrific fate? First, don't assume it will never happen to you because of any number of reasons you think keep you safe. This applies just as much to rabbits who live outside or inside, ones that have big fluffy coats, and ones that are shaved short, ones that live in a cage, or free roam. Make sure your angora is housed in a way which keeps it clean and dry. Make sure that cage corners and litter boxes are kept clean and that urine, wool, and feces are not allowed to build up on the surface. Make sure any bedding (towels, blankets, etc) or toys your angora comes into contact with are kept clean and dry. If your angora is prone to having a messy behind, make sure to shave that area short, check it often, and clean it promptly if needed. Ivermectin will kill maggots and it is often used to minimize fly strike risk and damage, however you should not rely on this in lieu of physically checking your animals. It can take up to 8 hours after they hatch before Ivermectin begins to affect maggots which is plenty of time for them to cause damage. It can take up to 3 or 4 days for Ivermectin to wipe out an established infestation.
Adult rabbits are not the only ones vulnerable to fly strike. Nest boxes can be a picture perfect environment for this to happen. This is why it is so important to check on newborn babies as soon as you realize they have arrived. We often end up replacing some or all of the bedding in the nest on that first inspection depending on how messy the birth was. Any left over fluids or placenta instantly attract flies. If there are any dead babies in the nest, they must be found and disposed of. Babies can die in the nest at any time and for any reason so it is important to check the nest every day and to check it thoroughly. It is also important to remove any soiled bedding and keep the nest clean and dry as the babies get bigger. If any babies develop poopy butts as they are transitioning to solid foods, those must be cleaned up. Some babies can be especially messy, sit in a bowl of water, lie on top of each other and not bother to get up when they need to relieve themselves. All of this increases the risk.
Do your best to prevent fly strike, but if you are unfortunate enough to have it happen to you, don't be ashamed to ask for help. It can happen to the most diligent and loving angora keepers. No one, no matter how dedicated they are, is meticulously inspecting every square inch of their angora's skin every 8 hours.