# Maggots



## Travis in Louisiana (May 14, 2002)

Hello everyone, this question is for my sister. She has raised rabbits on and off, mostly for the kids. Under one of the rabbit cages there are maggots in the rabbit poop. She has never had this happen before or has never noticed it. She wants to know how the maggots got there, wheather from the rabbit or from flies laying the eggs in the poop under the cage and what harm does the maggots do. Instead of putting the poop in the garden, she has been shoveling it up and putting it in a hole out in the woods. I told her to post this question on here, but I cold not find it. So if this is a double post, then disrequard. Thanks Travis


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## Lilandra (Oct 21, 2004)

clean up more frequently... if there is no poop - there will be no maggots.

We use corn cob bedding in the drop pans under the rabbit cages and change the soiled areas daily and do a complete wash down every other week or so.

Use covered trash cans for your feed and keep the waterers spotless and you will reduce your fly population. We also free range the chickens in the summer and they keep the manure pile stirred up - we add grass clippings to it and it makes a great compost.

if you notice flies in the area - get some of those fly strips and keep things covered and clean.

good luck


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

She can also sprinkle some diatomaceous earth under the cages. It kills off the flies, is non-toxic to animals and earthworms.

But more important: SHE'S BURYING THAT WONDERFUL MANURE IN THE WOODS??? 

Hm. Tell her that I will be happy to inspect those maggots for her. She should send me a weekly shipment of bunny bombs, so I can keep track of the quality. 

Pony!


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## dlwelch (Aug 26, 2002)

Are you certain they aren't Black Soldier Fly larvae? Do you see
filth flies? If she lives in a wooded area and doesn't have filth flies,
the chances are good that she has soldier flies. They are
wonderful control for the common house/filth flies that normally
hang out in the rabbitry.


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## Ann Mary (Nov 29, 2004)

A few chickens would solve her problem in no time! 'Course, they would scatter the pile all over but the maggots would be gone! I'm pretty sure it's a "crime" to throw away the wonderful rabbit manure!


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## tbishop (Nov 24, 2004)

The maggots are no fun. When I had that problem, I put a teaspoon/gal of imitation vanilla in the water and the flies went away. The ammonia smell was gone for the most part too. Easy way to get rid of them.

Tim B.


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## Honorine (Feb 27, 2006)

Maggots, while nasty and gross, aren't any different than any other insects pupal stage, and is not going to ruin perfectly good rabbit manure. Tell her to compost it away from the rabbits, mix some DE in it to kill the maggots. I usually put it right on the garden too, but sometimes compost it for a bit. Flies are tough to deal with outside, you have to be extra viligant in in the hot months, last thing she wants is fly strike on the rabbits. Hang up those fly strips, use the DE and keep things extra clean. I hate maggots too, makes my skin crawl just looking at them.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I know they're gross, and they can cause a world of hurt to an animal, but maggots do have their positive attributes.

Aside from their function of breaking down material in the Circle of Stuff, they make excellent bait for bluegill and other panfish. Some people call them "wax worms" but they're only kidding themselves. 

Pony!


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## Travis in Louisiana (May 14, 2002)

Thanks you all for the replies. I have been handing them to her. She did not think about her chickens eating them. Later Travis


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## rabbitgal (Feb 12, 2005)

Um, bedding to absorb the moisture and chickens to scratch through the manure pile??? Maggots only seem to live in damp manure piles...when things are kept dry, I've noticed far fewer problems.


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