Maggots

Question
I was cleaning out my ferret cage today and found a couple of maggots and MANY maggot eggs in the cage.  I'm worried that this could have harmed my ferret... do you know how I could keep this from repeating in the future?

Answer
Hello Ashlie,
Maggots are caused by flies laying eggs in the "waste" that is left in the cage. You need to take your ferret out of his cage and clean the cage thoroughly, then wash it with DILUTED bleach water, or you can use VINEGAR water if you don't want to use bleach. Then Rinse the cage thoroughly, and  let it air dry. That should take of the problem. Then, from now on, clean the litter box daily. If
your ferret isn't litter trained,  I would work on litter training him if he is not already.
Also, is the cage outdoors? Or is it somewhere where flies are able to get to? You can also hang a fly strip over your cage, WAY out of reach of your ferret, if your cage is indoors.
Also, dripping water bottles, and wet food will "grow" maggots, so if your water bottle drips, replace it, and then also put it away from the food bowl, and put some type of "drip catcher" under it. "Bird" seed cups work great for this, and can be anchored by bending the wires down around the cage wires. I do not recommend in any way water "bowls." They tend to be unsanitary.
I really hope this helps. My biggest advice is to move the ferret cage indoors. That will really help.
Thanks again for your question, and please keep me posted!
amy