bad luck pigs

Question
QUESTION: i have had 3 guinea pigs, and a rabbit that have all died with the same symptoms, pleases help if you can.  they all were healthy eating drinking and being active with clean cages but with every one of them we woke up one morning and they were all dead with a hole in their stomachs and maggots crawling around and i don't think maggots hatch in 8 hrs.....what is going on and is there anyway to prevent it?
ANSWER: Hello Megan,

It sounds like they may have been the victims of parasitic flies (a problem refered to as "warbles"). There are several species of bot fly that lay their eggs inside an animal's skin and when the eggs hatch the maggots will begin to eat the animal eventually erupting from the skin. Other species lay the eggs where the animal will inadvertantly collect them and the maggots burrow into the animals skin and eats them. I'm going to send you a link to a page of links. I must warn you though, some of the links have graphic pictures of animals killed by bot fly larva so use your own discration when openning them. This does sound like the most likely cause of your beloved pets' deaths. Since the flies are apparently prevelant in your area, the best thing would be to keep them indoors and keep their cages extra especially clean. Also keep a daily check on them for small lumps that may indicate a warble (the lump caused by a maggot under the skin),  particularly on their undersides, and take them to the vet right away to have the maggot removed. I'm terribly sorry for your loss and hopefully it won't happen again.

http://botfly.ifas.ufl.edu/links/links1.htm#cutrlinks

-kkat
http://www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs

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QUESTION: these animals all lived inside from day one.....would putting up some of those fly strips beside the cages work at all in lessening their risk?  i still have one rabbit and i want to do my best to keep it healthy.

Answer
Hello Megan,

They can't hurt. I wasn't sure if they were in or out, just that indoors is best to help avoid this issue. Also, fly paper in various areas in the room even other than near the cages would be a good idea too. Unfortunantly it is difficult to prevent but it is easy to treat if you keep an eye out for the warbles. Also, keep an eye out for any flies that don't look like typical house flies. If you see them, kill them. Keeping a fan on in the room the piggies are in (just a ceiling fan on low should work) to keep the air moving can help to keep the flies out. You can also speak to your vet about insecticides that your rabbit can wear that may help. Certain dog ad cat flea meds are safe for piggies and are likely safe for buns too and they should help to prevent it. Good luck.

-kkat