Chamomile is moulting ...?

Question
QUESTION: Hi again, thank you so much for your last answer! I can't remember if the worm/maggot was embedded in the poop or not, but if it is flystrike ...! Could you please please tell me the best course of action you did to cure your rabbits who had it? Because I think my vets will try and put anaesthesia in him, because he scratches and kicks them, and I really couldn't bear it if he died. Is it possible he could die of worms too?
Also his fur is coming out, and there is a dark patch in the middle of him which I checked for flea eggs and tried wiping but I think it might be the dark hairs underneath the caramel showing in that area. Isn't August a bit late for him to moult? I don't want him to be cold in winter, although I could always bring him inside.
Thank-you again so very much for your wonderfully informative answers to my probably irritating questions.

ANSWER: Dear Melissa

If your bunny has fly strike, it is an emergency.  The most common place the maggots would be found are around the genitals and rear end.  You can't really mistake them for anything else, and the bunny will be very miserable.  The whole genital area will be puffy and inflamed due to reaction to the maggots' secretions.

Undiluted betadine can be used to flush maggots out of wounds where they may have retreated under the skin, but you must get every single one off him, because they will come back and reinfest the wounds.

This is a very serious condition, and if there is severe damage, you may need to take him to the vet.

Any outdoor bunny can be at risk of fly strike.  Here are some informational resources:

http://www.worldwidewounds.com/2006/february/Cousquer/Veterinary-Lop-Rabbit-Fly-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FC2TVwgJxo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1CBsPs6AiQ&feature=related

Check NOW, and if he really does have fly strike, consider it an emergency.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Dana, thank you SO much for the URLs they were very helpful. When I watched the video on how to check his bum area I realised that he would never let me do that! I managed as best I could though and didn't find anything, sorry for panicking in my last question. He seems his normal naughty, sunny self too, he was really angry with me after, you know scratching and stuff, which assured me of his wellbeing! I also scrubbed his hutch out three times to get rid of urine stains.
The one thing I am worried about is, his fur is coming out, and I noticed loads came out at the last disastrous vet trip, when he was stressed out. Is that significant at all? There are random dark patches of fur on him which I checked for flea eggs and stuff like that but there was nothing. Now I am nervous about winter because he won't be warm enough! It is August so he won't have time to grow back a full winter coat. And I am also worried that as he washes himself so much he might swallow the fur and get hairballs stuck in him like cats do, and as he can't throw up he has no way of getting them out. Thank you so much for all your incredibly helpful information.

Answer
Hi, Melissa

You can figure out if his fur loss is normal or not here:

www.bio.miami.edu/hare/furloss.html

If it's normal shedding, then he has plenty of time to grow back fur for winter.  But if he has mites or other skin problem interfering with his normal fur growth, he'll need to see the vet.

Note that a bunny can't be outside all winter; he needs to be indoors at night, and when it's very cold unless he has a warm, dry, wind-protected shelter where he can hunker and be warm in the very cold months.

But nighttime, really he should be inside where it's safe with you.

Dana