WORMS IN MY BUNNIES LITTER BOX

[bunbun123]

 

   So this morning I went outside to clean my bunnies liter box. He lives inside and outside but he sleeps outside. As i was dumping the litter into a trash bag I noticed many tiny worms/larva. I didnt know what they were so i grabbed my bunny and ran inside. Could my bunny have worms in his system!?! What do I do? Should I take him to the vet to get checked for worms?

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Yes, you should take him to the vet. Rabbits can get worms, and ask the vet as well if they can infect humans as well. I know some worms can infect more than one species of mammals. If it’s one of those types, the people in your household may need​ to take​ meds as well.

Also, check his rear end and paws for filth, this may indicate a condition called flystrike. Flies can lay eggs in patches of filth on the fur, and when the eggs hatch the worms can damage the skin and cause severe infection.

If his rear end is messy and he has wounds or signs of damaged skin, it’s an absolute emergency.

[tobyluv]

It could be worms. Does your bunny ever eat vegetation in the yard? If another animal has gone to the bathroom and a rabbit eats the grass it went on, it can get worms.

Those could also be maggots that you are seeing. Flies are attracted to animal droppings and will lay eggs there, especially if the poop is piled up. This can be more of a problem as the weather warms up.

You do need to check his bottom and make sure he hasn’t been the victim of flystrike. That can be fatal.

If he seems clean, with no problems, then you may be seeing worms or maggots. You could take in some of his fresh poops to be checked by the vet. And/or you could try to determine what the worms were. If you remember what they looked like, maybe you can figure out if they are worms (internal parasites) or maggots.

[vanessa]

If possble – can you grab some of those worms and take them with to the vet visit so hey can identify them? Or take pictures? You want to check the skin for lumps, wounds, infection, anything that doesn’t look good. Check your bunny thoroughly. It isn’t necesarily the bottom that can get flyustrike – and even rabbits with clean botoms can get flystrike. Feel/check your bunnie’s skin EVERYWHERE. ALL the skin. Back, belly, legs, privates, neck, face, everything. Keep in mind it can take up to 3 weeks for external signs to become obvious. So I’d ask the vet for a dewormer.
It could be coincidencs and that yoru bunny is fine. But beter safe than sorry. Worms/maggots can be quite dangerous for a bun.

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