What fly eggs look like in the fur
Blowflies lay their eggs in neat clusters that look like tiny grains of white or pale yellow rice, each smaller than a sesame seed, glued to the fur where it is damp, soiled or sore. On a rabbit they are most often around the tail base and rear end, under the belly, in skin folds, and on or near any wound or patch of urine scald. Because the eggs are small and the rabbit's fur is dense, you usually find them by touch and smell as much as by sight — run your fingers through the rear fur in good light, parting it down to the skin. In warm weather those eggs can hatch in a matter of hours, which is why finding them is already urgent.
The early signs on the rabbit itself
Before the damage is extensive, the rabbit's behaviour shifts. A rabbit with newly hatched maggots in its fur is often restless — shifting position, stamping, twitching its skin, trying to reach around to its rear. As the maggots eat into the skin the picture flips: the rabbit becomes quiet, hunched and withdrawn, stops eating, and may grind its teeth in pain. Owners sometimes describe an odd, sour-sweet smell from the hutch before they find anything visible, and the coat over the affected area looks wet, matted or darkened. Any of these in summer, in a rabbit you have not checked yet today, means check now.
Where to search: the hidden spots
Flystrike favours places flies can reach and owners cannot easily see. Check under the tail and around the genitals, the folds where the legs meet the body, the belly of a rabbit that sits in one position a lot, and under the chin and dewlap if there is any drooling or dampness there. Elderly, overweight or arthritic rabbits that cannot groom their rear are struck in exactly the spots they cannot reach — the same spots you may skip because the rabbit resists being tipped up. Work gently but thoroughly; a quick glance at a clean-looking back tells you nothing about the underside.
What maggots mean for the clock
Visible maggots change the category of the problem. They are not sitting on the fur; they feed on the skin and the tissue beneath, releasing toxins as they go, and rabbits can go into shock from flystrike faster than most owners expect — in hours, not days. A rabbit that has gone quiet and still with maggots present is already in danger. This is why flystrike is classed alongside the true emergencies: the damage deepens continuously while you wait, and there is no home treatment that stops it.
Getting to the vet: what to do on the way
Phone your vet immediately and say the word flystrike — practices will prioritise it. Bring the rabbit indoors into a fly-free space while you arrange transport, and keep it warm, dry and contained. Do not bath the rabbit, soak the area or attempt to wash or pick out every maggot before you go; a wet, cold, stressed rabbit is harder to save, and the vet has the tools and pain relief to do the removal properly. Pick off only the maggots you can remove in seconds with tweezers if advised to. Keeping your vet and out-of-hours numbers in KinsLe's Pet Passport with your rabbit's other records means the first call happens in seconds, not after a search for the number.