Bot Fly Facts

[island rehabber]

Botfly Larvae/cuterebra or Warble

A bot fly larva is the developing form of an insect. It is the stage after it hatches from the egg and before it becomes an adult fly. The lump in the animal's skin caused by the growing bot is called a warble, and the opening in the animal's skin is referred to as the warble pore. There may be just one larva or there may be more in different parts of the host animal's body...the larva feeds upon the animal's tissue exudate. In the early stages of development the larvae may be light colored and generally darken as they mature. The area can devleop an abcess from the chronic irritation. The Bot fly warble is often misdiagnosed as a simple abcess....

Treatment:

If the bot fly larva is not in an area that restricts movement or other functions, it can be left intact and will drop off at maturity. The sight on your animal is gruesome, but in many cases they only cause mild irritation for the animal. Once the warble drops out, clean the wound with an antiseptic and apply topical ointment if needed. On very small mammals such as mice, the warble can be life threatening -- it may need to be surgically removed.

If the bot fly is killed while it is living under the skin of the mammal, it can release a toxin whcih can cause anaphylactic shock (this is one reason why we don't try to kill it while it is still there). Oral antibiotic treatment may be indicated if a secondary infection develops in the warble.

A mature bot fly larva is large enough to be carefully removed using tweezers or forceps. Sometimes slow, steady pressure AT THE BASE of the warble can push the larva out thru the opening. Be sure not to kill the larva in the process. The warble pore can then be flushed with chlorhexiderm@ or saline solution and a topical antibiotic applied if needed.

[squirrelfriend]

I think I found this photo on line recently.

[squirrelfriend]

here are a few disturbing photos of botflies that I found online. The one with the empty looking holes has already had his botflies leave. the last one is the larvae itself. If you have a week stomach don't scroll down because these are pretty sad looking. Poor little guys. From what I know these are not very leathal. they look worse than they really are.

[webld4u2]

Sam had these last year...and yep, it is gross. I was able to get them out by using a syringe with peroxide in it. I pushed it in the hole and they came out to breathe, and when they did, I pushed it like you would a pimple, and they come flying out. It is safe and it works, and it is easy.

[thumper]

I have removed many as well (lucky the 3 legged coyote and a cat) using a syringe (no needle) w/full strength peroxide... squirting some in then blocking it off with my thumb for a few seconds. (came out a little) then tapping the lil bastards head making it retreat deep back in and then squirting again... and out he came.... this works for a fact as I have done it on 2 animals to remove 10-12 of the lil buggers.....this do it yourself method was explained to me by my moms vet to save me money......(my mom's poodle enterprise kept him in buisness) :smiley_pirate thumper NOTE: the cat did not like it at all (big larva / small hole)

[thumper]

08-21-2006, 01:01 PM
thumper
Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: jackson MI.
Posts: 235

Re: maggots

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I dealt with infestation on my three legged coyote (lucky). I was told by a vet,who would not work on a WILD animal to use a seringe (SPELLING ?)and peroxide. no needle. I squrted a lil into the hole and the lil bugger went in deeper then I squrted more in and held my finger over the hole for a few seconds.he then came out, all the way out,I was shocked at how big he was.I repeated this on all the holes and got them all.then I applied some neosporin or somthing like it and he eventually healed-minus the foot. If you all rehabbers see a problem with this method on a squirrel PLEASE CHIME IN. it worked on my coyote and a cat who lost his tail.good luck!!!!! thumper

[Momma Squirrel]

Treatment we were told to use was spread Vaseline over the warble and this will suffocate it and when it comes up for air pull it out with tweezers. Never been able to try it so I don't know if it will work. All of our wilds get them and some are very bad, I feel terrible for them but they won't sit still so I can help them. :shakehead

[Velvet Squirrel]

I trap as many as I can and take them to the wild life Sanctuary where they remove them for free then take them back where I trapped them and release them. However, if the infestation is bad enough as in the first photo in post #3 of squirrelfriends then they are very susceptible to infection or at least here in humid suthern areas. And to many bot flies in one squirrle can kill them due to infections and severe weaking of the animal. I have dealt with many of these problems in squirrels.

[drakkonia]

Is there a certain time of year that this happens most often?

[TexanSquirrel]

I need a barfing smilie. Poor squirrels.

[thumper]

:yuck **

[Velvet Squirrel]

Is there a certain time of year that this happens most often?

Moslty during the late spring and summer here in the south due to the heat and humidity.
By the way when the bot flies emerge this is very painful for the squirrels. I have heard them crying out in pain and have actually had them come running up to people seeking help for the pain when this happens. Several summers ago one came running up the drive way to my neighbor and her granddaughters crying. She hearded the girls in the house and called me saying that there was a MAD squirrel out there trying to attack them. I went out but the squirrel had run off however I was able to find the squirrel and saw where it had a fresh weeping wound where the fly had just emerged and the squirrle was still making weeping sounds and trying to lick at the wound. The squirrel wasn't trying to attack them it was just in pain and seeking help from anyone, anything at the moment. Of course the fly had just emerged and there was nothing that I could do to get my hands on the poor thing and help. However, it was after that incident that I got a humane trap and began trapping them and taking them in to the Wild Life Sanctuary for help.

[MsOakley]

Just saw the first warble of the season today on one of the wilds in my yard. I've had them on babies and they were removed by a rehabber, when large enough to not break-up with the tweezers during removal. Here in N. FL the season is late summer early fall, unfortunately the same as baby season, which is why so many come to us already infested. Has anyone heard of a preventive treatment for the older ones? I have some that I've released that may still be tame enough for me to apply something. I dread seeing them on my released buddies. I haven't had that happen yet, but this litter is hanging around longer, so I fear this may be the year I see the warbles on them.
Thanks for any tips.

[4skwerlz]

Per the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Central Florida, bots can be killed with Ivermectin dilute, but only during the early stages of infestation, i.e., while the bot is still small. The bot would probably be hard to detect early in a wild squirrel. My wild squirrels in Virginia used to get them; so far I've never seen one in my part of FL. They are NASTY but look worse than they are. If my wildies get any, I will leave them alone if it's just one or two; any more, and I take them to the Wildlife Hospital, where I know they will allow me to do the "release" after treatment.

[Squirrel Girl cbk]

I know a guy who got a couple bot flies in his own body (shoulder?) when he was in Central America a few years ago. A local woman removed them by simply squeezing them out from below. Apparently it hurt quite a bit, but it got them out and then he was fine afterward.

[MsOakley]

A few questions for 4skwerlz:
Can you explain the Ivermectin treatment any more thoroughly? How is it applied and what's the dilution ratio? Is Ivermectin a prescription drug? Thanks for the info.

[4skwerlz]

A few questions for 4skwerlz:
Can you explain the Ivermectin treatment any more thoroughly? How is it applied and what's the dilution ratio? Is Ivermectin a prescription drug? Thanks for the info.

Island Rehabber, who started this thread, can give you all the info on Ivermectin. And if it were my squirrel I would also get her opinion on whether the bots are too big for this treatment. The Wildlife Center I mentioned before says they've never had trouble with the dead bots causing infections after oral treatment, but I'd trust the experience of the TSB rehabbers more. Good luck.

[krushia]

Here's a link to the botfly/chipmunk thread I've been updating. It may be helpful to those of you interested in the subject (or if you just want more nasty pictures). Feel free to ask any questions you have regarding my experience.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6196

[squirrelfriend]

I just found one on a mouse in our house! I got it out. The mouse is very skinny. I don't know if it will make it. It is a very big larvae for a little mouse. I flushed out the hole with water. I didn't use any ointments because mice don't handle any toxins very well. Wow does the hole they make stink too! The larvae was very large and dark like the one shown above. I really hope this guy makes it. She has been through so much. I didn't find my vasaline until it was already out. I used baby oil gel.

[krushia]

squirrelfriend:

I would be very surprised if the mouse makes it :(

These things are pretty much always fatal to mice, as they usually push into the poor fella's internal organs. I can remember waking up in my old apartment one morning to find one of the house mice dead on the kitchen floor with a larva crawling out of it. Very sad :Cry

[squirrelfriend]

It didn't make it. Poor little guy was really scrawny. I really didn't expect him to make it but I couldn't leave him with that thing. EEEWW! The larvae is in a small jar and it is still alive. I wanted to see how long they will live outside the host and if it does still turn into a fly I wanted to get a pic for the bot fly section. Then its dust. These things are realy nasty.

[Milo]

i removed 2 from a recently released baby that we were able to recapture as he had one that had come out on his back already and looked very bad swollen and infected. We have had him inside for 2 or 3 weeks and it is just now finally healed. We also removed 2 one small and one big, the big one was on his shoulder, we had to cut a little slice into the hole and pulled it out with a pair of tweezers. Just doing that he was 10times more spunky and energetic the next day, he then developed one near his genitalia that was small that we were able to pull out through the little breathing hole. He is going back outside within the next couple of days after the scab on his back finishes healing.

Jason

[MsOakley]

As I feared several of the squirrels I released last winter/spring have shown up with warbles.Bebop, one of my fav and sweetest boys had a huge one on the side of his neck. It errupted a few days ago and I'll keep an eye on it for signs of infection. Fortunately I missed seeing it come out.

[LilBitzy]

Can bot flies be prevented?

[Sciurus1]

So far I found this notation on the Tannins in acorns pertaining to squirrels.


Due to the extraordinary amount of tannins in their systems afforded the gray and fox squirrels by their acorn digestion, they are unusual in rarely having either tapeworms or roundworms, which is a deadly poison to these parasites.


Whether this could actually prevent Botfly infestations or not, I am not sure, yet it is possible based in part upon this data above. If so, then the ingestion of red oak acorns, being the highest in tannin levels, would theoretically be the most effective towards the prevention of such infestations. Though the Red acorns are far more bitter to the taste, and hard to digest because of the higher tannin levels they possess, some squirrels prefer them over the white oak acorns.

[steelydan]

We have raised and released squirrels successfully for several years. What do you think of adding one or two drops of Ivermectin to the squirrel's outdoor water monthly for bot prevention?

Caring in Alabama,
Steelydan

[island rehabber]

I don't think ivermectin will prevent bot fly infestation. It may prevent mange mites from taking over, but correct dosage of ivermectin is essential and that is a difficult thing to do correctly with wild squirrels.

[jessicalyn]

Doe squirrels get these from a mosquito bite or flies? Just asking because it is hor & rainy lately and I cahses a fly ( big ) one out of the house, is it froma fly landing on a squirrel or being bitten??

[Nibblette]

From what I've read online, these are laid directly by adult botflies or can hatch from existing eggs and the maggot can find its way to a host by sensing their body-heat.

They can be transmitted by mosquitos and it was mentioned that a botfly will use a common housefly as a temporary host to lay its eggs, then when the eggs hatch the maggots will go on to find a host.

Something fun to watch on the subject >.< http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=940_1205955519

[SquirrelNut]

omg, watching that video gave me goose bumps!!!! yuck! :shakehead

[Jackie in Tampa]

climate does play a role...my wilds get them every year...
only once have we had to intervene..
so many warbles on a front leg, circulation had stopped, hand was black...so we treated with ABs in the wild. We called her Madge after that( you're soaking in it fame) it looked as if she had a black rubber glove on...pitiful.
She survived and did wonderful for years, although she wore the scars...
Fred is patient with the wilds and so protective...he waits 'til they show up and has the meds always prepared...not normally for bot as they are part of the daily life during the humid season here.
We normally do not get involved with bot fly...
they are not preventable:shakehead
I remember the first time I saw one years ago...I freaked...

[SquirrelNut]

i don't know why but find these pics of the bot flies really disgusting!

i wonder if they are in California, as i have NEVER seen any? :shakehead thank god!

also, my native state of indiana, i don't remember seeing any?

does it have to be a warm, humid climate for these?

omg, it must be heart breaking to see one of your squirrels that you have released w/these disgusting things! poor babies!

[MomOf2squirrels]

Are there Bot flies in Chicago?

[Wonkawillie]

Ugggg gross! Today I was visiting with my released girl. I noticed right away that she had a scab on her back, with a large swelling. Bot fly magot!!!!!!I had put some antibiotic ointment on it, and it came up for air. I clearly saw it.
How discusting! Anyway, it is on her back above her shoulderblade. The magot is young, as I was playing with her just 30 hours ago, and it was clearly not there in any way. So I think I should not mess with it at this point? I so much want to get it out of there, but how do you do it on a squirrel that is such a wiggly girl. She is very tame. tame enough that I have removed some ticks, but the warble seems sore.
I am in a state where I can not bring her to a vet, to give her some sleepy gas for a few minutes, so I would have to do this with her occupied with food. I would be afraid she would move and I would kill the worm. How many days til this thing matures and goes away on its own????
How yucky!

[Charley Chuckles]

I just saw a mouse in my boys release cage (they have been released but I still put food in as they still like to eat in) well this morning here was this little mouse with an injured front arm :( I let it stay and eat....I later found it on the floor dead with this ugly worm coming out of it/in fact it either went all the way through it or there were two worms :shakehead I buried the mouse with the worm in it...( I hope it will kill the worm/bot fly and it can't get out of the ground?) I went back to the cage and here was another worm on the floor which I killed....I had no idea what it was, my husband said it was a bot fly maybe...sure enough it looked just like the picture ...I hope they didn't leave any young in the release cage:dono I swept it out but how do they start/are they little like maggots :thinking I never saw one before ....I sure pray my released boys don't get any on them.....the poor mouse I felt so sorry for it it ate right through him:Cry
Does anyone know if I should scrub the cage with bleach or something...will it be necessary or do they not spread like that :dono

[Jackie in Tampa]

Capstar...
that's a guess, but it works well with other parasites...
Ask your vet for a tablet or two...I use 1/4 tablet per sq for blow fly maggots or similar. Very small tablets, tiny.
I usually don't attempt to help unless I see that the sq is growing debilitated.
That would indicate a weak sq to begin with, most healthy sqs get thru it fine.
I know Abby...they are ugly and yucky:yuck


Hi little CC!

[Charley Chuckles]

Capstar...
that's a guess, but it works well with other parasites...
Ask your vet for a tablet or two...I use 1/4 tablet per sq for blow fly maggots or similar. Very small tablets, tiny.
I usually don't attempt to help unless I see that the sq is growing debilitated.
That would indicate a weak sq to begin with, most healthy sqs get thru it fine.
I know Abby...they are ugly and yucky:yuck


Hi little CC!
Hi Jackie :wave123 My released boys don't have any bots on them that I have seen....but this mouse did and was in there cage...I wondered if they transfer like that or does the fly have to bite and lay the eggs :thinking didn't know if I need to totally clean room with bleach or something which might make my boys not want to come back in :dono anyway I do have capstar if I ever see a problem...Wiggles has let me put Revolution on him before Jack I don't know ......but mostly I wondered how the bots are transferred....and yuck I just hated seeing that poor little mousey like that :shakehead
Charley says hi :D

[Jackie in Tampa]

Infestationhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Magendassel.jpg/220px-Magendassel.jpg (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/File:Magendassel.jpg) http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.17/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/File:Magendassel.jpg)
Larval stage of Gasterophilus intestinalis


Botflies deposit eggs on a host, or sometimes use an intermediate vector such as the common housefly (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Housefly), mosquitoes and even a species of tick (see Dermatobia hominis (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Dermatobia_hominis)). The smaller fly is firmly held by the botfly female and rotated to a position where the botfly attaches some 30 eggs to the body under the wings. Larvae from these eggs, stimulated by the warmth and proximity of a large mammal host, drop onto its skin and burrow underneath.[2] (http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/#cite_note-1) Intermediate vectors are often used since a number of animal hosts recognise the approach of a botfly and flee.[3] (http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/#cite_note-2)
Eggs are deposited on animal skin (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Skin) directly, or the larvae (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Larva) hatch and drop from the eggs attached to the intermediate vector: the body heat of the host animal induces hatching upon contact or immediate proximity. Some forms of botfly also occur in the digestive tract (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Digestive_tract) after ingestion by licking.


I found this on Wikipedia...

I don't think bleaching will help, the eggs need mammel body warmth...
but then I don't think it would hurt either...
it goes on to say

Myiasis (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Myiasis) can be caused by larvae burrowing into the skin (or tissue lining) of the host animal. Mature larvae drop from the host and complete the pupal (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Pupa) stage in soil. They do not kill the host animal, and thus are true parasites (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Parasitism) (though some species of rodent-infesting botflies do consume the host's testes (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Testes)/ovaries (http://thesquirrelboard.com/wiki/Ovary)).

not sure if sqs are in that rodent catagory or not...I have never heard anything about ovaries and bot flies in wilds or captives..:dono

I am almost certain that each species of mammel have their own type bot fly species...
livestock, wild animals, domestic pets, even human bot flies...big yuck!

I would clean the release cage..it would make me not wonder/worry...i would feel I did all I could...but who knows if it's actually worth doing??
:rotfl
alot of extra work if it's not:)
that's what I am doing today amfact...cleaning out release cages..and most likely getting bit...Sprinkles has been showing some aggression when I first get him outta the cage...so I usually can deflect his attention span frame of mind attitude...and do so immediately. He grabs my hand, ears back, chattering...I know this is maturity, his age...most come out of this cycle fine...but not all...as you know, ....so hoping for both our sakes he does...he's my guy like your CC,,and our future depends on his temperment, oye...scarey...
anyways he nailed me this AM...broke my heart...
sigh...
this too shall pass....I hope...
sorrry so long...
:D let me get the bleach....:wave123
Have a nice weekend!

[Rescue04]

we dealt with bot flies last year. that was probably the most disgusting thing i have ever had to do. we had two squirrels that had to have the bot flies removed. they had four or more. one baby made it..the other did not. brian had to do the removing...i just could not handle it. but i did help flush out the wounds and give antibiotics. i did help hold the baby still too...but i had to turn my head away and not watch him remove them. i hope i never have to do that again.

[Charley Chuckles]

Jackie have you tried putting a nut in for Sprinkles before you put your hand in :D just a thought
I use to do that with Wiggles & Jack/and here they come up to me now and sit on my arm....guess they never were going to bite me I just didn't give them a chance....but I hope in time Sprinkles will love on you I bet he does :grouphug ...
OK off to clean their cage, better safe than sorry thank you:thumbsup

Rescue04 yuck I about was sickened when I saw the bot fly in the mouse....I hope I never have to remove one/I only worry if my released guys got it....how on earth could I get it out...guess catch them and take them to the vet if it were in a position it may do damage....otherwise I would have to just wait it out :osnap Glad you were able to get them out lucky you :poke :D

[Jackie in Tampa]

just a heads up...
although I have never done...
I was told putting vaseline on the warble will suffocate the bot and he will try to surface and leave...
also vet told me as well ...that if a larvea is broken off in the sq...it is toxic..and can cause death...
monsters!!!! Ugly monsters!

No bites at all yesterday Abby..smooth day...no bandaids!:thumbsup :rotfl

[Charley Chuckles]

just a heads up...
although I have never done...
I was told putting vaseline on the warble will suffocate the bot and he will try to surface and leave...
also vet told me as well ...that if a larvea is broken off in the sq...it is toxic..and can cause death...
monsters!!!! Ugly monsters!

No bites at all yesterday Abby..smooth day...no bandaids!:thumbsup :rotfl
I remeber as a kid when walking in the woods getting chiggers...we would just put clear nail polish on them and suffocate them :soapbox or color polish will also work if you want to look fancy (this is for human use only:D )
Oh good Sprinkles is giving you the day off Jackie :poke :rotfl

[Rescue04]

Jackie have you tried putting a nut in for Sprinkles before you put your hand in :D just a thought
I use to do that with Wiggles & Jack/and here they come up to me now and sit on my arm....guess they never were going to bite me I just didn't give them a chance....but I hope in time Sprinkles will love on you I bet he does :grouphug ...
OK off to clean their cage, better safe than sorry thank you:thumbsup

Rescue04 yuck I about was sickened when I saw the bot fly in the mouse....I hope I never have to remove one/I only worry if my released guys got it....how on earth could I get it out...guess catch them and take them to the vet if it were in a position it may do damage....otherwise I would have to just wait it out :osnap Glad you were able to get them out lucky you :poke :D

brian just used tweezers and pushed them out. i dont think the squirrel was in any pain. they did not fight us when we did it. we had one that we pulled four from....the other i think was around six. we then flushed out the wounds with proxide and neosprin. we put them on some antibiotics. but the smell...that was so gross. i just held the squirrel still and turned my head. i just had a feeling if i saw it....i would have passed out. there are just some things i just cant handle. we did see other squirrels with the bot flies on them...we kept track and if they had less then four....we left them alone.

[Charley Chuckles]

brian just used tweezers and pushed them out. i dont think the squirrel was in any pain. they did not fight us when we did it. we had one that we pulled four from....the other i think was around six. we then flushed out the wounds with proxide and neosprin. we put them on some antibiotics. but the smell...that was so gross. i just held the squirrel still and turned my head. i just had a feeling if i saw it....i would have passed out. there are just some things i just cant handle. we did see other squirrels with the bot flies on them...we kept track and if they had less then four....we left them alone.
Rescue04 they look like something from a SiFi movie....that is why I don't watch that stuff :osnap :rotfl

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

Is that what is on my wilds??

I had a least 10 in my back yard during the summer that what looked like a combo of tumors welts and hair loss. Never so anything this bad before. Couldn't do anything for them.

[Jackie in Tampa]

hard to say from that pic..
pox or bot fly...:dono

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

may be this one is better

That is as close as I could get with the zoom, they aren't around any more all that had boo boo's are gone, I feel so bad for then. I need to learn what I can do for the wild ones here, they are dwindling.

[Jackie in Tampa]

that looks like bot fly...
it happens...
it's natural
the sq is the host to parasite insect.
I see it every year.
there are many many threads about it..
why are your wilds disappearing? cats? hawks?

[Sweet Simon's Mommy]

I really don't know, we have hawks and the occasional Owl, they really hide when they are around, but this is the sparcessed its been.
I posted in another thread, (started by Bobby in the panhandle) about this at the park I didn't see any there and it has always been full of squirrels.

[Rhapsody]

Sorry wrong Bot Fly thread........ LOL

[cnmnnaturalist]

A few of our Chipmunks have been battling with Bots too.

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