# Baby bunnies have weird bugs on them



## Aurelia (May 24, 2009)

I have a firm of baby cottontails in my storage shed. They're getting pretty big, their eyes are open, and they'll leave the firm any day now. What worries me is when I go to check on them (no touching of course), they have these little wiggly worms or larvae or something on them. The larvae are about 3 or 4mm in length.  They live under a piece of bark, and there was a strange black bug crawling on the bark, about 2mm in length. I squished it, and it oozed what looked like mammalian blood. I'm worried these larvae are that of this blood-bug, and that they might harm the bunnies. Does anybody have a clue what these thing might be? Am I right to worry?


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## MorbidPh8 (May 24, 2009)

Aurelia said:


> They live under a piece of bark, and there was a strange black bug crawling on the bark, about 2mm in length. I squished it, and it oozed what looked like mammalian blood.


Sounds like a tick... Was it round to oval shape? Its the only thing I can think of that would leave blood if ya squish it. Ticks don't have larvae like flies, but there larvae look like ticks but with only 6 legs. Not sure what the worms could be.


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## ZergFront (May 24, 2009)

*hmmmmm...*

I need to know if it looked like a true bug. Was the adult like this kissing bug?

http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/arthropods/armu/arthropods/bugs/photo7.jpg


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## Triggerman73 (May 24, 2009)

ZergFront said:


> I need to know if it looked like a true bug. Was the adult like this kissing bug?
> 
> http://aces.nmsu.edu/academics/arthropods/armu/arthropods/bugs/photo7.jpg


thats exactly what i thought but i didnt know they got black


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## Galapoheros (May 24, 2009)

Blood Sucking Conenose can be almost an inch long and nothing was mentioned being over 4mm.  Sounds strange, you really need to post pics of something like that.  Can you take pics?


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## Aurelia (May 24, 2009)

I will try to take a pick of the worms. They're rather thin and they wiggle a lot.  Sorry, I used "bug" as a slang term. I should know better. It was some sort of insect. I think it was more elongated than a tick, and its legs were underneath it, not splayed out like a tick's.


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## Galapoheros (May 24, 2009)

Cool, really sounds weird, a pic would prob solve the riddle.  Kind of sounds like a small sp of Rove Beetle(which is harmless to that rabbits, even beneficial cuz they might eat mites and small ticks).  I'm kinda curious though.


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## Aurelia (May 25, 2009)

That's kind of what it looked like, but the little larvae/worms don't match the rove beetle larva. Then again those could be a totally separate species than that thing I squished.


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## Aurelia (May 25, 2009)

Well my camera wouldn't take a pic of those larvae no matter what setting I tried.  I looked at one closely and it seems to have little spikes on its segments. It's white like a maggot but not as fat, and it has a dark vein running down its underside. I guess I won't worry too much, those babies are going to be out on their own within a matter of days and they're very lively and active. They don't act sick at all.  I will post pics soon. ^_^


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## Aurelia (May 26, 2009)




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## ZergFront (May 26, 2009)

*Puzzling..*

Hard to be sure without a pic....

 I thought ground beetle because I found a few in a nest of rats yesterday, but I don't know why one would have mammalian blood in it and the larval description just didn't fit. Thought warehouse beetle but again the feeding didn't make sense. Could be blister beetle, but again I'm skeptical and bedbugs don't make sense. :?


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## Philth (May 26, 2009)

We ofter remove Cuterebra from rabbits kept outdoors, in the Veterinary office I work for.  The fly's lay the eggs around the cage'nesting area and the larva burrow and feed off the animal until it turn into a fly and repeats the process.  I dont know if this is what your problem is, but is a common prob around here.

Later, Tom


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## Aundrea (May 27, 2009)

Thoese are some super cute bunnies


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