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Blowflies no good? Lay maggots in herp??


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Thats disgusting. Was this some one's pet or?

No it was a 'found' one some-one had taken to the vet. I've lost count at about 20 new turtles that have come to me since the earthquake. Some from people no longer able to cope..broken house...broken tank etc etc, but many 'found' in drains, gardens, creeks etc. :(

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I remember watching a medical video and these people bred flies to produce maggots for hospitlas so they would eat all the bad flesh and leave the good flesh behind for patients with infected skin that was rotting apparently maggots will only eat rotting flesh and leave good stuff behind so they should pose no threat to a living animal if this is true unless it's like got mouth rot or something like that maby that's why the turtle Donna got had maggots in it mouth?

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True, was gonna say, Im not sure how someone could let their pet get that bad.

Keep up the great work Donna :hail:

Thanks Mark :) Pretty tiring, but just managing to find tanks or a pond here for them all :) (Or a plastic container for awhile :roll: )

....now if some-one wants an adult RES male...I've got about 6 needing a forever home. And they are all maggot free!!!! :lol:

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I remember watching a medical video and these people bred flies to produce maggots for hospitlas so they would eat all the bad flesh and leave the good flesh behind for patients with infected skin that was rotting apparently maggots will only eat rotting flesh and leave good stuff behind so they should pose no threat to a living animal if this is true unless it's like got mouth rot or something like that maby that's why the turtle Donna got had maggots in it mouth?

similar thought crossed my mind.

that maybe true and i could be wrong on this, but i remember reading/hearing that some maggots actually produce an enzyme or something that kills living tissue as they eat the existing dead tissue. So they essentially just make the wound bigger and bigger until the animal dies....something along those lines. could be completely wrong.

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Thanks Matt ;) Pretty tiring, but just managing to find tanks or a pond here for them all :) (Or a plastic container for awhile :roll: )

....now if some-one wants an adult RES male...I've got about 6 needing a forever home. And they are all maggot free!!!! :lol:

Maggot free lol

I bet its tiring. Cant really offer permanent homes here atm, but if you hear of any up my way that need a little tlc before finding new digs let us know. Sorry cant offer more help at present :(

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that maybe true and i could be wrong on this, but i remember reading/hearing that some maggots actually produce an enzyme or something that kills living tissue as they eat the existing dead tissue. So they essentially just make the wound bigger and bigger until the animal dies....something along those lines. could be completely wrong.

That is pretty much it. Maggots don't have very exciting mouthparts, they pretty much can only slurp juices, hence needing moist, bacteria-ridden flesh to grow in.

If you ever want to be completely grossed out, do a google image search for human botfly.

The fly catches a mosquito in flight and lays her egg on it. The mosquito lands or a human or other host and the egg hatch and land on the skin. The maggot then burrows in somehow and feeds on secretions in the wound, holding in position with tiny barbs. However it also secretes its own antibacterial stuff to stop the wound from getting infected, as infection would kill the maggot. Ironically, people really only have pain or infection if the maggot dies in situ!

Even so: shudder

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Nope, they are using the same technique. The moisture and poo means good bacterial growth, and the maggots encourage things along, feeding on the nutritious fluids from the bacteria and/or sores developing on the animal's skin.

They don't have the mouthparts to gnaw into live flesh.

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knew id read something about enzymes somewhere.

The good thing about Larval therapy is that maggots only eat decaying flesh so they are great at getting rid of anything that is rotten or dead. Problem with them is that they secreate enzymes that damage healthy flesh so they have more to eat...lol

That is why the medical grade ones now come in little tea bags so we dont have to count them in or out like we used to and that the area they inhabit is limited...lol.

Still good things tho not as much fun to play with as the leaches...lol

Navarre

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=41277&p=448868&hilit=therapy#p448868

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another question re maggots :D

If they cant eat solids....

Why do people say put wild caught in bran to cleanse them? Ive tried and they dont seem to eat any of it, just pupate or die.

breed them in a moist substrate (like bran) and same thing they seem to suck all the goodness/moisture but not really eat the solids...

maggot myth busters 8)

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