Hey guys, just recently (two days ago) ishot a cottontail rabbit. so not wanting to skin it right away i put it in the freezer. the strange thing is that when i took it out today i found a strange leech thing (dead) next to the rabbit. and another one had burrowed about half way outa the rabbits hide before it died. the things were pretty big to, about as wide as a quater and as thick as my pinky. so my question is...is there some sort of parasite that was in the rabbit and if so does it ruin the meat and is it safe to clean? not that it matters cuz i already burried the rabbit but im still curious.

rabbits this time of year have parasites and mange and stuff. i wouldn't eat one this time of year plus they arn't in season here. Once the weather gets cold it seems to kill off the parasites every rabbit ive killed in small game season has been fine but ive seen some nasty lookin ones this time of year.

in the hot mo's. they have parasite's that we in the south call "wolves" a fly bites the rabbits and lays an egg. it burrows into the skin and when it hatches it is between the skin and the meat. it looks like big grub worm that you dig in the garden.it sets just below the skin and grows,when about the size of your finger and about 1 1/2" or 2" long it is expelled and goes into the grown and molts and changes into another fly.the procesiger starts again until cold weather.it does not hurt the animal as far as eating or movement.just I wouldn't eat them durning hot weather.
some times they will get into a deer or a cow,mostly in rabbits and squirrles.

as for you finding it in the frezzer,its like ticks in you truck form the deer you kill.when an animal's body temiputre starts to drop , the parasites start to fall off.

I'm not sure it's limited to hotter months, I think an animal infected with worms or parasites is infected, they dont just magically go away when it gets cold.
I killed a doe during season , it was cold! she had worms inside her. she smelled rotten whenI opened her up. Just left her for the yotes.

Sounds like the ever yummy Bot fly warble.

Commonly found in squirrels and rabbits....... and once in awhile..... people.

mmmm....







[:'(] [:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(][:'(]

Check out this link too... if you're brave enough. []


http://botfly.quiik.com/gallery.html

Thanks. My lunch is now on the floor beside me. [8D][8D][:'(][:'(]

Ah.. then my job here is done.

the wolfes (or bott flies larva) are only in summer times or hot mo's.
the internal parisites in an animal (worms)are there until they die or someone add wormer to the water supply. the (bott flys are like the skitters;in winter there gone; pretty much) they don't produce the eggs in winter.
sorta like worms in the speckle trout in the gulf waters. they have a few all year.in the hotter summer mo's. July ;Aug.; Sept. they have a BUNCH.just nature. the worms have to eat also.thats what the intomoligest training says anyway.
JMHO.

90% of the deer I shoot, which is in the winter, have that larva in the nasal pasages.
I do euro mounts for a lot of people during deer season, and almost everyone has that larva inside the nasal cavity.