Ok...since there has been some discussion on the bot fly and it infecting
a ferret (poor baby!)
 
I thought I would do some research...
 
Here is what I found
 
http://www.kidzworld.com/site/p580.htm
In the case of the Human bot fly, the female fly captures another
blood-sucking insect like a tick or a mosquito and glues her eggs to its
abdomen.  When this insect feeds, the larvae hatch and penetrate the skin
of the animal their host is sucking blood out of.  They will live there
until they are removed.
 
and...though this one deals with rabbits... I would think that ferrets
could get it just as easily...
http://www.rabbit.org/journal/4-3/maggots.html
 
Bot flies are not usually found indoors so a rabbit getting exercise
outside is more susceptible than one kept strictly indoors.  However,
do not discount the possibility of one getting to an indoor rabbit,
especially if you open windows on nice days.  Unlike house flies, bot
flies do not require the attraction of food, blood, or feces.  They are
attracted directly to the rabbit himself.
 
A bot fly looks like a bee (yellow with black stripes,) but it has a
curved body that appears to be stinging its victim.  There is no stinger.
This extension of the fly is merely the tube for laying its eggs on the
targeted area.  Eggs look like separate, tiny yellow seeds stuck to the
tips of individual hairs and are laid one egg at a time.  Warm moisture
(such as an animal licking himself) will pop open the egg hatch and
release the larva to burrow inside its victim.  If removal of all eggs
cannot be accomplished, warm vinegar should pop the egg hatches and kill
the larvae.  One kind of bot fly attracted to rabbits in the wild will
also lay eggs near rabbit habitat, on leaves or stems of normal
vegetation.  These eggs hatch when a rabbit brushes against them.  When
the eggs hatch, cuterebra prefer the area around the rabbit's neck or
under the jaw where they burrow under the skin to eat flesh and grow.
 
Unlike other fly maggots that are small and white, cuterebra look like
something out of a science fiction movie.  They start out white but grow
to reticulated black shells covering a slug type body tapered at both
ends.  They grow in size much larger than the adult bot fly and can be up
to one inch long and H inch wide.  A larva this size does considerable
damage and where one is found, several others may also be present.
Because they burrow under the skin as newly hatched larvae, the entrance
hole, called a warble, is small and not easily seen.  Since the skin is
traumatized, the area around the entrance is slightly raised like a bump
with inflamed edges.  The edges of the hole, if visible, may be blackish.
The small hole remains open for emerging when the larval stage of growth
is complete.  As the cuterebra grow, the area where they have burrowed
resembles a tumorous growth and is called a warble tumor.  All you may
see or feel is the lump.
 
A rabbit who is having trouble breathing should be checked immediately
for any of these lumps.  At this stage, death could be imminent and
rushing your rabbit to the vet will be the only way to save him.  Trying
to pull out the enlarged cuterebra on your own could rupture the larva
causing toxins to enter the already infected area.  The cuterebra may
also be deep enough to require surgical removal by your veterinarian.
 
Hope this helped!
 
Joanne
[Posted in FML issue 3873]