Advice needed please - Little green mites on my boys

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Andywilson

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Hello Everyone,

I would just like a little bit of advice please.

Tonight I groomed one of my boy guinea pigs and whilst I was brushing him, against my white t-shirt, I saw some tiny green mites moving around. They didn't jump, I squished them straight away, would these have come from the hay they have and do you know what they are or how I can get rid of them?

They have lovely 'Hay for Pets' hay to eat and over the last few months, I have used Jollys meadow hay for their bedding, as they live indoors and I am forever changing their hay twice a day, so I need a cheaper alternative for bedding for them.

They were certainly mites of some sort, I just don't know what the next step is I should take, can anyone advise me and is this normal, do all guinea pigs have mites from their hay and do they do them any harm if left?

Thank you, I look forward to receiving some help.

Andrew x
 
They can get static mites from hay, they can't really be seen moving very well with the naked eye & they aren't usually green. They will look like dark specks in their fur.

Can you get a picture on here for us to see? I tend to buy American Timothy hay for mine as it is sterile so doesn't harbour any hay mites. You could try microwaving their hay for about 40 -50 seconds to kill any bugs. Check the piggies' fur, especially on their rumps as that is where static mites/lice tend to hitch a ride on them. You can treat them by bathing in Gorgeous Guineas Lice & Easy or Flea or Die shampoo.

http://gorgeousguineas.com/shampoos.html
 
Thank you both for your help. I am partially colour blind which doesn't help but they are too small to see in their fur, there doesn't seem to be any evidence of hitch-hikers around their bottom areas, although I can't see properly as they won't sit still (The boys lol). All that happened last night was I saw a total of three little bugs and I am sure they were either very light in colour green, or brown, they just came off Bumble when I stroked him.

Do you both recommend I shampoo them and will they what ever they are, just keep coming back every time I give them some more hay?

I will try the micro-waving trick although my mum won't be best pleased and I will have to keep cleaning it out.

I am nervous as they are both still young and have never been shampooed before they don't even like me taking them out of their cage :-(

I wondered if most outside guinea pigs have mites and if untreated would it do them any harm or not?

Thanks you for your help both of you, sorry I can't provide any pics

Andrew x
 
To check if they are on the piggies use a small strip of sellotape, lift the fur up just above the "tail" end & stick the tape on, peel off gently then look under a magnifying glass/microscope if you have one!

How old are they? Some shampoos aren't suitable for young piggies. If you actually find any on them you may need to pop them to a Cavy savvy vet for a proper diagnosis & treatment because of their age.
 
Thank you, they are about 6-7 months, I stroked one today and no
mites came off him, I don't have a magnifying glass and I think I will register them at a new vets, as the one I registered them with before is 100 miles away. They will surely advise me and can show me how to clips their nails at the same time. I am not confident in choosing the right shampoo and would prefer not to bathe them if I can help it, they are big wimps. Thanks for all of your help, I will keep you posted and I am sure a few days longer to a week won't hurt, I can imagine many outside guineas have mites or fleas that never go detected or treated.
 
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