Annoyed...

[Redribbon]

My post is minor compared to some of the serious issues here but I had to have a rant. I should know better than to look at classified ads for piggies but I did and fell for my two as soon as I saw the pic online. They came from a farm nearby and my brother had to collect them as I had to close up at work last week and he is pretty up on pigs to be trusted to check them and ask suitable questions. I did, however, completely forget to ask him to check when or if they were mite treated.
My two are very nervous so I'm handling gradually and last night after a longer stroking session with Angus my long haired pig, I found two quite large bald patches on his back that are growing back fully with hair already approx. 1cm long. He's happy and healthy, the area is calm and he doesn't scratch and his brother Stan is fine too. I emailed the seller to tell them what I'd found and all I got was OK thanks. I was hoping for a tad more information as to if/what they might have been treated with/for as surely they should have noticed but no.

 

[Critter]

If it's any consolation even if they had been treated with spot-on, which is quite common for breeders to do as a precaution, it wouldn't necessarily prevent a break-out of mites. If the patches are healing up it may never have been mites anyhow, but certainly now you have noticed them it would be good to inspect these patches daily and keep a watch of any kind of irritation. Guinea pigs can also get fungal infections, some of which can be contagious. Can you take any photos of these patches? Are these patches showing bare skin, it reads from your post that there's hair now growing over them, stubble? Would you mind just re-confirming that please?

Current thinking states that mites exist in guinea pigs in low levels, just in the back-ground, you or they never know it really, they are not bothersome UNTIL something upsets the balance and the mites breed out of control whilst their immune systems cannot keep the levels down. Stress or illness are generally the factors for a mite outbreak. One of mine 'broke out' in mites after tensions in the herd followed by her witnessing the death (we think heart attack) of a loved cage mate.

The best treatment is a round of injections from the vet - very effective and much better than spot-on. The dose is measured by the pig's weight and timed quite precisely over the course of treatment for maximum affect.

 

[Redribbon]

Ah great info, thanks. I have known mites to occur due to stresses of ill health in a previous old piggy. Angus is highly strung at the moment due to the new environment/life he has now, so I'm keeping things extra calm and they are on an excellent diet. I will monitor the patches daily. the larger patch is growing back with new hair and is almost unnoticeable and the smaller patch has more skin visible but hair is definitely re-growing. The skin looks normal to the eye. I can't really get a clear pic at the mo as Angus is like a wriggling speeding bullet trying to fly from my lap!

 

[flowerfairy]

Wriggling speeding bullet! Hope he grows his hair back soon and starts to relax. Mine are still both fairly skittish after three weeks with me but noticably calmer than they were.

 

[Redribbon]

Thanks. I feel like they'll never like me but it's only been three days! I think I'm getting somewhere as they are beginning to dare leave their tunnels to eat as I sit nearby but then the minute I turn my head to look at them they shoot back in their hidey holes! I know and hope it'll get better and I am enjoying the moments when they tolerate me just a little bit more! (I think your pigs are stunning btw!)

 

[Critter]

Thanks. I feel like they'll never like me but it's only been three days! I think I'm getting somewhere as they are beginning to dare leave their tunnels to eat as I sit nearby but then the minute I turn my head to look at them they shoot back in they're hidey holes! I know and hope it'll get better and I am enjoying the moments when they tolerate me just a little bit more! (I think your pigs are stunning btw!)

Yeah I think that's a common feeling. They bolt and you wonder how long they will do this for. Sometimes just moving in the same room sets them off at first. It can take a while, expect if to take weeks, be prepared for it to do so, often though you will notice little steps in bravery before that point, and each one is rewarding to see.

 

[Redribbon]

Thanks and yes, that is spot on, Critter. I've always been a bit too hands on with previous pigs and I'm actually enjoying the challenge of applying patience and a bit of pig psychology! But at this stage I'd be happy with not getting the evil stares from inside the hidey tunnels like I'm an ogre or something!

 

[Critter]

I may have been the other way. It's hard to know when to start handling them because many times the advice given from pet stores and breeders will be 'handle them daily', also some rescues say the same thing, and opinions on here and experiences of people here vary. I have been nervous of causing any upset to my new ones so I leave them alone, no matter where they are from (never had one directly from a pet store, had a couple as babies from elsewhere, the rest have taken them in as re-homes). I don't tend to handle them for quite some time and they start to trust. Then comes the picking up part and it can set them back just a little at first, but they tend not to be too bad because in their minds they have already decided that I'm most likely harmless by that point.

Most of them get used to being handled in the end, and most will relax enough to eat and move around. I only ever had one that absolutely hated being touched throughout her life. I currently has another who clearly doesn't like being touched, so I don't when she's on my knee, but she is still only a year 1/2 old or so and may calm down in that respect. Also youngsters tend to be restless, some in a flighty way and some in an 'I want to explore' kind of way and then settle down when they are older. My boar, Freddie tended to make it known that he wanted to poddle around the settee and would come back if I rustled the treat bag. He had never shown any indication that he wants to sit there being stroked, but by this time wasn't at all timid either. Then all at once, around the age of 2 perhaps (I don't know quite how old he is) he decided that my lap is actually a nice place to lie on his side and put his head down.

They are all different, but only time will tell how yours will be

 

[Redribbon]

That's lovely! Good advice too. Thank you for the reassurance.