Buckets is missing patches of hair

[TinaY]

Hi all! Buckets has been under a lot of stress lately as Donuts, his cagemate, went through the teenage hormonal phase and really chased him around a lot. There was no biting, but the poor guy really had a rough couple of weeks. As this was going on, I noticed a scratch on his back and later hair fell off exactly on that spot. I kept observing it and yesterday I found another missing patch on the other side of the back and a scratch like wound on the bum and also hair loss there. I am so sad. Some hair came out easily yesterday and had little clumps of skin on it, but I think it was when the scab was coming off, today there were no clumps of skin at all. What is this? Please tell me it is not ringworm as I just went though this misery 6 months ago. His cage mate Donuts is completely fine.

Buckets is happy otherwise, popcorning daily, eating, drinking, slaving me around, has healthy weight and no other issues. I swear I clean the cage like a maniac. Hair loss is only on the bum and back area, distributed in several (4-5) quite small patches. Forgot to say that they have been scratching maybe slightly more lately, but nothing extensive.

Last time I took them to the vet they got misdiagnosed and they only got proper treatment thanks to this form as I had to guide the vet. I am now talking to a different vet, but you never know how qualified people are here in Dubai as they come from so many different countries with different standards. Plus I am freaking our over a potential heat stroke (Dubai is like 40+ degrees at the moment) and I do not want to take them out, if it not necessary. Their appointment should be this week otherwise, please guide me what to do. So many uncertainties. Thank you!

 

[Swissgreys]

It is impossible to tell based simply on a photo but it does look like it could possibly be skin mites.
However a vet visit really is essential to avoid treating for the wrong condition.
All guinea pigs have a low level of skin mites which are naturally kept under control in a healthy pig, but can flare up when a piggy is under stress, which would match what you describe with your boys and their recent behaviour.

Given how hot it currently is please do consider giving your boy a trim - all that hair will not be doing him any favours in the heat and if you do have to go out he will be much more comfortable with a shorter trim.
Our excellent hair cutting guide will help with ideas and techniques.
An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting

 

[TinaY]

It is impossible to tell based simply on a photo but it does look like it could possibly be skin mites.
However a vet visit really is essential to avoid treating for the wrong condition.
All guinea pigs have a low level of skin mites which are naturally kept under control in a healthy pig, but can flare up when a piggy is under stress, which would match what you describe with your boys and their recent behaviour.

Given how hot it currently is please do consider giving your boy a trim - all that hair will not be doing him any favours in the heat and if you do have to go out he will be much more comfortable with a shorter trim.
Our excellent hair cutting guide will help with ideas and techniques.
An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting

Thank you! I completely understand that pictures do not show everything.

I actually trimmed their hair as they were dragging things behind them, we have a fully AC-ed room for them around the clock on 25ish degrees (I need to use a blanket to sit on the sofa and my husband actually always teases me that I am willing to freeze for the piggies but not for him ha ha ha, but I will definitely consider trimming more to go out into the heat. I just had a mouse once and it got a heat stroke when I put her into the car to take her to the vet and I am traumatized from that to be honest.

Thank you again for taking the time to help out!

 

[Swissgreys]

If you do take him out you could always put a large frozen water bottle in his carrier covered with a sock or a towel.
This will give him something cool to lean against if needed, but shorter hair would definitely be the better solution in the long term

 

[TinaY]

If you do take him out you could always put a large frozen water bottle in his carrier covered with a sock or a towel.
This will give him something cool to lean against if needed, but shorter hair would definitely be the better solution in the long term

I will do that, great idea, thank you! And I booked for the early morning so hopefully it will be less hot too.

 

[Free Ranger]

Fungal infection and parasites (like mites and lice) can both cause hair loss.

We've had the parasites and saw scratching and shedding (although no bald spots) and the hair loss was most obvious around the back end. Our vet prescribes a product for mites called Xeno-450 which contains ivermectin as the active ingredient. The dose is weight dependant - my pigs are hefty adults between 1.2 and 1.4 kg - for smaller pigs there is mini xeno-50. All pigs are treated at the same time. We get dose 1 (spotted onto bare skin like behind the ears or along the roots of hair on the spine), then dose 2 is a repeat 2 weeks later, then there is a third dose 2 weeks after that. This is because ivermectin kills the live critter but not the eggs so you have to wait for eggs to hatch and repeat dose. The cage is blitzed out a day or two after application - there may be critters in the environment and I like to give them a chance to get back on and die! I just use hot water and white vinegar for my plastic cages. I've seen on this forum that some people get prescribed a course of ivermectin injections instead. Of course I don't know what your vet will use but if they decide to treat for mites/lice ask if the product also kills the eggs or just the live ones. It's important, because if you just get one dose you might find your problem returns in a few weeks.

A word of warning - the ivermectin causes mites to spasm as they die and if you have a heavy infestation this can cause a frenzy of itching for a few hours which is upsetting for piggy and upsetting to see. Don't do it at night when everyone is tired and emotional anyway! The repeat doses shouldn't be so bad.

It struck me what you said about the initial scratch... my young son once got a ringworm mark from one of our first piggies and it was on his chest where piggie's nail had scratched the skin (the pigs never showed any symptoms themselves and he was easily treated with cream). If the scratch came first it might have been an opportunity for fungus to take hold - but it's equally likely that there are mites which itched and he scratched himself and broke the skin.

Hopefully the vet can sort things out whether to treat for parasites or fungus.

What I will also add is that I had a piggy that looked a lot like your hairy beauty 2 weeks ago but now she looks like this:
I did her with pet hair clippers - actually without the length guard because she gets upset with anything touching or pulling at her skin. I lifted clumps of hair and just 'waved' the clippers at it so that whole clouds came off. You have to make sure you leave the important face hairs like whiskers and eyebrows. This will last her about 4-6 weeks because those long hairs grow at a terrific rate. You'll find piggy will run and popcorn once free of the wig!

There was a thread on here at some point where long-haired pig owners were discussing a couple of problems that crop up a lot: one being waxy ears (not ear mites - just waxy). My girls gets these, probably because all that hair gives her a sweaty head! Another is itching, which might be to do with not being able to groom properly. After all piggies haven't evolved to have this sort of coat so they just have to do their best. Two of us who scissored/clippered the hair agreed that when shorn they scratched much less. They are able to groom better and get the loose hairs out but there is also the fact that a thick coat produces a 'micro-climate' next to piggies skin which is warm and damp... perfect conditions for fungus to thrive. It also collects a lot of debris and bits from the hay. My girl hates being brushed or combed and gets very distressed about it so we don't do it - we just cut it short every now and again. I trim underneath too although I leave her a bit of a 'cushion' here in case the hay pokes into her tummy! The temp here is about 20 degrees in the day and 14 at night - mine are indoor and she's fine. I do recommend you try it

And good luck with your vet!

 

[TinaY]

Fungal infection and parasites (like mites and lice) can both cause hair loss.

We've had the parasites and saw scratching and shedding (although no bald spots) and the hair loss was most obvious around the back end. Our vet prescribes a product for mites called Xeno-450 which contains ivermectin as the active ingredient. The dose is weight dependant - my pigs are hefty adults between 1.2 and 1.4 kg - for smaller pigs there is mini xeno-50. All pigs are treated at the same time. We get dose 1 (spotted onto bare skin like behind the ears or along the roots of hair on the spine), then dose 2 is a repeat 2 weeks later, then there is a third dose 2 weeks after that. This is because ivermectin kills the live critter but not the eggs so you have to wait for eggs to hatch and repeat dose. The cage is blitzed out a day or two after application - there may be critters in the environment and I like to give them a chance to get back on and die! I just use hot water and white vinegar for my plastic cages. I've seen on this forum that some people get prescribed a course of ivermectin injections instead. Of course I don't know what your vet will use but if they decide to treat for mites/lice ask if the product also kills the eggs or just the live ones. It's important, because if you just get one dose you might find your problem returns in a few weeks.

A word of warning - the ivermectin causes mites to spasm as they die and if you have a heavy infestation this can cause a frenzy of itching for a few hours which is upsetting for piggy and upsetting to see. Don't do it at night when everyone is tired and emotional anyway! The repeat doses shouldn't be so bad.

It struck me what you said about the initial scratch... my young son once got a ringworm mark from one of our first piggies and it was on his chest where piggie's nail had scratched the skin (the pigs never showed any symptoms themselves and he was easily treated with cream). If the scratch came first it might have been an opportunity for fungus to take hold - but it's equally likely that there are mites which itched and he scratched himself and broke the skin.

Hopefully the vet can sort things out whether to treat for parasites or fungus.

What I will also add is that I had a piggy that looked a lot like your hairy beauty 2 weeks ago but now she looks like this:
View attachment 185916 I did her with pet hair clippers - actually without the length guard because she gets upset with anything touching or pulling at her skin. I lifted clumps of hair and just 'waved' the clippers at it so that whole clouds came off. You have to make sure you leave the important face hairs like whiskers and eyebrows. This will last her about 4-6 weeks because those long hairs grow at a terrific rate. You'll find piggy will run and popcorn once free of the wig!

There was a thread on here at some point where long-haired pig owners were discussing a couple of problems that crop up a lot: one being waxy ears (not ear mites - just waxy). My girls gets these, probably because all that hair gives her a sweaty head! Another is itching, which might be to do with not being able to groom properly. After all piggies haven't evolved to have this sort of coat so they just have to do their best. Two of us who scissored/clippered the hair agreed that when shorn they scratched much less. They are able to groom better and get the loose hairs out but there is also the fact that a thick coat produces a 'micro-climate' next to piggies skin which is warm and damp... perfect conditions for fungus to thrive. It also collects a lot of debris and bits from the hay. My girl hates being brushed or combed and gets very distressed about it so we don't do it - we just cut it short every now and again. I trim underneath too although I leave her a bit of a 'cushion' here in case the hay pokes into her tummy! The temp here is about 20 degrees in the day and 14 at night - mine are indoor and she's fine. I do recommend you try it

And good luck with your vet!

Thank you so much for this fantastic information.

It will be helpful to ask what medicine (if they have mites) they will get and if they kill eggs, very crucial, thank you. Also thank you for the heads up that they might have spasms, at least I know what to expect. I would definitely think it is overdose or wrong medication otherwise and freak out. Have zero trust in vets here unfortunately.

My daughter got ringworm from our two boys when we got them in February. Lengthy treatment for her and the boys and terrible experience overall. That is why I am REALLY hoping it is not the same thing. It does not look the same, but you can never be too careful.

I felt really bad giving them the horrendous butt trim. I also bought special scissors, but they still scream and jump when I do it. Brushing is pretty much the same and I tried sooooo many types of brushes. And bribes. But I will take your piggy picture as the inspiration and not be afraid to really trim it even more.

Thank you so much again for taking the time to share all this!

 

[Free Ranger]

She used to look like this - she couldn't see!
These are what I used... about £12 off Amazon. I just searched for quiet pet hair clippers and these rechargeable ones came as a set with some scissors and the plastic guards which mean you can't cut too short. But she hates the plastic guards as they have to press against the skin and comb through the hair so we just had to lift a clump of hair, guess at the length, zip it through without touching the skin and hope she forgave me!

I was warned once by a vet about the mite's spams but luckily so far my piggies have never been seriously infested (fingers crossed) and when one had lice it didn't happen either - presumably because the lice live in the hair and not in the skin. When they don't scratch you're left wondering if you're actually treating for the right thing but it becomes obvious over the next weeks as the shedding stops and they look much happier

Whatever it turns out to be I hope you can get it sorted x

 

[TinaY]

She is sooooo similar to my Buckets! Just fur on the body in the opposite colors. I bought just plain scissors set for animals but will now consider getting these! (They are all cosy in this picture, but now Donuts is a hormonal nightmare and I feel really sorry for Buckets who gets to put up with it.)

Yes, that scratching observation got me all confused too. Seeing the vet tomorrow morning, fingers crossed that is not ringworm and that they get better fast without me needing to burn down half of the house. x

 

[Free Ranger]

Buckets and Donuts you are lovely!
Louise is a bit jealous because it looks like the boy's hair grows upwards on their heads but hers is a floppy fringe - even when short it grows forwards over her eyes! Here she is with George in the grass pile... she thinks if she presses herself flat into the floor I can't see her. This is because when she has her long floppy hair and she does it she disappears into her own fluff!

 

[TinaY]

Oh, the cuteness!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Here is more practical information with lots of how-to tips for hot weather care and travelling with guinea pigs (including during heat waves):
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Travelling with guinea pigs
Summer haircuts for long-haired guinea pigs (with videos): An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting

Information on common skin problems (fungal/ringworm and parasitic):
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

 

[Merab]

Hope all goes well at the vets.
Holding you in my thoughts

 

[TinaY]

Hi!

Here is more practical information with lots of how-to tips for hot weather care and travelling with guinea pigs (including during heat waves):
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Travelling with guinea pigs
Summer haircuts for long-haired guinea pigs (with videos): An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting

Information on common skin problems (fungal/ringworm and parasitic):
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

THANK YOU!

 

[TinaY]

Hope all goes well at the vets.
Holding you in my thoughts

Thank you so much for saying this. I honestly do not know what would I do without this forum and everyone here when I need help with my boys. Thank you!

 

[weepweeps]

Hello. I remember you getting your piggies and them getting ringworm. I felt so bad for you as it was the start of your piggy journey and I wanted it to be fun for you. Great news you got over that hurdle. I have two boars and I have treated them twice for mites since November. And they never had bald patches like your boys. They were more red patches with a bit of flaky skin on top or white flaky skin. They did scratch a bit but not loads. So I’m thinking that maybe these are bite wounds that have healed and the hair hasn’t grown back yet? You said Donut has gone through a teenage hormonal spike recently. They do nip backs and bottoms as the piggy is running away from them. Obviously this is just a guess and you need to take them to the vets to get a proper diagnosis. Keep us posted.

 

[TinaY]

Hi @weepweeps! Yes, that was certainly not an experience we wanted. The worst was because my daughter caught it too and then it did not want to clear up on her for 2 months and in the end we had to use 3 different creams at the same time to actually get rid of it. So no piggy cuddling for months after we got them.

GOOD NEWS! Not ringworm, not even mites. You were right on this one @weepweeps, the hair loss is due to the mechanical injury! Looks like Buckets' back got scratched in 3 places and the hair loss is the result of those scratches. The vet was OK, not 100% I can trust her as she mentioned neutering Donuts to get him behave, but she checked one scab that came off under the microscope, she showed me that all patches are very lateral. That is why she thinks that no fungus or mites would create such a pattern. Just in case she treated them both with Revolution (hope that is ok?). Otherwise she said they are very healthy boys. She checked their teeth, genitalia, listened to the heart, I asked her to check the length of the nails too and it was ok.

Donuts is calming down, so I am hoping this was it. Forgot to say that they have a HUGE cage. They have two times 2X4 CC cage shaped into T and they literally have 1 of everything in each "wing" of the cage so size of the cage should not be an issue.

I couldn't sleep last night, I was so worried about the transportation and the heat and that they have something serious. I hacked the ice pack thingy a bit, I put water in the IKEA ziplock bag, I froze it flat in the freezer and then wrapped it in a fleece blanket. This way it was not rolling around the cage and they could actually lay on it, if they needed. But they honestly just stayed in their fleece cubes hideouts and they were without the AC for 1 min when I ran from house to car and then 1 min from car to the vet and back the same. I had a friend help me and he parked super close.

I am so relieved. And so THANKFUL for all the knowledge I get from everyone here and the emotional support that is needed sometimes when many people don't understand that small animals are just as important as bigger animals and we get worried exactly the same as we would worry for a dog.

Hope everyone has a great day with your piggies! I''ll spoil mine a bit extra today .

 

[weepweeps]

Excellent news. Glad it was nothing awful (and contagious)

 

[TinaY]

OMG, me too. I hate using F10 every 5s and burning down half of the house.

 

[Swissgreys]

The Ikea bag hack is a fantastic idea! Well done.
And glad all went well at the vet today too.
Fingers crossed you have a nice long stretch of enjoyable and trouble free piggy ownership now.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi @weepweeps! Yes, that was certainly not an experience we wanted. The worst was because my daughter caught it too and then it did not want to clear up on her for 2 months and in the end we had to use 3 different creams at the same time to actually get rid of it. So no piggy cuddling for months after we got them.

GOOD NEWS! Not ringworm, not even mites. You were right on this one @weepweeps, the hair loss is due to the mechanical injury! Looks like Buckets' back got scratched in 3 places and the hair loss is the result of those scratches. The vet was OK, not 100% I can trust her as she mentioned neutering Donuts to get him behave, but she checked one scab that came off under the microscope, she showed me that all patches are very lateral. That is why she thinks that no fungus or mites would create such a pattern. Just in case she treated them both with Revolution (hope that is ok?). Otherwise she said they are very healthy boys. She checked their teeth, genitalia, listened to the heart, I asked her to check the length of the nails too and it was ok.

Donuts is calming down, so I am hoping this was it. Forgot to say that they have a HUGE cage. They have two times 2X4 CC cage shaped into T and they literally have 1 of everything in each "wing" of the cage so size of the cage should not be an issue.

I couldn't sleep last night, I was so worried about the transportation and the heat and that they have something serious. I hacked the ice pack thingy a bit, I put water in the IKEA ziplock bag, I froze it flat in the freezer and then wrapped it in a fleece blanket. This way it was not rolling around the cage and they could actually lay on it, if they needed. But they honestly just stayed in their fleece cubes hideouts and they were without the AC for 1 min when I ran from house to car and then 1 min from car to the vet and back the same. I had a friend help me and he parked super close.

I am so relieved. And so THANKFUL for all the knowledge I get from everyone here and the emotional support that is needed sometimes when many people don't understand that small animals are just as important as bigger animals and we get worried exactly the same as we would worry for a dog.

Hope everyone has a great day with your piggies! I''ll spoil mine a bit extra today .

Revolution is fine. It is a US brand based on selamectin that is used against parasites, so your vet is covering that angle, just to be on the safe side.

Glad that it isn't anything serious!

 

[Merab]

So pleased it’s nothing serious

 

[Free Ranger]

Great news - and about time after all your previous trouble!
(The forum guides say that neutering doesn't really change behavior in piggies like it might in other species - it just stops them reproducing. Sorry if that's not much help )

 

[TinaY]

The Ikea bag hack is a fantastic idea! Well done.
And glad all went well at the vet today too.
Fingers crossed you have a nice long stretch of enjoyable and trouble free piggy ownership now.

Thank you! Me too .

 

[TinaY]

Great news - and about time after all your previous trouble!
(The forum guides say that neutering doesn't really change behavior in piggies like it might in other species - it just stops them reproducing. Sorry if that's not much help )

I know! I read that and thought maybe she has seen too many rabbits ... When I brought them in yesterday they were the main attraction, I do not think they see many of them here to be honest. My daughter said she has guinea piggies at school and got teased for weeks that we have pigs at home. Now she just says she has hamsters .

 

[TinaY]

So pleased it’s nothing serious

Thank you! And thank you for the help!

 

[TinaY]

Revolution is fine. It is a US brand based on selamectin that is used against parasites, so your vet is covering that angle, just to be on the safe side.

Glad that it isn't anything serious!

Great to know, thank you again!