Dry skin? or something else?

[Lydi.aimee]

Hi everyone

hope everyone is well and and feeling as okay as can be right now.

I am just a little concerned about my guinea pig coco’s fur he has some bits in his fur that I can’t seem to move. My piggies have ivermectin treatment every three months but I’m not too sure what this is I’ve attached a picture of someone can give me some guidance

many thanks

 

[Lady Kelly]

Hi, it would be impossible for us to diagnose from a photo alone even if we were trained vets. It could be fur mite egg casings but it could be dry skin. Ivermectin products should not be used routinely as a preventative measure, all that seems to do is build up a resistance to the product in the future.

Instead, for mites, I only ever treat my piggies if they get an infestation and then it's the appropriate strength product (pet shop spot on's are too weak to make any difference and contribute to the build up of resistance) and this needs to be administered at least twice, one week apart but I have been recommended by my vet previously to do 3 doses one week apart each. This then allows the treatment to capture any new hatching mites. Mites can come in on hay products so you may want to consider getting a new hay batch and getting rid of the old as well as disinfecting the cage/hutch fully

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone

hope everyone is well and and feeling as okay as can be right now.

I am just a little concerned about my guinea pig coco’s fur he has some bits in his fur that I can’t seem to move. My piggies have ivermectin treatment every three months but I’m not too sure what this is I’ve attached a picture of someone can give me some guidance

many thanks

Hi!

No online place can replace a vet and a proper hands-on diagnosis. I know that this is very difficult at this time when only emergencies are being seen.

If you feel the hair and feel tiny beads along the hair, then you are very likely dealing with hay mites (chirodiscoides caviae). These generally come with industrially harvested imported hay (we have seen a massive surge in them since pet shop chains stard selling international brands). Please throw away the hay, disinfect the cage and research for alternatives.
A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)

I second @Lady Kelly 's comments about low dosed preventative pet shop ivermection - it cannot prevent an acute outbreak and will only contribute to building up resistance. Normally a healthy immune system is able to keep skin parasites under control or slow down an outbreak. It is better to hit any parasites hard when you have a case with good quality products and ideally after a vet examination; we see too many cases of home DIY treatment on spec gone wrong.

Please contact your vet clinic; they may help you with a diagnosis and good quality treatment over the phone.

Here is more information on skin parasites: New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

 

[Lydi.aimee]

I followed the advice from la guinea pig rescue about the ivermectin and off course I know a vet appointment is what to do I was just seeing if anyone else on here had had something similar.

 

[Lydi.aimee]

And also vets advice