Fleas, lice and mites.

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Hello to all,

I am a new guinea pig owner and keen to provide the best possible care for my two new additions.
Forgive me as I may post some questions on here that are common knowledge to most but admitedly I am a complete beginner at this and just wanting to learn what I should be doing.


As I rule I routinely flea my cats to prevent any infestation before it occurs. Does this practice also apply to Guinea's? Should I reguaraly de-flea my piggys to prevent fleas before they attack or do owners simply treat the problem when it arises?

Also I have read that piggys suffer from mite and lice problems and I have found out some of these parasites cannot be seen by the human eye which worries me slightly. Is there a rountine treatment to prevent these sorts of infestations?

If so with any of the above, what age do you start protecting the piggys and how often do you use the treatments?

Many thanks in advance.

Gabby
 
As far as I know, pigs don't get fleas, but someone else might clarify this.

Mites can't be seen by the human eye, apparently lice can be seen scurrying around on the skin. Regarding preventative treatment - clean cage, good hygiene etc..
Maybe this might be useful : http://www.guinealynx.info/parasites.html

With regards to topical routine treatments, personally I feel the "if it 'aint broke, don't fix it" motto is for me.
Go to your vet if you want topical treatment as they can advise the right dose for the weight of the pig. Overdosing is dangerous and under-dosing can cause the parasites to become resistant.
 
Lice n Easy shampoo recommended

Hi Gabby, I had a similar question regarding lice and mites, etc, but only after I noticed lice on one of my guinea pigs when they became ill. Lice n Easy shampoo was recommended by various people on the forum, which you can buy online from Gorgeous Guineas. I would definitely recommend having a bottle in the house as you never know when lice might appear. They are easier to spot on black and dark coloured pigs as the lice are white. I'm not sure about preventative treatment but this shampoo certainly cleared them up straight away.
A few of my guinea pigs have had mites in the past and you will probably notice the symptoms more - hair loss, lots of scratching and 'dandruff' as the mites burrow into the skin (unlike lice, which just live on the skin and bite the pigs, I think). I now keep all my pigs indoors in a plastic cage and I have never had the problem since. I can't categorically say this definitely works, but this is just my experience. I think it's just easier to keep the cages clean where mites seem to be able to live in cracks and crevices of outdoor wooden hutches.
Hope that helps a bit!
 
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