Fur mites

[G&C]

Hello everyone, my older guinea pig Gizmo, has a mostly black coat therefore I can see from time to time fur mites when I gently lift back his fur. The other is a buff/blond colour and they aren’t visible but I’m guessing if one has them the other will? We have treated this before with spot on ivermectin, which worked for a while. I did this just after they were introduced and rang the pet store as I thought the new one had passed these on. They said they probably got them from the hay. I can see them again now, they are not scratching and there isn’t any bald patches. Should I treat again, and keep treating regularly or leave it or go to the vets with them? They are both happy with no symptoms of illness and if I was to regularly treat it wouldn’t the mites eventually develop resistance to the medication anyway? Any advice welcome thank you.

 

[Watchman]

I use spot on with mine just as a preventative measure. Usually give them a dose every 4 to 5 weeks. You can also get johnsons spray that works as well instead of using spot on. It is meant to help prevent fly strike but kills mites and lice as well. That is for weekly use. Of course I wouldnt use both together all depends if your piggies have lots of outdoor time.

 

[Lady Kelly]

If you can see them then they aren't mites as you can't see mites, though you can see the dark egg casings usually around the piggies rear. Lice are another option and these are very small but you can see them moving. Usually you will need 2-3 treatments to kill the lice/mites and then a week or so later to kill any that hatched since etc. If you have used a shop brought product previously I would recommend visiting a vet for a prescription as shop product are often low quality and don't always manage to kill off the infestation.

If it is lice you would be better with a lice shampoo

 

[Lady Kelly]

I use spot on with mine just as a preventative measure. Usually give them a dose every 4 to 5 weeks. You can also get johnsons spray that works as well instead of using spot on. It is meant to help prevent fly strike but kills mites and lice as well. That is for weekly use. Of course I wouldnt use both together all depends if your piggies have lots of outdoor time.

It is not usually recommended to do preventative treatments like this as it can cause mites to build up resistance making an outbreak harder to treat in future. I don't think being outdoors increases the likelihood of infection either.