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Guinea Pig Bald Spot

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Brian315

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I saw the other day that my guinea pig had a small bald spot on the side of his neck. He seems very happy and healthy, but he self-barbers and bites his own fur a lot.. Not so much scratching. When I first got him I took him to the vet, who told me he didnt believe it was mites or a funal infection because the scratching/biting was not constant, but I'm still really worried about him. When I saw the bald spot I kind of panicked. the skin isnt scarred or hurt, its just a small patch of fur missing. And my guinea pig still bites his fur a lot... Usually when I'm not actively playing/talking to him. Is he okay? I dont know what to do and I dont want to sit back and do nothing if theres a potential problem :( i'll attach a picture of the bald spot

image.webp
 
Welcome to the forum

I would suspect beginning of a fungal infection by looking at that but photos can be difficult to see on. Any flaking of skin, dandruff?

Where are you based? Well worth getting a second opinion on it I think.
 
sport_billy said:
Welcome to the forum

I would suspect beginning of a fungal infection by looking at that but photos can be difficult to see on. Any flaking of skin, dandruff?

Where are you based? Well worth getting a second opinion on it I think.
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I'm from the US, Texas. I really hope it's not a fungal infection... I took him to the vet about a month ago and he said it's highly unlikely. Is there anything I can do to maybe prevent any future issues/hair loss? And no, no flaking of the skin or dandruff, he has a very nice coat
 
Has it got bigger in a month? So hard to see on a photo, I thought the white may be skin flakes but is that just the skin?

There are lots of types of fungal, if it is a month old I would expect it to be bigger and cut by now...

One of our girls has had a fungal infection that has sprung up on various parts. Give him a good check over for scabs
 
sport_billy said:
Has it got bigger in a month? So hard to see on a photo, I thought the white may be skin flakes but is that just the skin?

There are lots of types of fungal, if it is a month old I would expect it to be bigger and cut by now...

One of our girls has had a fungal infection that has sprung up on various parts. Give him a good check over for scabs
Click to expand...

Ohhhh no! I just took him a month ago to see why he was biting his fur, and the vet said it might just be allergies/itchy skin. I noticed this bald spot 2 days ago or so. I dont think it's flakes, I think that might just be his skin. It's hard to tell even without a photo, because it's small
 
Don't stress, easily solvable and you will know if it is fungal because it will get bigger if so. Keep an eye and get him checked out again. If the vet hasn't seen the bald spot last time and just saw biting he wouldn't be able to diagnose it, it may be that the two things are not linked.

Fungal is often easily cleared up with anti fungal shampoo such as Nizoral or canesten cream Clotrimazole 1% or imaverol

I would see the vet again with this bald spot
 
To me it looks fungal, hair loss is a common sign and the skin looks slightly flaky (though it's hard to tell in the picture.) If you're in the US, vets may be less familiar with guinea pigs. Look for one who has experience with 'exotics'- that's typically the language used in North America for anything not a dog or cat!
 
Does he have a friend or is he a single pig? If you've ruled out mites and fungal and he seems to be self barbaring more when he's not with you, then he may be bored/lonely. Piggies are social creatures and need a friend.
 
sport_billy said:
Don't stress, easily solvable and you will know if it is fungal because it will get bigger if so. Keep an eye and get him checked out again. If the vet hasn't seen the bald spot last time and just saw biting he wouldn't be able to diagnose it, it may be that the two things are not linked.

Fungal is often easily cleared up with anti fungal shampoo such as Nizoral or canesten cream Clotrimazole 1% or imaverol

I would see the vet again with this bald spot
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I've noticed that the hair has started growing back. I havent been able to see the exotics vet, as the one is open only Tuesday-Friday, but is this a good sign? It's definiely smaller than what I noticed yesterday
 
AlbiePercy said:
Does he have a friend or is he a single pig? If you've ruled out mites and fungal and he seems to be self barbaring more when he's not with you, then he may be bored/lonely. Piggies are social creatures and need a friend.
Click to expand...


Yes I am well aware that guinea pigs are usually purchased in bundles, getting two is not an option right now
 
Freela said:
To me it looks fungal, hair loss is a common sign and the skin looks slightly flaky (though it's hard to tell in the picture.) If you're in the US, vets may be less familiar with guinea pigs. Look for one who has experience with 'exotics'- that's typically the language used in North America for anything not a dog or cat!
Click to expand...

Yep, the vet I've been seeing is an exotics! The skin doesnt feel flaky, I just think thats his skin color that makes it look that way. Also, the hair is beginning to grow back, is that a good sign?
 
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