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Guinea pig black discharge

G

Guinea piggie mummy

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi everyone,
I have noticed today that my guinea pig (nugget) has been shaking her head lots and sometimes has been scratching at her head too.
During cuddle time I noticed in one of her ears it looked black. When I tried to look closer she kept shaking her head and moving away from me.
Is this the sign of an infection?
Thanks for your help
 
I would definitely take her to the vet with those symptoms.
It could be an infection, or it could be something else, either way she seems uncomfortable and it would be best to get it seen and treated as soon as possible to stop it getting worse.
Can you get a same day appointment at your vet if you phone first thing? I would get her seen as soon as I could if I were in the same situation.
I hope she will be OK, best of luck with the vet. 💓
 
Guinea piggie mummy said:
Hi everyone,
I have noticed today that my guinea pig (nugget) has been shaking her head lots and sometimes has been scratching at her head too.
During cuddle time I noticed in one of her ears it looked black. When I tried to look closer she kept shaking her head and moving away from me.
Is this the sign of an infection?
Thanks for your help
Click to expand...

Hi

Please have her vet checked as she has got a pain/irritation problem with her ears. This can be wax, ear mites, something stuck or an infection; or a combination thereof.

It needs a hands-on examination but with the correct treatment it should clear off as it sounds like is more the outer ear that is affected.
 
Qualcast&Flymo said:
I would definitely take her to the vet with those symptoms.
It could be an infection, or it could be something else, either way she seems uncomfortable and it would be best to get it seen and treated as soon as possible to stop it getting worse.
Can you get a same day appointment at your vet if you phone first thing? I would get her seen as soon as I could if I were in the same situation.
I hope she will be OK, best of luck with the vet. 💓
Click to expand...
Yes my vets do do same day appointments and I am on phone at 8am tomorrow. That was my plan just thought I would get people's thoughts didnt want to look silly at vets. But she defiantly bothered by it
 
Wiebke said:
Hi

Please have her vet checked as she has got a pain/irritation problem with her ears. This can be wax, ear mites, something stuck or an infection; or a combination thereof.

It needs a hands-on examination but with the correct treatment it should clear off as it sounds like is more the outer ear that is affected.
Click to expand...
I am on the phone at 8am tomorrow. Glad people think the same as me. Never came across this before.
 
Wiebke said:
Ear wax always has the same colour as the skin in the ear, by the way. ;)
Click to expand...
Her ears inside are pink
Qualcast&Flymo said:
That's great, hope you can get a suitable appointment tomorrow.

In my 10plus years of piggy slavedom, and 8 guinea pigs, I never had any ear issues either. Well done on spotting her discomfort quickly.
Click to expand...
Thank you! I know it must be minor at the moment as she is still eating and drinking, dont want her to be in pain 😢
 
Hi everyone,
Well the vet feels she has ear mites. Didn't see any on slide but might be in ear canel. He has treated her and if no better to go bck in 2 weeks. We also need to keep an eye on Oreo too and check her. Need to deep clean cage and bedding etc (only did it monday 🤦‍♀️) again now she has had treatment.
Any other advice from you guys would be much appreciated too ❤️

P.s Nugget has a new hair style thanks to the vet 😊
 

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Guinea piggie mummy said:
Hi everyone,
Well the vet feels she has ear mites. Didn't see any on slide but might be in ear canel. He has treated her and if no better to go bck in 2 weeks. We also need to keep an eye on Oreo too and check her. Need to deep clean cage and bedding etc (only did it monday 🤦‍♀️) again now she has had treatment.
Any other advice from you guys would be much appreciated too ❤️

P.s Nugget has a new hair style thanks to the vet 😊
Click to expand...

Rabbit ear mites can affect guinea pigs as well if they have been in contact with rabbits. You will need to treat all your piggies at the same time or they can get passed around as well.

Ear mites won't transmit to humans (they are more of a nuisance, unlike ringworm) but you may find our deep cleaning tips from our ringworm guide still helpful.

For disinfecting, we recommend F10 concentrate, which will last you ages and can be dosed according to strength (top strength for parasites and fungal ringworm) to very low for inhaling with a respiratory infection or rinsing out an abscess. Useful to have at home. Somewhere in the middle is suitable for a normal occasional deep clean. F10 concentrate is widely available online and works out a lot cheaper in the longer term.
I would recommend to deep clean over the weekend when you have time and then again at the end of the treatment once they have got the all clear, so there are no eggs sneaking across. I would also recommend to give them a bath at the end of treatment to make sure that there is nothing hanging around.

It can sometimes be rather difficult to tell for a vet what's going on in the ear since there is usually also wax and muck in there or whether some stalky hay has caused an injury/infection. The good news is that you are on it and that there is no head tilt. ;)

Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures
More Practical How-To Care Guides (Sub-forum Links): Haircutting, bathing & grease glands
 
Thank you for everyone's comments and advice. Unfortunately we noted that Oreo was doing the same so she has also been treated. Now the cage and around it has been deep cleaned. I have done this with boiling water and white vinger. But I will look into the F10 if need in the future. All bedding and hides and blankets are being washed with added white vinger too. Also deep cleaned all toys, and equipment we use to clean the cage for the spot cleans. Changed all the water bottles and nugget bowels too. Hopefully all of this will kill the little bliters 😞🪳
Thanks again you have all been so helpful
 
Guinea piggie mummy said:
Thank you for everyone's comments and advice. Unfortunately we noted that Oreo was doing the same so she has also been treated. Now the cage and around it has been deep cleaned. I have done this with boiling water and white vinger. But I will look into the F10 if need in the future. All bedding and hides and blankets are being washed with added white vinger too. Also deep cleaned all toys, and equipment we use to clean the cage for the spot cleans. Changed all the water bottles and nugget bowels too. Hopefully all of this will kill the little bliters 😞🪳
Thanks again you have all been so helpful
Click to expand...

It rather sounds like rabbit ear mites. :(

Here is more information on rabbit ear mites. Since keeping rabbits and guinea pigs in close confines is becoming rarer in more welfare conscious quarters, we do not see them often on this forum, which generally attracts caring, welfare conscious owners. It is however always important to make sure with a vet that it is actually ear mites and not an infection or something else.
Treatment is the same for all skin parasites, including ear mites with ivermectin.
Guinea Lynx :: Ear Mites
 
It cant be as we have no rabbits and they haven't been in contact with them! We haven't either. The vet said it has more than likely come from the hay and on my research it is a common cause of where they come from. We are going back in two weeks as I said if no better and he will send swab off and see if it is a bacterial infection of some sort.
 
Yes mites do spread via hay.
With rabbit ear mites, direct contact with an infected rabbit is the most likely way for them to spread to piggies but it can also occur with contact with contaminated items so I wonder whether hay and wild rabbits could be a possibility if it did turn out to be rabbit ear mites (probably not the most effective way of transmission though!). It may of course not be rabbit ear mites at all!
(I’ve never had to deal with rabbit ear mites despite having kept rabbits for over 35 years so they’re not something I have experience in).
 
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