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Guinea Pig squealing (not wheeking) & crying in pain & running in circles

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3 little piggies

3 little piggies

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Hi there!
Pippin is 9 months old and seemingly very healthy. We noticed a sore patch on his back the other day and for 48 hours he was very subdued but picked up and appears to have been fine since then.
We checked his ears which were clear and there were no signs of mites.
In the past hour, suddenly he has started squealing and scatching at 2 different areas and then running manically round in circles squealing (not wheeking) barging everything out of his way. He has done this whilst being held and out on the floor too. He won't let us look at 2 patches (one on his back, one on his shoulder area) but cries and bites when we go anywhere near.
Has anyone any clues as to what might be wrong and how we should try to keep him comfortable overnight in case we need to visit the vet tomorrow?
 
It sounds as if he has mites. The sores are caused by intense scratching. This can easily be treated with ivermectin but he needs to see a vet for accurate diagnosis. The vet may also suggest pain relief and/ or an injection to relive the itching.
You can find out more about mites here: http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
 
Flips is right, the sores are caused by the intense scatching, the squealing is because it is painful. Mites are naked to the human eye so that is why you can't see anything. Your little guy needs a visit to the vet asap, if ivermectin is administered you will see a difference within days. In the mean time till you can take him to the vet try putting micropore tape on his back feet over the claws to stop him from doing further damage to the skin.
 
Agreeing with the above. What you can do in the mean time to stop him hurting himself further is to make a little coat out of a sock, the thicker the better. Take the sock, cut off the toe end and trim the opposite end down if need be, depending on how large your piggy is. Then cut two hole for the fron t paws to go through. This actually works best with a tubi grip bandage, the sort you would use on a sprained wrist or ankle but I appreciate most people don't have these lying around LOL, hence the sock idea. Any thick sock works well to stop them causing more damage. Hope your piggy gets well soon :)
 
Thanks for the advice, we will get him to the Vet today, I am guessing all 4 piggies will need treating. They have all been a bit scratchy but we thought it was the warm weather, but we know now.
 
We have used Beaphar Anti Parasite Spot On for rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets and rats. It contains Ivermectin.
He has barely scratched since, and fell asleep on my husband after we put it on which he hasn't done for days. We have treated his cage mate and will pick some more up to treat the other 2 at some point today.
 
They will all need treating. Sounds like mites to me too, keep an eye on him if no better go see your vet as the ivermectin is stronger usually from the vets and for extremely itchy cases they can inject it. Also the idea about the sock is a good one, something I use to treat all skin problems to prevent them making it worse :)
 
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