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hard 'stuff' in fur?

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Junior Guinea Pig
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Out of the 3 male guineas I have recently owned (1 now deceased), each has had a turn when I've found a lump of hard stuff caught in their fur. I think I have a suspicion what it is but it is a struggle to remove it - in 2 of them its caught on something or they have scratched it and had cuts/v sore places. This morning we found some on Freddie and as I think it was recent we got it straight off. This still was difficult and involved cutting some of his hair and using washing up liquid to soften it - followed by a bath.
Does anyone know what I'm talking about and if so, any thoughts about removing it as it's traumatic for them and me!
On another note I've just got Freddie out to check him and he has a lot of dandruff - could be from washing up liquid.... Or mites from stress of the morning! Any recommendations for mite treatment which doesn't involve the vets?
Many thanks for your time.
 
I can't help with the mites question but the other 'hard' stuff is almost definitely ad friendly 'deposit' left by an overexcited male cagemate! It's often known as 'boar glue' as it's so sticky and hard to remove.....

Getting it washed out when it's still sticky is best as after it's hardened often the only option is to cut it out :(
 
That's boar glue for you, dries hard as nails if you don't catch it early. I tend to tease it out, then cut it of for difficult cases I will soak it in warm water either in the sink or if on the back I use a flannel or cotton wool pad to soften it. Regards mites has Freddie been itchy? I wouldn't use washing up liquid as harsh on the skin so might be from that, if in doubt you can buy ivermectin spot on, I buy it in a bottle online but you can buy spot ons in pet shops :)
 
Thanks - I only used washing up liquid out of desperation on the hard stuff. I will see if that has caused dandruff before doing mite treatment. Thanks for your responses.
 
Yes, the hard stuff is definately boar glue (boar sperm inbreeding).

As for the mites you can use something called ivermectin. Xeno is a good quality make. Worth thinking about.

x.
 
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