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Help! Hay mites won't leave my piggies alone :(

J

Jazzypiggy

New Born Pup
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Loughborough, Leicestershire
Hello everyone,

Sorry this is a long one, I feel like I've spent so much time trying to find a straight up answer on how to sort this.

I have two beautiful boars Jasper and Gowther, after bringing them home I noticed that they had black specks in their fur, did a bit of googling and came to the conclusion that they were hay mites.

Phoned up the vets and took them there, vet said that "it could just be a bit of dirt" but on the safe side would give some xeno-50.
Used as told (3 doses, 10 days apart), changed all bedding, cleaned cage, after this used the gorgeous guineas lice n easy and now using oxbow Timothy hay (just to ensure that there weren't extra mites joining the party). Since then, I have been applying xeno-50 every month as a top up then the lice n easy.

The mites just don't seem to be going! I don't know what I've done wrong, I feel like a bad mum and the vet seems to think it is nothing.

I keep reading conflicting things on whether it's important to completely get rid of them or just keep on top of it by using ivermectin and lice n easy every so often.

Have read about doing baths with lice n easy every 4 days. But one of my piggies HATES baths and causes him a lot of stress, so don't want him to experience that if it's not going to change things?
I've also read that ivermectin doesn't really do anything as they're just on the hair, is this the case as I'm spending quite a lot on the xeno-50?

Should I go to specialist Guinea pig vet (think closest one is hour away) or will they see it as a too minor problem to be dealt with?
Or am I completely wrong and it's just "a bit of dirt", have attached photos from the first time I saw them.

I've recently bought them a new cage, fleece bedding and accessories and I'd love for them to be mite free so it's a completely fresh start!

Thank you for reading through all of that, I want my piggies to be happy and I feel stuck.

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One thing I will say is that using xeno as a top up monthly is not a good idea - preventative treatments are not recommended. In order to treat it has to be used as part of a correct length course, and preventative monthly treatments won’t necessarily help. As ivermectin only kills live mites, not eggs, the eggs will hatch and then produce their own eggs so if the treatment isn’t done at the correct intervals for an active infestation, then you simply miss the time in which they can be killed effectively, thereby prolonging the infestation. Also, constant use can mean that they become resistant thereby making it harder to deal with.

You are better off to go back to the vet for further advice but to do another full course of treatment.

Hay mites are annoying and can be hard to get rid of but they are the least worrisome of the mite infestations. The guide below explains that doing a course of ivermectin and the shampoo can help but you may just need to be persistent.

New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites
 
Hay mites are not particularly parasitic. They usually come in on hay. They need a 2 pronged approach - piggies and cages.
When we have had them here (usually they come in on a foster piggy) I have bathed the piggies in gorgeous Guineas lice and easy shampoo. I have used a human nit /lice comb to remove the casings from their hair and have re-shampooed at the recommended time. I have binned all the hay and started afresh with a good quality hay eg from hay and straw or from HayBox or some other quality brand. I have deep cleaned the cages - all fleece washed at 60 degrees and cleaned with F10 or other good quality cleaner.
Hay mites are part and parcel of keeping piggies - they are a nuisance but not normally a major problem.
 
Thank you for your advice!

I won't go back to the same vet as they were the one that suggested putting on ivermectin once every month. Think I'll have to try and find one that is more experienced with guinea pigs!

Fortunately they haven't got any bald patches or upset skin, was just worried as have seen some piggies online with very sore skin from the mites.

I'll start up proper treatment course again and just be persistent! Fingers crossed my fleeces don't shrink to the size of a pee-pad by the end of this 😂
 
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