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Hettie Scratching

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*kate*

*kate*

Adult Guinea Pig
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I noticed last night that Hettie was scratching her back. She only did it a couple of times so I left her.

Have checked her this morning and her fur looks a bit thinner around where she was scratching but there is no sign of redness, scabs or anything moving around.

Do I need to worry? any ideas?
 
I would keep things under observation for the moment.

Have there been any recent to her living space, including indoors heating?
 
Do any hairs look broken half way down the shaft?

Does her hair seem greasy at all? If you rub it the wrong way does it fall nicely back down or stay standing up for longer?
 
helen105281 said:
Do any hairs look broken half way down the shaft?

Does her hair seem greasy at all? If you rub it the wrong way does it fall nicely back down or stay standing up for longer?
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Doesn't look broken or greasy. She has brillo pad hair so it never falls back nicely!
 
It could be mange flies,mites or fleas, some spot on could help.
Apparently they can sometimes get it from being outside on the grass or from the hay they have, so don't worry.

Do you bath your guinea pig? i use a small animal shampoo and an insecticide shampoo but only a very small amount.

Hope this helps
 
*kate* said:
Doesn't look broken or greasy. She has brillo pad hair so it never falls back nicely!
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That's good, the broken hair could have indicated mange mites and the greasiness fungal. Appreciate it is difficult to tell with her breed though. How is his skin? does it look fluoresced at all (bright pink)?
 
Amy Westland said:
It could be mange flies,mites or fleas, some spot on could help.
Apparently they can sometimes get it from being outside on the grass or from the hay they have, so don't worry.

Do you bath your guinea pig? i use a small animal shampoo and an insecticide shampoo but only a very small amount.

Hope this helps
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No, I have never bathed either of them. I've got some Advantage that I bought in case my rabbit got fleas. If it turns out to be fleas or lice, it is ok to use this I believe?
 
helen105281 said:
That's good, the broken hair could have indicated mange mites and the greasiness fungal. Appreciate it is difficult to tell with her breed though. How is his skin? does it look fluoresced at all (bright pink)?
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Her skin didn't look pink at all this morning. I showed my husband earlier and he could see there is definate hair loss. We will have another good look through her fur when we put them inside tonight.
I will keep an eye on her and book her in at the vets on Monday if I'm still worried.
 
Me and Hubby checked Hettie tonight. There is absolutely nothing visible, no redness, no white crawly things, no fleas, nothing. I even flea combed her, much to her disgust, but there was nothing.

However, I have just looked in on her and she kind of jumped and then turned and chewed on her back so there is obviously something irritating her but I am at a loss to know what.

Will take her to the vets on Monday and get her checked over.
 
I would think it is most likely mange mites but the vet will know better. Her biting like that is what my Millie does when she has them. Also it would fit with the thinning hair. Mange mites are not visible as they are under the skin. Treatment is usually with Ivermectin, I prefer injections as they are most effective and need to be done by the vet at about 10 day intervals for 3 injections.
 
How old is she? Chewing the back can often be a sign of cystic ovary development in females.

x
 
helen105281 said:
I would think it is most likely mange mites but the vet will know better. Her biting like that is what my Millie does when she has them. Also it would fit with the thinning hair. Mange mites are not visible as they are under the skin. Treatment is usually with Ivermectin, I prefer injections as they are most effective and need to be done by the vet at about 10 day intervals for 3 injections.
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I read that they aren't visible but that there would be red scabby lumps where the mite had burrowed? how do they get mites?

Vets on Monday!
 
*kate* said:
I read that they aren't visible but that there would be red scabby lumps where the mite had burrowed? how do they get mites?

Vets on Monday!
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They are always there they just multiply at times of stress of if they are a bit run down. I haven't always seen red bumps when mine have had them. See what the vet says.
 
helen105281 said:
They are always there they just multiply at times of stress of if they are a bit run down. I haven't always seen red bumps when mine have had them. See what the vet says.
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Is it self limiting or will Tilly have them too?

I am really quite upset. I try to give them a fantastic life :( they have a 6x2 indoor enclosure and go out in an 8x4 enclosure during the day. I spend a small fortune on their vegetables every week, I clean them out fully every single day and then this happens :(

The same with my rabbit. He is totally freerange, also gets loads of variety of food, I keep him spotless too and he gets regular bouts of gut stasis.

You can't help feeling that you have failed them :(
 
*kate* said:
Is it self limiting or will Tilly have them too?

I am really quite upset. I try to give them a fantastic life :( they have a 6x2 indoor enclosure and go out in an 8x4 enclosure during the day. I spend a small fortune on their vegetables every week, I clean them out fully every single day and then this happens :(

The same with my rabbit. He is totally freerange, also gets loads of variety of food, I keep him spotless too and he gets regular bouts of gut stasis.

You can't help feeling that you have failed them :(
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don't feel bad, you sound like a wonderful owner! my girls developed a fungal skin infection in the first week of me having them, which reduced me to tears at the vets as i felt terrible, but the vet assured me after examining the extent of it that they had developed it before they came to live with me.
 
*kate* said:
Is it self limiting or will Tilly have them too?

I am really quite upset. I try to give them a fantastic life :( they have a 6x2 indoor enclosure and go out in an 8x4 enclosure during the day. I spend a small fortune on their vegetables every week, I clean them out fully every single day and then this happens :(

The same with my rabbit. He is totally freerange, also gets loads of variety of food, I keep him spotless too and he gets regular bouts of gut stasis.

You can't help feeling that you have failed them :(
Click to expand...

I would take her to be checked too in case.

Don't feel bad, most of mine have had them at one time or another, especially one of my skinnies who is very highly strung. The vet may say it is something else though.
 
Hettie is still scratching and biting at herself, the fur loss seems even more prominent today :(

I will take them both to the Vets tomorrow.
 
Back from the vets. Hettie was checked over, still no redness to the skin but definately a specific spot she has been scratching. Vet said could be mites that have been caught early. Prescribed Xeno 450, first application applied at vets then brought home pipettes to be applied again in 2 weeks and again 2 weeks after that. Tilly is being treated to as a precaution.

Hopefully Hettie will feel better very soon :)
 
Hope the spot on helps, if there is no improvement or they come back then I recommend treating with Ivermectin injections as they are more effective as the dose goes straight into the bloodstream.
 
helen105281 said:
Hope the spot on helps, if there is no improvement or they come back then I recommend treating with Ivermectin injections as they are more effective as the dose goes straight into the bloodstream.
Click to expand...

My vet says she prefers to use the spot on as the injections are very painful for piggies.
 
They soon get over it, I have seen some very painful reactions to Spot on too, so they both have their downsides.
 
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