Hmmmm... Mites?!

[Mudpuppy]

Hi all
Just been grooming my long haired pigs.. I have 2 boars under 6 months.. I got them 3 weeks ago. Just noticed these little flecks in their hair... could this just be hay dust/fine bits, or could these be mites and does it require a trip to the vets? They have no bald patches and don't seem to be scratching that much?

Thanks....

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Are they attached to the hair shaft or do they brush out? If you can, get some sellotape & pick a few up then look under a magnifying glass, or microscope if you have one, if they wave back at you they are hay mites/lice You can treat them with shampooing, I use Flea or Die shampoo, leave on for 10 mins then rinse, repeat the baths a week later. Make sure you keep the piggies indoors & dry off as much as you can after, put them in a box with warm towels until they are dry. If using a warm hairdryer make sure you hold it well away so not to burn ears etc. The lice come from hay, so bin all your hay if you can throw out any wooden stuff or cardboard to prevent reinfection, thoroughly clean out their cage before putting them back in, hot soapy wash any plastic hidies. I use imported hay, like Alfalfa King Timothy Hay or Western Timothy hay, it's sterile so mine never get hay mites

 

[Mudpuppy]

Oh thank you very much.... I will try that this afternoon... they are currently in their play pen and are a devil to catch once they are in there! The bits don't seem to be moving although my eyesight is bad to be fair...and they seem to be on the hair rather than the skin. In the meantime, I'll pop to the shop to get some shampoo stuff now... didn't realise they come in the hay gutted..... thank you

 

[Dindypig]

After enlarging your pictures, they look like hay mites. Here's a link to another thread that might help.
Hay mites or dandruff?

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Oh thank you very much.... I will try that this afternoon... they are currently in their play pen and are a devil to catch once they are in there! The bits don't seem to be moving although my eyesight is bad to be fair...and they seem to be on the hair rather than the skin. In the meantime, I'll pop to the shop to get some shampoo stuff now... didn't realise they come in the hay gutted..... thank you

I don't think you will see them move with the naked eye, if you can look at them under a microscope you would lol They are relatively harmless to be fair, most piggies get them at some point & they don't jump or anything, or get on humans Be careful what you buy from shops, Flea or Die is sold by Pets Corner shops I believe, or online from Amazon & such like, or you could use Gorgeous Guineas Lice & Easy apparently that works well too

 

[Mudpuppy]

Thanks... will check it out!

After enlarging your pictures, they look like hay mites. Here's a link to another thread that might help.
Hay mites or dandruff?

 

[Mudpuppy]

Thanks again Poppy's Mum.... glad to hear they are quite common .... phew!

I don't think you will see them move with the naked eye, if you can look at them under a microscope you would lol They are relatively harmless to be fair, most piggies get them at some point & they don't jump or anything, or get on humans Be careful what you buy from shops, Flea or Die is sold by Pets Corner shops I believe, or online from Amazon & such like, or you could use Gorgeous Guineas Lice & Easy apparently that works well too

 

[Poppy'sMum]

I can't comment on other products & how safe/effective they are, but I have used Flea or Die for many years after the Cambridgeshire Cavy Trust recommended it & it definitely works, as long as you clean them out thoroughly (don't use bleach, only safe pet cage cleaner for piggies is needed) Hot wash bedding/fleece at 60 degrees & get new hay. However unless the hay is sterile they will get infected again unfortunately, which is why I now use the 2 hays mentioned above, as there are no creepy crawlies in them Herbal & Health Flea Or Die Shampoo 250ml | Medicine | Dogs | Pets Corner

 

[Mudpuppy]

Will I have to throw their toys out? the wooden ones or the cardboard/ straw based ones?

 

[Poppy'sMum]

If you can't hot wash them then personally I would get new ones, just to prevent reinfestation