how can i tell if its mite or fight

[teardropdave]

when cleaning out my male guinea pigs today the 1st one i picked up i instantly noticed how skinny he felt (they are handled by me personally at least once a week so i can know how they are) so i checked him over to find his back had thinner hair and a few scabs

ive put him in a cage on his own for now

i checked the others 2 were fine 1 had full hair but 1 tiny scab right in middle of his back those 3 are still together

now i thought the white one (the 1 with the above problem) was domminent over the others, there is the odd scuffle now and again and i thought he was the leader of this, ie tells the others off some times rules the roost, well cage.

so I'm not sure if its mite or if hes been fighting and kept away from the food

hes not ridiculassly skinny but i noticed he didnt feel like he normally does

also is this stuff any good and worth doing anyway, would it do any harm if its not mite, and would it do any good if it is mite

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANTI-PARA...et_Supplies_Small_Animals&hash=item230c62e6c7

and should i treat all 4 as they lived together untill today

 

[Suzygpr]

I find that product to be too ineffective to be of much use. When you have a number of pigs it's worth getting a larger amount so you can treat all of them every 10 days for three treatments.

I use this one - it has shelf life of 3 months from opening and contains plenty to be able to treat a large number of pigs.
http://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Easimec-Ivermectin-05-10ml/productinfo/IVE1/

I would recommend a vet trip if you are at all unsure whether it is mites or not - it does seem to be the most likely problem though.

HTH

Suzy x