I Just Found Maggots In My Guinea Pigs Cage!?

[Yasmin]

This is a first for me and I'm shocked! I have just emptied the cage, boiled it and scrubbed it whilst my piggy is out grazing on some grass. I'm getting him to a vet asap just to check things over, i'm not sure how much of a threat maggots actually are to piggies but better safe than sorry.
I have a question now, Should I bathe him?
He has never been bathed before as when i got him, the previous owner hadn't bathed him the whole time she had him and i didn't want to risk shocking him as i've never bathed piggies before.
I'm guessing he's around 4 years old, very friendly, nosey guinea pig. He has VERY long fur, that almost looks like a tail!
So should I bathe him after this maggot incident?

 

[Wiebke]

Please carefully disinfect everything with a good disinfectant.

Have your boy checked by a vet as an emergency, especially around the genitals, where some flies can lay eggs into the flesh, which develop into flesh eating maggots. The sooner the better, as in the early stages of fly strike, there is a good chance of him surviving, but not in the later ones. And yes, please give your boy a good bath after he has seen the vet.

 

[Yasmin]

Another question to add to this! Should I throw away his toys? They're wooden, A tube and a chew wheel, I don't think they would wash very well.

 

[Wiebke]

Another question to add to this! Should I throw away his toys? They're wooden, A tube and a chew wheel, I don't think they would wash very well.

Yes, I would, unless you can dunk them. It is not a nice discovery at all; I am sure that you are very upset!

 

[Yasmin]

Thanks guys, just got back from the emergancy vet, got the all clear and some spray to keep the bugs away just in case!

 

[Wiebke]

That is great news - important to check, as it can kill.

 

[biscandmatt]

thank goodness he got the all clear. my first thought was vets quick incase it's flystrike. i know it's mainly talked about in relation to rabbits, but can also happen with piggies too. x

 

[biscandmatt]

my maisie had a long 'skirt' like that. we just kept it trimmer short for her (into a mini skirt! ) otherwise she would get it all messy and tangled. x

 

[Freela]

I think you did the right thing by getting him checked for flystrike- I'm glad he's all clear, because that is an awful thing to have happen (it happened to one of our dogs when I was a kid... she was okay, but it was unpleasant!) It's possible that the flies just laid eggs on damp areas or poop in the shavings and not actually on the piggie, so I would just disinfect and clean well and keep an eye out!