Itchy guinea pig

[pool89]

I've had my piggie for about 2 years now and i got him from a pet shop where he wasn't in the best conditions. Ever since he was little he had thick and shoft hair, but recently he has grown more stringy-ish.



More on the tittle of the post itself; he has been itching himself a lot. He always had bald spots on his paws and armpits, which i considered to be normal, but the spots have grown quite large. He has these short, scarce hairs throughout, but i wouldn't say it's red or irritated, just itchy. He's always nipping and scratching with his paws, but i don't see any type of clear signs of illness.



He's white, with a longer coat, so in the case that it may be mites i don't think I'd have any luck spotting them.



PS: i have no vets near me that treat piggies, so any help means a lot!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

The only bald patches they have which is normal is a symmetrical bald patch behind each ear. Bald patches or losing hair anywhere else on the body is not normal.

Symptoms of bald patches and itching usually suggests a piggy has parasites. Fungal infections can also be itchy.

Mites are not visible to the human eye, they are far too small. All you can see is the evidence of them ie itching and bald patches.

However we are not vets and we cannot see your piggy so we cannot diagnose anything.

 

[Truffolo]

Some people use Bearphar spot on for guinea pigs about three times a year. It's not the best, but you could try it. It must be the treatment specifically for guinea pigs. You have to weigh piggy and then follow the dosage guidelines on the packet. Using an anti fungal shampoo with ketaconazole could help too. There is a guide to bathing on the forum. Basically don't get water in their noses or allow shampoo to go in the piggy's eyes. The water should not be higher than his tummy. Work near the floor as piggies can jump out of a basin and get hurt from the fall, so a bowl or tub on the floor is better. Dry him completely afterwards so he's not sitting damp and cold. If you can get to see a vet, that would be the best. Does the pet shop have any advice?

 

[Piggies&buns]

You have to be very careful about using a spot on for mites and bathing for fungal at the same time.

You have to make sure enough time has elapsed (at least 48 hours) between each spot on treatment and each bath otherwise you will render the treatments useless. You have to come up with a schedule to ensure both remain effective but also treated in the right time frames to be effective (ie mite treatments require three separate doses with the right gap between each treatment (however, it is product specific)) so it’s not quite as easy as simply using both treatments.
Bathing is stressful for piggy and harsh on the skin so you would really only want to use a fungal treatment if you know you are dealing with fungal. Unfortunately we can't tell you what you are dealing with.

Nobody should be using a spot on three times a year. Ivermectin should only ever be used (in the correct length course) when there is a diagnosed case of parasites as unfortunately resistance is starting to become an issue.