MunchMummy
Junior Guinea Pig
Hello!
I posted my first thread a couple of weeks ago as we had a new baby arrive after a breeder mix up!
Well, our chunky baby boar Howie is now in with his Daddy Leonard and Mummy pig Sheldon is with a new friend, a young sow who needed a home, called Bernadette!
All has gone well and the 2 pairs (despite leonard's rather enthusiastic humping of his son for a while!) seem very content together.
However, over the weekend I noticed Leonard seems to be scratching a bit more than is usual. I gave him a little inspection this morning and I can't see any skin issues at all, nothing moving in his fur and no obvious hair thinning. However I'm guessing he could have early stages of mites? They are utterly spoiled and I am soooo careful to buy the very best of everything for them, so I'd be so gutted if this is the case.
I wanted a little advice on the best course of action and possible treatment. I will of course be contacting the vet as want to nip it in the bud if he does have beasties but of course he may now have passed them to his little boy who is only 3 weeks old. I've read you should treat all your pigs if one has a problem but can Howie be treated with Ivermectin at such a young age? Is it just a lower dosage? He's a big baby - a real chunk for his age.
Also, they are in enclosures next to the girls (there's about 3 or 4 inches between the bars - which worked out brilliantly for introducing Leonard and Howie before they moved in together). Will the girls need treating too? Bernie only arrived yesterday and Sheldon hasn't been near Leonard since we discovered her pregnancy weeks and weeks ago.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
I posted my first thread a couple of weeks ago as we had a new baby arrive after a breeder mix up!
Well, our chunky baby boar Howie is now in with his Daddy Leonard and Mummy pig Sheldon is with a new friend, a young sow who needed a home, called Bernadette!
All has gone well and the 2 pairs (despite leonard's rather enthusiastic humping of his son for a while!) seem very content together.
However, over the weekend I noticed Leonard seems to be scratching a bit more than is usual. I gave him a little inspection this morning and I can't see any skin issues at all, nothing moving in his fur and no obvious hair thinning. However I'm guessing he could have early stages of mites? They are utterly spoiled and I am soooo careful to buy the very best of everything for them, so I'd be so gutted if this is the case.
I wanted a little advice on the best course of action and possible treatment. I will of course be contacting the vet as want to nip it in the bud if he does have beasties but of course he may now have passed them to his little boy who is only 3 weeks old. I've read you should treat all your pigs if one has a problem but can Howie be treated with Ivermectin at such a young age? Is it just a lower dosage? He's a big baby - a real chunk for his age.
Also, they are in enclosures next to the girls (there's about 3 or 4 inches between the bars - which worked out brilliantly for introducing Leonard and Howie before they moved in together). Will the girls need treating too? Bernie only arrived yesterday and Sheldon hasn't been near Leonard since we discovered her pregnancy weeks and weeks ago.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
That puts my mind at rest. Am contacting the vet today...it was just Howie I was worried about but glad that he's ok to be treated.