Lice or Mites

[Butterfluf]

My Guinea pigs have been struggling with lice or mites for months. I have spent hundreds on different vets doing different things and nothing works. They've given the ivermectin injections and spot on treatments. I have fleece bedding I wash it in the washing machine when I clean the cages, I got F10 from another vet that I've mixed with water as directed and spray when I clean the cages on the base and the houses.

I bought lice n easy shampoo from gorgeous guineas reading that it was good. But I don't know how to tell if it is lice or mites that they have, I read they burrow if you wash mites. I will show some pictures of one of my Guinea pigs, they don't have scabs just tiny brown/black dots all over their fur. I just want to know if it's safe to use the lice n Easy shampoo on them.

As a side note, does he look bloated? Or is he just a big boy?

Thank you

 

[Claire W]

Hi, it looks like hay mites (otherwise known as static lice) to me. They come in on hay and stick to the hair shafts of the pig. As they are not blood sucking mites, they are perfectly harmless to the pig, just a pain to deal with.

You are safe to bathe your pigs in the lice and easy shampoo.

Your boy doesn’t look bloated to me. Bloating is when the stomach hardens like a balloon and sounds hollow when you tap on the sides but as bloating can be fatal, consult your vet if you’re concerned

 

[amy104]

You can usually see Running Lice. Burrowing Mites are invisible to the naked eye, you usually don't notice them until the piggy has considerable scratching of hair loss.
As your piggy looks largly unaffected I'd agree that Static Lice seem most likely.

You are safe to use the Lice and easy shampoo as long as it has been at least 48hrs since they last had ivermectin.

 

[rudent]

It's odd that if you've spent so much money and time trying to treat this, no vet has recommended taking a skin scraping to identify the parasite. That can allow for more direct treatment of the problem.

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

I agree with @Claire W they look like hay mites, which are not blood sucking but are debris feeders and not harmful. Switching to a different brand of hay once you have treated for them may help but they often reoccur

 

[VickiA]

Are the piggies scratching? Or acting irritated? If not, then from the photos I would say these are hay mites. They aren’t particularly parasitic, so while ivermectin can be used, it isn’t always the best treatment. The black dot you see on the hair shaft Is the the case that the mite lived in. Washing with lice n easy following their instructions on application and repeat washing will usually clear the infestation. And I also use a plastic nit comb to comb out the debris from the hair.
I usually bin any hay I’ve been using if I spot them, wash bedding and switch to a new or different hay. Since we’ve had HayBox deliveries I’ve not noticed any hay mites on my piggies.

 

[Butterfluf]

Sorry everyone I usually get notifications when someone replies to a post and didn't get any yesterday

 

[Butterfluf]

Are the piggies scratching? Or acting irritated? If not, then from the photos I would say these are hay mites. They aren’t particularly parasitic, so while ivermectin can be used, it isn’t always the best treatment. The black dot you see on the hair shaft Is the the case that the mite lived in. Washing with lice n easy following their instructions on application and repeat washing will usually clear the infestation. And I also use a plastic nit comb to comb out the debris from the hair.
I usually bin any hay I’ve been using if I spot them, wash bedding and switch to a new or different hay. Since we’ve had HayBox deliveries I’ve not noticed any hay mites on my piggies.

They do scratch themselves with their teeth and back legs.
Originally they were staying at my boyfriends parents house and were eating the same hay as was fed to horses. I do believe that one Guinea pig had the parasites from the pet shop as the conditions were poor and when I went back a few months later there were mice that were balding it was horrible to see. Since they've moved to my house they have been on "Nature's Own Devon Hay" because it's the biggest amount and cheapest in my area (I have 8 Guinea pigs). If it is safe to use the shampoo I will give it a try and follow the instructions, do you just towel dry them afterwards until they are fully dry?

They were suffering from URIs a while ago and we lost a piggie to it. Its possible that combined with the stress of the lice and they had ringworm somehow that a URI developed in them. I am just worried to give them a bath incase they still somehow have URIs and are hiding it from me but that's probably me being paranoid. Just this morning I went to give them their hay and one of the girls was kind of jolting or twitching in her middle. She was carrying on as normal, went to drink and eat and it only lasted a minute or so and stopped she didnt seem to be in pain it was just scary I have no idea what it was.

 

[Butterfluf]

I agree with @Claire W they look like hay mites, which are not blood sucking but are debris feeders and not harmful. Switching to a different brand of hay once you have treated for them may help but they often reoccur

I see, they do scratch and itch like they are irritated but it's not gotten as bad as it was originally a few months ago with they had scabs and bald patches. I think that the Guinea pig I got from the pet shop who also turned out to be pregnant so I couldn't treat her carried them and I've been struggling ever since.

Maybe this is a different branch as you are saying because as I said the original parasites seemed 10 times worse with the scabbing and balding. Thank you

 

[Butterfluf]

It's odd that if you've spent so much money and time trying to treat this, no vet has recommended taking a skin scraping to identify the parasite. That can allow for more direct treatment of the problem.

The vets in my area are not used to small animals at all. I've taken them to at least 4 different clinics since I've had them to try and find someone who knows guinea pigs better but the only one that did was the only exotic vet in the country who is 6 hours away from me so I can't go there every time unfortunately. They only dealt with the URI that they had and didn't recommend anything for lice because the other vet was doing injections that, didn't work.

I don't trust the vets in my area with Guinea pigs because I was taking my little boy to them for 2 weeks saying that something was wrong and they kept telling me to relax and that he was fine and then when they finally believed me it was too late and he passed away.

 

[Butterfluf]

Hi, it looks like hay mites (otherwise known as static lice) to me. They come in on hay and stick to the hair shafts of the pig. As they are not blood sucking mites, they are perfectly harmless to the pig, just a pain to deal with.

You are safe to bathe your pigs in the lice and easy shampoo.

Your boy doesn’t look bloated to me. Bloating is when the stomach hardens like a balloon and sounds hollow when you tap on the sides but as bloating can be fatal, consult your vet if you’re concerned

Thank you that is very helpful, I'm just concerned that as they had URIs before I'm scared to bathe them just incase it stresses them so much that it comes back for them or that they have it again and I Dont realise they still sneeze occasionally but, still run around popcorn eat drink etc I know that the hay I have seems a little dusty.

Come to think of it when one of them was lying down in the hay and stood up again his whole side was covered in these black dots.

Thank you for telling me I can check that way for bloat I just get really, worried about them I want them to get healthy and better

 

[Butterfluf]

You can usually see Running Lice. Burrowing Mites are invisible to the naked eye, you usually don't notice them until the piggy has considerable scratching of hair loss.
As your piggy looks largly unaffected I'd agree that Static Lice seem most likely.

You are safe to use the Lice and easy shampoo as long as it has been at least 48hrs since they last had ivermectin.

Thank you,
They haven't had ivermectin in a while so I will try the shampoo on them and hopefully it helps.

I have fleece bedding, so just washing that in the machine would be fine to get rid of any that are staying on that right?

Thank you for your advice

 

[Claire W]

Thank you that is very helpful, I'm just concerned that as they had URIs before I'm scared to bathe them just incase it stresses them so much that it comes back for them or that they have it again and I Dont realise they still sneeze occasionally but, still run around popcorn eat drink etc I know that the hay I have seems a little dusty.

Come to think of it when one of them was lying down in the hay and stood up again his whole side was covered in these black dots.

Thank you for telling me I can check that way for bloat I just get really, worried about them I want them to get healthy and better

I’m afraid I can’t comment on the uri’s but if you bathe them in a warm day and make sure they are nice and dry, I shouldn’t see it being a problem so long as they still don’t have uri’s when you bathe them

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

I see, they do scratch and itch like they are irritated but it's not gotten as bad as it was originally a few months ago with they had scabs and bald patches. I think that the Guinea pig I got from the pet shop who also turned out to be pregnant so I couldn't treat her carried them and I've been struggling ever since.

Maybe this is a different branch as you are saying because as I said the original parasites seemed 10 times worse with the scabbing and balding. Thank you

If they previously had scabs and bald patches those wouldn't have been caused by hay mites, so it seems your vets diagnosis and treatment with ivomectin was correct if the scabs and bald patches have gone. The hay mites are a separate issue. Hopefully the lice and easy shampoo will do the trick.

 

[Butterfluf]

If they previously had scabs and bald patches those wouldn't have been caused by hay mites, so it seems your vets diagnosis and treatment with ivomectin was correct if the scabs and bald patches have gone. The hay mites are a separate issue. Hopefully the lice and easy shampoo will do the trick.

I hope so too I was thinking that these were different but I'd it possible that they had both before? More recently to get rid of these hay mites I took them for the ivermectin injections which didn't clear them up unfortunately. Will the shampoo wash the eggs too or will I have to do multiple washes? I haven't tried the shampoo yet ever.
Thank you

 

[Butterfluf]

I’m afraid I can’t comment on the uri’s but if you bathe them in a warm day and make sure they are nice and dry, I shouldn’t see it being a problem so long as they still don’t have uri’s when you bathe them

Thank you, it's not a particularly cold day today so I'll try and give it a go thank you

 

[artcasper]

Thank you,
They haven't had ivermectin in a while so I will try the shampoo on them and hopefully it helps.

I have fleece bedding, so just washing that in the machine would be fine to get rid of any that are staying on that right?

Thank you for your advice

If you wash them on the highest temp and add some white vinegar to the wash, should do the trick.. good luck, sounds very stressful and it's horrible when you cant get to the bottom of things but good advice given xx

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

I hope so too I was thinking that these were different but I'd it possible that they had both before? More recently to get rid of these hay mites I took them for the ivermectin injections which didn't clear them up unfortunately. Will the shampoo wash the eggs too or will I have to do multiple washes? I haven't tried the shampoo yet ever.
Thank you
[/QUOT
lice and easy isn't a shampoo I have used myself so dont know if it works on the eggs, it should tell you on the bottle tho. The eggs are attached firmly to the hair shafts, so I think a repeat shampoo may be needed.

 

[Butterfluf]

If you wash them on the highest temp and add some white vinegar to the wash, should do the trick.. good luck, sounds very stressful and it's horrible when you cant get to the bottom of things but good advice given xx

Thank you

Put the vinegar in the machine where the fleece is or in the drawer where you put the powder sorry?

Thanks for your advice

 

[artcasper]

Thank you

Put the vinegar in the machine where the fleece is or in the drawer where you put the powder sorry?

Thanks for your advice

I usually put it in the drawer where you would add fabric softener ... x

 

[Butterfluf]

I usually put it in the drawer where you would add fabric softener ... x

Thank you!

Does it make other clothes put in the washing machine after smell like vinegar? Just incase cuz I know my dad would be pretty annoyed

 

[artcasper]

Thank you!

Does it make other clothes put in the washing machine after smell like vinegar? Just incase cuz I know my dad would be pretty annoyed

I always wash my guinea pig stuff in a horse wash bag which catches any loose hairs or hay. Afterwards, I do a quick wash/rinse in the machine and nothing has ever smelt of vinegar - its not the same as chip shop vinegar..... its also a natural cleaning product so my machine is always has a nice shine..

 

[Butterfluf]

I always wash my guinea pig stuff in a horse wash bag which catches any loose hairs or hay. Afterwards, I do a quick wash/rinse in the machine and nothing has ever smelt of vinegar - its not the same as chip shop vinegar..... its also a natural cleaning product so my machine is always has a nice shine..

I need to invest in one of those bags! Thank you I'll give it a try

 

[eileen]

you will need to do a second bath a week later ,to erase the newly hatched eggs ,after the 1st wash ,i usually do 3 baths and then they are usually all gone !ive bathed seven piggies today as have longhair and ive given them there summer haircuts.i should not be let loose with a pair of scissors,i always take too much off ! soon grows though .

 

[artcasper]

I need to invest in one of those bags! Thank you I'll give it a try

Mine has lasted over 4 years so I would get one!

 

[Butterfluf]

you will need to do a second bath a week later ,to erase the newly hatched eggs ,after the 1st wash ,i usually do 3 baths and then they are usually all gone !ive bathed seven piggies today as have longhair and ive given them there summer haircuts.i should not be let loose with a pair of scissors,i always take too much off ! soon grows though .

Oh that's great I hope I have enough for 8 3 times thank fully I don't have long hairs I'd go crazy too

 

[Butterfluf]

Mine has lasted over 4 years so I would get one!

I'll check amazon thank you

 

[amy104]

Thank you!

Does it make other clothes put in the washing machine after smell like vinegar? Just incase cuz I know my dad would be pretty annoyed

No it doesn't. I use white vinegar as a fabric softner for my clothes anyway, especially towels as it increases absorbancy, but even if they smell of vinegar when they come out they don't after airing so you definately wouldn't get any residual smell in the next wash.

 

[Butterfluf]

No it doesn't. I use white vinegar as a fabric softner for my clothes anyway, especially towels as it increases absorbancy, but even if they smell of vinegar when they come out they don't after airing so you definately wouldn't get any residual smell in the next wash.

Thank you