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Mange Mites - Help!

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JoannaMarie

JoannaMarie

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Hi all. My guinea pig Alan came out in a huge sore a few weeks ago on his back. I took him to the vets and he said he thought it was an injury of some kind, and couldn't see any signs of mites i.e. no dandruff etc. The sore healed OK but I checked him over just now and further down his back he has a patch of skin where he has pulled the fur from around, and it is all flakey and really hurt him when I tried to touch it. I am 99% sure it is mange. I am going to take him to the vets on Monday but what I want to know is can I treat him with the drops from the shop today safely? If so, what is the best product to use? I feel like a terrible guinea pig owner, I heard that pigs usually get mites when they are neglected. Could it be that the injury on his back (it was quite a severe injury) could have made him more susceptible to mites?
 
No, please don't treat him on spec, the shop bought stuff is not strong enough to clear any mange mites & it will mean the vet will not be able to give him the correct treatment when you go. Please book an appointment for him to be seen asap, with the Christmas holidays coming you would not want for him to be suffering over the holidays. Also take any cage mates with him for treatment as well. Ivermectin injections from the vet are the most effective treatments.
 
Oh yes I'm going to take him first thing on Monday. Thank you for the advice. I feel really bad that he's got them... Is it something I've done wrong? My boys Alan and Monty don't get along so I alternate between them being in the cage and being 'free range' in my living room, so they both get 12 hours a day of freedom. I feed them good pellets, give them fresh veg every day and clean water and hay.
 
Also, is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable until I can take him to the vets on Monday? He is eating ok and still seems fairly lively, but he is itching quite a bit. I think I have caught it fairly early as I have been checking his skin regularly.
 
There's not really anything to stop him itching in the meantime unfortunately :( Mange mites usually emerge down to stress, not unclean conditions, most pigs have dormant ones that can become active if something stresses them. If they share anything in common, even a run, you need to bin anything cardboard, wood houses, chubes etc & thoroughly clean out their cages after they've been treated by the vet (Take both with you) Hot soapy wash anything plastic & food bowls (Don't use bleach!) & rinse & dry carefully. Hot wash fleece at 60 degrees will kill any mites.
 
@Poppy'sMum thank you for your advice I really appreciate it. I think perhaps they came out because of this injury he got that could have weakened his immune system. I have Monday and Tuesday off work so I will get them both to the vets asap on Monday, and then thoroughly clean everything. Do I I need to throw the old bag of hay out and get some fresh? xx
 
Mange mites don't come from the hay, they are selnick mites, they burrow under the skin, hence the frantic itching. Hay mites are different & live on the hair shaft (Think children's headlice lol) Selnick/mange mites can't be seen on guinea pigs, hay mites appear as little black specks on the hairs. For ref : Guinea Lynx :: Parasites
What hay do you use? They may also have hay mites, but they don't normally cause too much trouble. If you use imported hay like Alfalfa King Timothy hay or Oxbow Western Timothy hay that hay is sterile so contains no live parasites :)
 
My piggies always start scratching after I introduce a new one. I have to take out all their wooden toys and houses for at least 4 weeks (as well as treatment for them) and change to plastic ones that I can wash.
 
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