Missing fur on back

[Flinty]

Hi there,

Ive noticed one of my ladies has a balding patch on her back. Its not scabbed or inflamed in any way but ive noticed its come from her turning ams jusy scratching that same spot and over time its pulled the hair away. She does have slightly dry skin which i think is due to her breed and living inside, and I believe this is what is causing the irritation. The patch has formed over about month. Shes on a good diet of pellets, veg and hay and is otherwise happy.

I'm ordering the items from Gorgeous guineas designed for scurfy skin, but is there anything else you'd recommend? Am I missing something?

 

[Merab]

If you are concerned a trip to the vet would not go amiss.
The fur loss could be caused by a number of things and a vet can diagnose properly and treat accordingly if necessary

 

[Lady Kelly]

It looks like a classic v shaped mark from mites to me. You need to see a vet for correct diagnosis and treatment though. Over the counter products are generally not strong enough to resolve the problem

 

[Wiebke]

Hi there,

Ive noticed one of my ladies has a balding patch on her back. Its not scabbed or inflamed in any way but ive noticed its come from her turning ams jusy scratching that same spot and over time its pulled the hair away. She does have slightly dry skin which i think is due to her breed and living inside, and I believe this is what is causing the irritation. The patch has formed over about month. Shes on a good diet of pellets, veg and hay and is otherwise happy.

I'm ordering the items from Gorgeous guineas designed for scurfy skin, but is there anything else you'd recommend? Am I missing something?

Hi!

Please see a vet for mange mites, which can kill if not or undertreated with broad spectrum DIY products.

Never treat on spec in case you get the wrong end of the stick and only prolong the problem without healing it or at the best suppressing the symptoms temporarily. Your piggies end up suffering more and so does your purse when you finally fetch up at the vet's with a much more advanced issue having spent a lot on ineffective problems.
Please do not just put any ointment on a skin problem as you won't cure it and only make diagnosis more difficult. Also don't start treatment on spec at home because that means that your vet may not be able to step in with the correct treatment until your stuff has worn off.

Any bald batches in places where there shouldn't be any should be vet checked unless you have the necessary experience (and even not then!)

What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

 

[Flinty]

Thanks everyone, Ill make sure to get her to a vet! What has struck me though is how slowly it has developed and that although she does give it a good nip when itching it never seems to be prolonged scratching. Its not red or scabby in the way that any of the photos on the guide or elsewhere show :/ Hopefully this means that it's mild and can be easily solved. I feel like a terrible pig mom for not checking before but it's happened so gradually that it's only just become clear that there's hair loss! Poor little Kiwi

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks everyone, Ill make sure to get her to a vet! What has struck me though is how slowly it has developed and that although she does give it a good nip when itching it never seems to be prolonged scratching. Its not red or scabby in the way that any of the photos on the guide or elsewhere show :/ Hopefully this means that it's mild and can be easily solved. I feel like a terrible pig mom for not checking before but it's happened so gradually that it's only just become clear that there's hair loss! Poor little Kiwi

Not all mites attacks come on very suddenly and badly although those get of course generally the limelight.
All the best!

The middle of the back is generally classic mange mites territory.

 

[Lady Kelly]

The thing with mites is that they are not visible to the human eye, they can only be seen under microscope. So quite often the hair loss you are noticing is the first sign. Don't feel bad about it, you are doing the right thing