Mites? Lice? Not Sure...

[April_L]

One of our two young Swiss teddy boys has had several small insects attached to his nose over the summer (one at a time, not a whole herd!) - I thought they were tick nymphs, based on the fact that I have removed the same insects from both children and my husband over recent months (we have deer that come into our field, but not the garden where the guineas graze). The last one I removed today. I have no idea where he is picking them up from, other than when out on the lawn in his A frame if they are transported home by the dog. But when I had him on my lap removing the latest tick from his nose, I checked him over for others elsewhere and found small white insects in his fur towards his back end. What are these? I am more worried about this than the ticks!

He and his brother both received some pig maintenance on Saturday (grooming, nail clipping etc) including treatment with a spot-on treatment (the Bob Martin My Little Friend one as that was all that PAH had on the shelf last week). Having now read another comment about this particular treatment I am worrying that this is not going to do the job, but equally I don't want to overload him with too many treatments at once in case that is bad for him. Or should I just wait for a few days to give it a chance to work?

Weirdly, our other boy has had no ticks and I could not see any lice/mites on him either when I checked him today.

What does this sound like to you? Their house is cleaned out properly once a week with disinfectant cleaning spray, with interim clean-outs of poops and wet bedding, so I don't think there is much else I could have done to prevent a break out. I now just need to get him treated but I would like to know what to get him treated for!

 

[helen105281]

I would go to the vet for a proper diagnosis, and let them know what you have used. The Bob Martin product is notorious for not being very effective.

Are the white things moving? if so it could be running lice.

 

[Chief Guinea Pig]

Was he taken to the vet to be prescribed the Spot On treatment?

 

[Wiebke]

Please do not use the same area of lawn for dog and piggies, as dog pee is poisonous to guinea pigs.

I have never come across a tick problem with guinea pigs, but as it is repeated, I would be wary about putting him outside. Ticks can be very dangerous as transmitters of disease.

What you are likely seeing is running lice; if they are not moving and looking like specks of dirt sitting on hair on the bum end, then you are dealing with static lice, also known as fur or hay mites.

Please do not use any shop products. Bob Martin products are especially useless to actually harmful; they should not be sold at all considering the harm they are doing by keeping owners from seeking qualified help and prolonging the suffering of the animals treated!

Unless you really know what you are treating for, it is advisable to have your teddy boy checked by a vet for the correct diagnosis and good quality treatment.

 

[April_L]

The white things are moving, yes.
No, he has not been diagnosed by a vet yet - this was just routine preventative treatment like I do for the dog and cat. I knew that the Bob Martin cat stuff was rubbish but didn't know that the guinea treatment was useless as well.
I am aware of the dangers of ticks. I have been very concerned about this with the children.
I will call the vet tomorrow - thank you all for your help.
Edited to add: should I be thinking about the Lice and Easy Shampoo? How do you go about bathing guineas?! Our boys are live wires who are not shy of giving me a nip if they don't like something...

 

[April_L]

Update:
Vet visit today. Both guineas treated with Xeno450, and two more fortnightly treatments to come. Will also get hold of some Lice and Easy shampoo to make them feel a bit better. The lice we trapped on sellotape were not moving, though the vet and i both saw some moving ones.

Thank you for your advice.