• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

mites or not?

Status
Not open for further replies.
biscandmatt

biscandmatt

Senior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 6, 2009
Messages
6,919
Reaction score
3,018
Points
1,315
Location
manchester
chesney is scratching quite alot now and i've read posts on here about mites but i'm still not sure he has them.

i just sat him on my knee and checked him over and there is no scabbing or sore dry patches of skin anywhere, but there were a few tiny flecks of dandruff, maybe three. but i used the bugs be gone powder from gorgeous guineas yesterday and that leaves little bits in the fur so they could be that.

i pulled some hair gently and the hair came out easily but only a little bit. i brushed him and a little bit more came out but only from the first brush.

he is scratching behind his ears and scratching and biting his rump aswell, and jumping sometimes after he has scratched.

he is only doing it when he has been burrowed in the hay so he's confusing me!

can someone explain to me about fungal infections. is this just dry flaky skin and not in need of vet treatment, just a fungal shampoo?

what does everyone think? does he sound like he has mites?

he has megazorb and dust free hay in his tray and the rest of the cage is fleece blankets. could it be something to do with the washing powder? i rinse twice.

thanks. :)
 
would it do him any harm to have the xeno 450 spot on even though i'm not sure he has mites? i can't really bath him yet until he has settled more. this is his 4th day and i don't want to upset him.
 
i've already got some neem gel from gorgeous guineas. i might put that where he is scratching and see if that makes any difference.

i've emailed gg's aswell for advice. i've seen things on their website that could be good - the lotion that is ok for everyday use, and shampoo's and melts for skin conditions. doesn't say of you can use them on their own though without shampooing after.

i don't have a clue what i'm doing here at all!
 
right, i know i'm updating lots but i've rubbed a small amount of gg neem gel into the areas ches is scratching and have removed the megazorb from the tray, he doesn't really need it.

i looked closely at his skin - it's very pale, almost like white but with a very tiny hint of pink. is this ok? on the skin at the back of the ears where he is scratching sometimes there are like black pimples where the hair joins the skin. this could just be more obvious because there's little hair there compared to the rest of the body. anyway, they aren't obvious anywhere else where the hair joins the skin.

i also parted the skin on the rump area and he squeaked and he jumped. he jumped when i parted the skin at the back of the ears too. i don't know why because i was gentle. he does jump alot anyway when i go to stroke him and i haven't checked his skin like that before so could just have been a nervous squeak?

he was very happy to be brushed though! he actually settles on my knee now and lies down as i brush and relaxes. x)

sorry about all the posts, hope you can see the many questions in amongst all that!

any help would be great. :)
 
mine don't like me parting their rump hair to have a look and sometimes rumble at me! I think it might be uncomfortable due to the direction it grows.

I think maybe a mite treatment would be wise as if he has mites it would stop them before they become bad and he starts to loose hair etc.. I'm having george treated at the minute and decided today to get tiger done as last night he was scratching a bit and biting his sides and rump and cleaning his face a lot (these are all the signs george showed previously).

Tiger is showing no other signs no dandruff or bald bits etc.. The first time i had george done I couldn't see any dandruff but the vet could? Maybe it is hard to see (george does have a white rump though!)
 
Fungal infections are characterised by flaky or crusty skin, which can appear reddened. When the hair is pulled out, it slides with little resistance, and can often be clumped together attached to a flake of skin. Scabs/sores/lacerations may or may not be present as a result of the pig scratching. In the worst cases, seizures can occur.

Treatment is necessary. Bathing in an antifungal shampoo is the preferred method - Nizoral from the chemist, or the Gorgeous Guineas Neem products tend to be the most popular. Let the shampoo soak in for 5-10 minutes (depending on severity and manufacturers instructions) then rinse. At some stage during the bath, pulling the loose hair out is necessary to remove the fungal spores on the hair shafts to prevent reinfection. Don't pull the hair if it is not loose! Repeat the bath weekly for 3 weeks for diagnosed problems; for suspected - which would also read mild - cases two baths should be fine.

Pale skin is fine, very normal. Some pigs have such white skin it almost looks eerily translucent! Skin that is very red, or "hot pink", is usually inflamed and sore. Basic shedding is also normal - some pigs shed a lot of hair, some don't shed at all. Most pigs will jump and squeal when you part the hair/brush it the wrong way up, regardless of the condition of their skin.
 
Guinea pigs are shedding some of their winter and summer coats, and can be a bit itchy around that time. Give him a good brush and/or a soothing bath, if you wish.

Is he scratching with real vigour when he scratches? Or can you find a small bald patch? Or inflamed skin? Then you best see the vet soon. Don't try to self-medicate unless you really know what you are treating!
 
he's not scratched at all today but i am going to take him to the vets just to put my mind at rest and gg are going to help me with what's suitable for him.
 
thanks for everyones advice. :)

ches has only scratched a few times today and it seems to be in the evening, which is strange because the buns do at night aswell. might be when i close the window and the heating is on?

anyway, i've booked him in at the vets thursday so i know if he has mites, and i can also have his nails trimmed at the same time and the vet can show me how to do it so i know the best way. obviously if he has mites i will get the xeno 450 to treat him with and chrissie from gg has been really helpful and has recommended shampoo and a melt to treat him with at the same time. :)
 
ches update-we've been to the vets!

right, took ches to the vets before and he was so well behaved bless him! the vet loved him - she said he was handsome and a nice chunky boy! lol...

anyway, she can't see any mites/sore skin/scabs etc but he is a bit quivery when he has his fur looked at and she said he seems quite 'itchy' and not quite right with the fur. she thinks he probably has a few mites but it is at the beginning stage and thinks treatment with xeno 450 is the way to go. so he is having one pipette every two weeks and she thinks twice would be enough, but i can do three if i want and it won't do any harm. does this sound ok?

also, ches does have quite a bit of wax in his ears although no mites. the vet removed some to look at and it's fine, just seems to be more wax in his ears than normal. she only took a little bit from each ear with a cotton bud, she didn't poke it down his ears or anything. just thought i'd say that incase people had visions of her shoving cotton buds down his ears and hurting him!

does anyone know why he might have more wax than normal?

she also mentioned that he could have a bath in the gg's products but obv not right near the time he has the mite treatment.

she said he has perfect teeth and she trimmed his nails aswell and checked just generally checked him over and she was really taken with him, which made me really proud! lol...

i am so proud of ches, he was so well behaved and nice and tame and just sat next to my arm which i had resting on the table and he was happy to just sit there and just let her get on with things. he was so cute bless him. awww, my chesney! love him loads! x)x)x)

anyway, let me know what you think of the above. :)
 
All sounds good! So far I think you may have a good vet there. :)

The Xeno is fine, two or three doses is up to you. Dose 1 kills off living mites and a few eggs, dose 2 kills newly hatched mites. Dose three kills off any remaining mites and eggs. Two doses is usually just fine for suspected/mild/preventative cases.

Ear wax varies from pig to pig. Some have very little, others have loads. For those with excessive ear wax, clean the ears out frequently; for all other pigs, clean every time you bathe. This is much easier said than done. I find that Otodex Veterinary Ear Drops (for cats and dogs) soften the wax in guinea pigs' ears up nicely, ensuring a much easier clean.
 
i do feel better now i've taken him. i was reading my posts back and i think it seemed like i didn't want to take him but i just didn't want to stress him too soon and maybe cause a problem. i get paranoid alot so i wanted to see if anyone else thought it was just me worrying first! i just want to clarify that i would take him straight to the vets if i ever thought there was anything wrong, as i do for my bunnies aswell. :)

ok, well i'm happy with how today went. i'll start him on the xeno 450 and see how he gets on. my gg products should be here soon aswell so then i have those ready to bath him when he has settled a bit more. maybe in a week or so and not close to the mite treatment.

so to clean his ears if they need doing again, which they probably will!, i use what you said to soften the wax, and then do i use a cotton bud like the vet did and just really gently remove the wax? he was really good when the vet did so hopefully he will be ok with me. i'll leave it and keep an eye on it and do it when he needs it. :)
 
The Otodex Ear Drops should be dripped into each ear, 2-3 drops. Massage the ear (fold the ear down and gently massage), and leave for 24 hours. Then use a cotton bud and clean the ear as much as you can. For cases where more wax has built up, repeat the drops immediately after cleaning, and clean again after 24 hours. :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top