Mites!

[JenniPigi]

Today I noticed my guinea pigs both have mites, they are about one millmitre long and white. They both have some slight dander, but one has had flaky patches in the last couple of days. I'm not sure if they're itching more than normal or not. They're both eating fine and their behaviour hasn't changed. My local pet stores sell anti parasite spot on, will this be enough to treat them or do I need to take them to the vets?

 

[Piggies&buns]

As you can see them then your piggies have lice, not mites. Lice are visible, pale creatures which feed off a piggy directly.
Mites are invisible to the human eye.

Please do take them to the vet and don’t be tempted to use low dosed pet shop spot on treatments.

You will need a full course (usually three separate treatments with two weeks between each treatment) of vet strength treatments dosed by weight as well as disinfection of the cage and throwing away your hay and starting afresh.

I have added a guide below.

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

 

[weepweeps]

With the right treatment they will soon be lice free.

 

[JenniPigi]

A few weeks ago I noticed lice moving around on my two girls, they were oval shaped and white, about a millimetre long. I've sprayed them with Johnson's insecticidal spray twice over two weeks, and I thought the lice had gone but now when I go through their fur, I see many dark brown spots along the shafts. I got one on my finger and I saw it move, but I can't see them move in the hair, like with the previous parasites. Are these still lice and do I need to go to the vets?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please do go to the vet for a check.
We never recommend the use of pet shop products (as per the original advice above and in the guides linked in) as they aren’t strong enough to deal with parasites effectively (they may suppress but not necessarily cure and thus the infestation can return).
Lice and mites are treated using vet strength ivermectin product in a course of three separate treatments dosed for their weight.

You also need to disinfect the cage (using F10) and throw any hay and any items that you cant wash

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

(I have merged your two threads together given it is on the same subject)

 

[RescueBoyMum]

A few weeks ago I noticed lice moving around on my two girls, they were oval shaped and white, about a millimetre long. I've sprayed them with Johnson's insecticidal spray twice over two weeks, and I thought the lice had gone but now when I go through their fur, I see many dark brown spots along the shafts. I got one on my finger and I saw it move, but I can't see them move in the hair, like with the previous parasites. Are these still lice and do I need to go to the vets?

This sounds like hay mites to me. You need to treat them and remove and replace all your hay.

 

[JenniPigi]

Thank you, how do I treat them?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you, how do I treat them?

You need to go to your vet and get them checked out first. If mites (remembering mites themselves are not visible to the human eye but you can see the eggs which will not move (specks in the hair)) or lice (small pale creatures which you can see moving) are present they will get you the proper strength ivermectin spot on treatments, as per the advice and the guides given throughout this thread.

The treatment for mites and lice is ivermectin drops which are put on the back of their necks. The amount of pipettes you need per piggy is dosed according to each piggy’s weight.
The treatments you can get from pet shops are not strong enough to be fully effective and a lot of the time people find parasites return due to this. This is why we say do not be tempted to use low dosed pet shop treatments: using them often means it ends up taking longer and be more expensive to treat.
It’s a course of three separate treatments with two weeks between each treatment (this is to catch the full life cycle), so it takes a total of four weeks to cure mites or lice.
You need to treat all your piggies who have contact with each other. If you don’t do this then the mites/lice will spread from pig to pig.
You also need to throw your hay away and disinfect the cage with F10 vet grade disinfectant

 

[Wheekallweek]

Agreed - a vet needs to see them and prescribe the correct strength treatment. The stuff from pet shops is rarely good enough.

 

[JenniPigi]

A month or two ago I noticed my two girls had hay mites, mostly on their lower back, so after recommendations I bought the gorgeous guineas lice n easy shampoo and treated them three times over three weeks and thoroughly disinfected their cage and bought new hay and food. I've now noticed the mites have come back, I'm not sure if it's a completely new infestation or whether the shampoo didn't get rid of all the mites in the first place. They don't seem to bother the pigs, I haven't seen them scratching more than usual. Is there anything I should do, like re doing the shampoo treatment, or is it just something that's a bit annoying but doesn't really need any treatment, unless it started affecting the pigs? Thanks!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I have merged your new post back into your original thread so that all information is kept together.

As we advised, your piggies need a Vet prescribed ivermectin or selamectin based spot on treatment to deal with this - whether it is lice or mites. It needs to be dosed for their weight and given at the correct interval.
As the guide also explains, shampoo may be helpful but it is not a treatment at all and will not be effective in fully clearing an infestation. Therefore you are probably still dealing with the same infestation if you have not used the correct treatments - you mention a pet shop spray and shampoos, neither of those are going to deal with this properly.

Piggies can be host to three parasites:
Lice - white pale creatures which you are able to see and can be seen moving on piggy.
Hay mites - mites themselves are not visible to the human eye. Brown specks stuck to the hair shaft are the mite egg casings.
Mange mites - also not visible to the human eye. These burrow in the skin and cause discomfort.

As you mention both pale creature and brown specks in this thread, it is unclear which issue they have, or whether they may have both.

While hay mites are more of an annoyance than a major issue, they do still need to be eradicated effectively.
Lice are a problem. They feed off a piggy and can weaken piggies to the point of making them very unwell/be fatal.
(Mange mites are also a problem and can cause seizures and be fatal if not properly treated)

You need to see the vet and get the best treatment they can supply - some are prescribing Kitten stronghold while xeno 450 (which is the most commonly prescribed treatment) remains difficult to get hold of.

 

[JenniPigi]

Thank you, they had lice before which are now gone, they have hay mites now. I've read ivermectin will not treat hay mites?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you, they had lice before which are now gone, they have hay mites now. I've read ivermectin will not treat hay mites?

Ivermectin or selamectin is the treatment they need for any one of the three piggy parasites .
Please have them seen by a vet for treatment.

If they have hay mites then you can also cut their hair off to remove as many eggs as possible, alongside the proper treatment

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights