Mites?

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monica1607

monica1607

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Hi my sisters friend was asking me about mites yesterday, but I'm not sure about them. She wanted to know the follwong as she is wondering if 1 of her piggys has them and is currently treating her with pet products to treat mites. She wanted to know:
1) How can you tell its mites?
2) Is flaking (almost like dandruff) a sign of it? (her piggy had this near her 'gland' and has now lost her above it as well as been biting it)
3) Where do they come from? Do they come from hay or straw? Or even from wild food?
4) Could my other piggy have it too even though she shows no signs of it? (she is treating both just incase)

She said that shes washed the cage with boiling water and used the insect killing shampoo by johonson as well as a spray that you use in hutches to kill the too. On her piggys shes used the insectecial shampoo as well as the drops. Would that be enough to treat it? Ive told her to keep an eye on it and if she seems to get no better or get worse to take them to the vets.

Can anybody answer these for me so I can let her know. Thank you
 
I honestly dont know as I'm a new to this - but the forum is very quiet during day. Bump your thread up until you get an answer!
 
Look in the health and illness section for info. or go onto the Guinealynx site ,loads of info there.Not always easty to distinguish between mites and fungal could be both. A visit to the vet would help. Best of luck. Both are quite easy tp treat once you know which you are dealing with.
 
monica1607 said:
Hi my sisters friend was asking me about mites yesterday, but I'm not sure about them. She wanted to know the follwong as she is wondering if 1 of her piggys has them and is currently treating her with pet products to treat mites. She wanted to know:
1) How can you tell its mites?

Getting the vet to do a skin scrape. Just "looking" at the pig or photos of the pig is not enough as it could be fungal, mites, bacterial or a combination and each needs very different treatments

2) Is flaking (almost like dandruff) a sign of it? (her piggy had this near her 'gland' and has now lost her above it as well as been biting it)

Could just ba sign of shedding excess hair because of temperature changes...could be barbering by other piggies or self-barbering, but could also indicate there is fungal or mites brewing...or could indicate the piggie needs more vit c or has another underlying health issue

3) Where do they come from? Do they come from hay or straw? Or even from wild food?
Normally from hay/straw...or other pigs that carry the mites but show no symptoms

4) Could my other piggy have it too even though she shows no signs of it? (she is treating both just incase)

Yes - good she is treating both as it prevents one from reinfecting the other

She said that shes washed the cage with boiling water and used the insect killing shampoo by johonson as well as a spray that you use in hutches to kill the too. On her piggys shes used the insectecial shampoo as well as the drops. Would that be enough to treat it? Ive told her to keep an eye on it and if she seems to get no better or get worse to take them to the vets.

Can anybody answer these for me so I can let her know. Thank you
Click to expand...

It depends upon the severity of the infestation as to whether the drops are sufficient...sometimes injections for all piggies are a better way to eradicate an outbreak together with the cage cleaning as suggested. They need 3 treatments (drops or injections) in total spaced 10-14 days apart to ensure all stages of the lfe cycel are eradicated..and the spot on should obviously be applied after the bathing...although some people apply the spot on first and wait 48-73 hours and then bathe to remove mite debris which can cause irritation

If however she has not got a firm diagnosis from the vet, I advise her to take in the worst affected piggies and get a skin scrape/selotape test/proper diganosis done to ensure they don;t need anything else. One of my pigs had scurfy skin and it was negative for mites on a selotape/microscopy test...the problem cleared of its own accord with a little bit of extra Vit C

HTH
x
 
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Thanks everyone especially 'Pebble', I have passed on the advice and she said she will be buying Vitamin C drops, as well as some vit c rich foods just incase. Thanks 'Claire W' for the link she said that from the pics it does look a bit like Mites. Shes also bought some tea tree cream (i think she said thats what it was called) to put on to help, and said that she seems happier. Also never knew that piggys called carry mites and show no symptoms?! You learn a knew thing every day :)
 
Hi thought I would update. My sisters mate piggy seems much better. Popped round today to return an indoor cage she lent me over the winter and saw her piggy. She looks much better and her fur seems to be growing back too but she was concerned about some 'flaking' which I also saw. I dont know what it is and was wondering if you guys might know. It just looks like big clumps of dandruff, on the area where she lost her fur. She said she bathed her last week with the insecticidal shampoo again (mainly down to the fact she looked greasey from the tea tree cream she had put on), but has not put any cream on since the bath as she had no more scabs. Shes just wondering if the 'dandruff/flaking' is anything to be concerned about, she hasnt got it anywhere else on her body just where she had lost her fur, Ive told her to try putting some more cream on just incase its dry skin, but any knowledge would be helpful
 
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