Mites....

[Wellsmum]

We recently got three new piggies... Loki, Sunny and Coco. They are my daughters guinea pigs with close supervision from me!

Before we went to get them I checked three females were available and was advised yes, so we went to get them. The girls chose the guinea pigs they liked and at that point the lady mentioned mites/lice.

I was really quite cross and I realise we should have walked away - but of course the girls had already picked their piggies and I would have felt awful.

So it is now about 3 weeks on and I have noticed that they are still scratchy, one has a little round bald patch off of one of its rosettes and another has a little scratch above its eye.

Don't get me wrong - they are mostly furry all over no large areas of missing fur or anything - and they are all healthy etc...just now I am worried about mites.

I have some Johnsons insecticidal shampoo but should I use this or not, as I have heard that their cat products can have quite adverse reactions.....

Any help / info would be welcomed!

 

[Suzygpr]

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

The stress of a new home can cause a dip in the immune system allowing a flare up of mites, so new pigs showing symptoms is not unusual.

Treatment will vary according to the type of mite/lice and the age of the pigs. If you could give their ages or weights then more targeted advice can be given.

Suzy x

 

[Wellsmum]

Mites...

They are all less than 500gms. They are about 12ish weeks...

And thanks for your kind welcome x

 

[Suzygpr]

As they are under 12 weeks the shampoo is not suitable. The best mite treatment availble for pigs that size/age is Xeno 50 which is designed for smaller younger animals.

Sadly mites and fungal skin problems can be difficult for inexperienced owners to diagnose as they can appear to have similar symptoms. As the treatments are very different I would strongly advise a vet trip to determine what is causing the problems so correct treatment is given.

HTH

Suzy x

 

[Wellsmum]

Mites...

I've treated with ivermectin before - in fact I had some pipettes but because I didnt think I would be having piggies again I didnt keep them. I also have fungicidal cream for treatment of ringworm so I will have a closer look tomorrow and make a plan....
I'm just quite cross the lady didnt have the courtesy to mention problems before we arrived - but then of course that's because she knows we probably wouldnt have come otherwise....

 

[lilmisscavy]

They are all less than 500gms. They are about 12ish weeks...

And thanks for your kind welcome x

Put a towel that you don't mind using for the pigs, into your bathroom/kitchen sink and fill it to just above the thickness of the towel with warm water (not too hot, not too cold), so it allows them to paddle in it without slipping over.

With the shampoo, that stuff isn't recommended for under 12 weeks of age, but if they're roughly that age, don't worry about it too much. Just mix a tiny, pea-sized amount in a cup with warm water in, and let the water run along their back slowly, bit by bit, avoiding their head.

Use your hands to rub it into their fur, firmly but it's going to scare them anyway so go gentle with them obviously. Rinse them off, wrap them in a towel, give them a rub and they'll be warm and dry in a short time.

I've bathed my youngest pigs and they're a similar age, as long as it's diluted enough and they're rinsed off enough, it should be fine

 

[Poppy'sMum]

If the one with rosettes is losing fur from the centre of it's rosettes it could be fungal rolleyes When the hair comes away has it got little bits of white attached at the ends?

 

[fatgirl105]

Hiya sorry for your problems. Did you get your piggies from a breeder or pet shop.just wondering if you might have a path to get vets bill contributed to by seller.