• 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

New Guinea pig and lice

Lizzyb245

Lizzyb245

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Messages
25
Reaction score
25
Points
175
Hello!

So I have 4 piggies, just recently taken in a fifth guinea pig from a friend of a friend. Just noticed that the newbie had lice ( small white flecks running behind the ears)

Luckily hadn’t started the bonding process so they are next door but separate.

Does any one have any advice on how effectively to eradicate them? I have haislty re treated mine using behaur lice treatment.

How long should I wait before I begin bonding!

Thanks!
 
Please go to a vet for diagnosis and the correct strength course of treatment.

We don’t recommend treating on spec using low dosed pet shop products such as beaphar.

A full course of treatment is three separate treatments with two weeks between each treatment (so a total of four weeks to treat).
You should not bond until the full treatment is complete - so it’ll be a month before you can bond them.

Make sure to also disinfect the cages using F10.

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights
 
Thank you so much for the advice! I’ll get her down to the vets over the weekend!
She seems in good health other than her additional friends x
 
Lizzyb245 said:
Thank you so much for the advice! I’ll get her down to the vets over the weekend!
She seems in good health other than her additional friends x
Click to expand...
Good luck !
I’m currently treating my piggies for haymites that are invisible to the naked eye
Be aware when she is diagnosed that the usual medication is unattainable in the UK - xeno 450
Many people have been prescribed Kitten Stronghold so something to discuss with your Vet
 
Roselina said:
Good luck !
I’m currently treating my piggies for haymites that are invisible to the naked eye
Be aware when she is diagnosed that the usual medication is unattainable in the UK - xeno 450
Many people have been prescribed Kitten Stronghold so something to discuss with your Vet
Click to expand...
Is the kitten stronghold ok to be used with piggies?
 
Lizzyb245 said:
Is the kitten stronghold ok to be used with piggies?
Click to expand...
Only at the advice of a Vet - I mentioned it as the Xeno 450 that is the best treatment isn’t available
Your Vet will advise you as to what you should use
 
Yes my piggies have recently been treated with kitten Stronghold. The vet had to work out the dose and give me pre-filled syringes

They both had a second treatment a month after the first.
 
Lizzyb245 said:
We have been and just got to pop back tomorrow to collect the stuff as they only had three out of four vials!

Thank you everyone 🤩
Click to expand...
Good luck - there’s a lot of cleaning to do as well but it’ll be worth it !
What was your piggy prescribed ?
 
I can’t remember but can update tomorrow when I’ve collected it!

I’m hoping we eradicate them asap! I’ve washed all my fleeces on 60 and have popped them in the freezer! Just need to get the vet strength cleaner! X
 
Lizzyb245 said:
I can’t remember but can update tomorrow when I’ve collected it!

I’m hoping we eradicate them asap! I’ve washed all my fleeces on 60 and have popped them in the freezer! Just need to get the vet strength cleaner! X
Click to expand...
I’m sure you will - one forum member mentioned that for things you can’t wash then put the items in a sealed plastic bag and leave for 2 weeks and that will kill the lice - a Vet told her
I had already thrown away the things I couldn’t wash so I don’t know if it works but it’s worth a try
 
Sorry me again- so after a promising start turns out the vet didn’t have any Xeno 50 in stock!

I’ve hopefully sourced some from
Another vets.

Anyone ever used static live shampoo and had success eradicating? Just wondering if this may start getting rid of them until the vets have it back in stock?
 
The xeno shortage has been going on for a year, probably longer actually, and everybody is struggling to get hold of anything suitable hence the kitten stronghold advice.

Have you Sourced xeno 50 or xeno 450?
There is a difference - 50 is weaker than the 450. 50 isn’t ideal for adult piggies but is fine for light weight youngsters; due to their weight for adults, it will do the job, except you will use multiple pipettes of 50 to get the same effect as one pipette of 450.

Static lice is an outdated term for hay mites; hay mites are not lice.
If you have seen white creatures on your piggies then they have lice.
Shampoo alone is not likely to cure this. As you have a diagnosis you possibly can try it but don’t expect miracles. You also need to make sure you don’t bathe once you are using ivermectin spot on as obviously you will just wash it off!
 
Ahhh ok, sorry they are just lice!

It was xeno 50! She’s a tiny dot at 880g.

Thank you so much for all your advice- in 15 years of owning it’s the first case of Lice we have had so feel pretty clueless ! ( though had plenty of trips to vets for various other ailments over the years 😬)
 
Sorry me again! Lice obsessed it seems!

So just wanted any advice on cage cleaning.

Piggie is currently In a plastic cage whilst I get rid of the extra friends!

I applied the drops yesterday and cleaned with the stuff previously mentioned and poured boiling water all over it. Repeated this again today- all plastic hides are having same treatment and I’ve removed the fleece stuff.

Is this an over kill?

Thank you again! You have been far more useful that the vets who seem utterly clueless!
X
 
That sounds ideal - I’d monitor her to make sure the xeno50 is working
Good luck - it’s a horrible thing to have to deal with
 
Roselina said:
That sounds ideal - I’d monitor her to make sure the xeno50 is working
Good luck - it’s a horrible thing to have to deal with
Click to expand...
Saw a reduction from the previous day- just one pesky louse. Thank you for everything!
 
Hello!

Me again, so we have completed the course of treatment, done enough daily deep cleans of a cage for a lifetime 🤣

Piggie 5 has had no live live since her first treatment! She will
Go into a monthly preventative course like my others ( if I can get hold of the tuff!)

Reckon , I’m safe to start binding?

Many thanks
 
We never advise monthly preventatives. Preventative and repeated unnecessary treatments contribute to the growing problem of resistance, making treating lice and mites much harder - we are seeing resistant cases cropping up. Plus ivermectin is a strong chemical which can be overdosed so you really don’t want to be medicating them when there isn’t a need.
You should only ever treat if they have a diagnosed infestation and once it’s dealt with you then stop the treatments.

If they are clear then you can bond
 
Thank you! Not going as smoothly as I hoped! I have four piggies with two big personalities!

Trying to add a newbie who we took in- she had been on her own for a year prior to us getting her!

She’s super threatened by them so gone to 1:1 bonding and aiming to add in a pig as we go!

But it’s really unsettled my four so lots of power struggles happen g
 
Lizzyb245 said:
Thank you! Not going as smoothly as I hoped! I have four piggies with two big personalities!

Trying to add a newbie who we took in- she had been on her own for a year prior to us getting her!

She’s super threatened by them so gone to 1:1 bonding and aiming to add in a pig as we go!

But it’s really unsettled my four so lots of power struggles happen g
Click to expand...

They have to all go in the bonding pen at the same time - you can’t add them one at a time as you go as that isn’t how the forming of a herd hierarchy works. It has to happen all in one go and works from the top down.
if you try to add in her with one other piggy, then that is not forming a group hierarchy, they’re only forming as a pair. You then add in another and they have to start all over again and try to form as a trio, add in another and they’re starting all over again as a quartet etc. it’s stressful for them and may even affect the bond between your original girls.

It’s either going to work with them all in the pen at the same time or, unfortunately, it won’t and the bonding will be a failure there and then.

If it starts causes squabbles between your four original piggies then you should stop the attempt

Can you tell us more about all the ages of the piggies and what has happened in the bonding so far?

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated Bonding Dynamics and Behaviours
 
Thank you, sorry it’s going to be a long one …
The four together are: 4,4,nearly 2, nearly 2 ( all rescued so an estimate) newbie is 3!


So my four were originally two pairs who I managed to bond over a year ago! It was tricky as I have one sow with a very big personality… but we got there in the end.

We took fifth piggie in as a favour of a friend a friend as her companions had both died about 6-12 months prior to her moving to us.

She’s been living alongside them for a month whilst I cleared her lice. She’s now lice free.

Two days ago I set up a neutral large space in our lounge and popped them all in! Let’s just say it was one giant mass of fur , lots of rumbling and tipping, fur was pulled out but no blood.

Removed the newbie after five mins as it wasn’t safe for anyone!

My two more dominant girls have been rumbling but have finally settled down.

Next day I attempted a 1:1 time with my quietest and most laid back girl… which they tolerated. But then added my next most laid back pig and it was carnage.

They seem fine next to each other ( they are in a c c cage ) so ca snifff and smell.

My gut is saying they aren’t going to bond…but not sure I want to give up hope!

Thank you
 
I’m sorry to say that’s a failure. You should not make another attempt.
Fur being pulled out is the sow equivalent of a boar fight, so I’m afraid it ended there and then at the first attempt. Sows don’t tend to have actual blood drawing fights.

As I say, acceptance and hierarchy forming starts at the top with the dominant sow and works down so even if she was accepted by the lowest ranking, sow it wasn’t really her opinion that was ever going to sway it.
Once sows are older (so by that I mean your four year olds in particular) they can be less tolerant of newcomers and change
 
This was my suspicion 😔😖

I had attempted to bond my elderly pig with on of the pairs two years ago and it was very similar. She passed away a few months after the arrived so wasn’t a major issue.

I’ve got the space to have them living by side by side, but not sure if I will need to get the newbie a friend.

Many thanks for all your advice! X
 
She will still get piggy companionship between the bars so she isn’t totally alone but given she is still pretty young, it might be better if she had a friend
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top