Pickle - bald sore patch on top of the neck

[Emmamarie123]

Hi guys Pickle my Rex Guinea pig has a mark behind his head. I am hoping it is not some sort of ringworm as he had it as a baby and it is not in the same place. His cage mate is completely clear.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi guys Pickle my Rex Guinea pig has a mark behind his head. I am hoping it is not some sort of ringworm as he had it as a baby and it is not in the same place. His cage mate is completely clear.

Hi! It is impossible for us to tell from your somewhat fuzzy picture exactly whether you are dealing with ringworm or mange mites, but they are both the main possibilities; both can appear in untypical locations, especially if it is not the first time. Secondary ringworm infections can be caused by spores still sitting in the coat or lurking in some corner; I've had that happen with piggies of mine. I've also had apair of sisters developing a sore area each in a similar spot three weeks apart; one turned out to be ringworm and the other mange mites - initially they very looking very similar.

Please take into account that the time between infection and outbreak is 10-14 days, so you need to treat both piggies, but you and the companion can only be infected yourself in the wake of the original outbreak from shed spores, so there is always a time lag. If it is ringworm, then you need to treat anypig and any human in direct contact with a ringworm piggy with a whole body anti-fungal bath to prevent an acute outbreak during that gap. Once you are dealing with an open ringworm spot, it has to run its due course and will get worse before it gets better.

Please see a vet for a proper hands-on diagnosis. Ringworm is most effectively treated with oral itrafungol (which is prescription-only) and skin parasites with good quality ivermection (NOT the low dosed pet shop stuff!) For ringworm please follow our hygiene tips; we have over the last decade found about all the various ways you can transmit spores and how to prevent each way. It is well worth doing it properly from the word go as it is by far the most transmittable problem you'll ever likely to deal with!
I managed to keep the outbreak to the one originally affected piggy (an adopted vet surrender due to an advanced wrongly treated case of ringworm, so no surprise there) in a room of 30 piggies, so I can personally vouch that our ringworm hygiene tips really work!

PS: Please help us and yourself by stating your health problem in the title; otherwise it is like to slip to the bottom of the pile.

What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness) (includes information on vital ringworm hygiene as well as skin parasites like mange mites, which can come up through stress).

 

[PigglePuggle]

Oh dear this looks awfully like ringworm... best get him straight to the vet! Hope he's ok.

 

[Emmamarie123]

Will book him in tomorrow. I have some hibiscrub in do you think I could use that for tonight?

 

[Emmamarie123]

Hi guys, Pickle seems to be recovering and hair is growing back just on hibiscrub for now but then I found his cage mate has a scab under his leg I feel like such a bad Mum as I check them weekly and never noticed it. Assuming it could be ringworm but not sure. Starting him on hibiscrub then vets on Monday. Feeling so bad

 

[Mother Hubbard]

Don't knock yourself, sometimes it's just flippin hard to keep on top of this stuff no matter how hard you try.
I'd recommend a full sweep of their environment and deal with it using F10.
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