Possible case of mites?

[Guinea Wiggies]

Hi Guys,

I noticed on sunday night that my guinea pig Tallulah had pulled fur off her belly and it looked a bit red, I have some johnsons tea tree cream and put that on for her. Last night I noticed it seemed a bit bigger and she seems to be more scratchy than normal.
So I bathed her in mites shampoo and sprayed her with some mites stuff.
Does this sound like mites? She lives with my other 3 babies but they are showing no signs but I sprayed them too just incase.
Other than more scrating her behaviour is normal and she certainly hasn't gone off food.

x

 

[fionam78]

This sounds like mites to me. Mine are currently going through the same and have been to the vets where they are getting a course of invomec by injection. If I was you then I would get them checked out by a vet.

 

[Guinea Wiggies]

Thanks. It is only a small area at the minute the size of a 10p and it hasn't got any worse today. I am going to keep an eye on her tonight and take her to the vets if it looks worse.
I have been reading on here, what difference would I see between mites and a fungal infection?

x

 

[helen105281]

Buzz has mites at the moment (the internal ones that flare up when out of sorts, not hay mites) and he is scratching and doesn't like his sides being touched. He has been treated with Ivomec. Probably best to get your piggy checked by the vet.

When Johnny and Buzz both had fungal they had a dandruff type stuff on their hair, but am sure someone more knowledgeable will come along.

 

[Guinea Wiggies]

After reading about it I am beginning to think that she might have a fungal infection. Her skin is a bit dandruffy and she is scratching quite a lot. Is is mostly round her legs, on her belly and back. What are the main symtoms of fungal?
I have bought some Nirozal (think that's how you spell it). Am I ok to bath my other 3 in this, they are showing no signs but just as a precaution?
I will be taking Tallulah to the vets tomorrow so hopefully should get it sorted.

x

 

[Wiebke]

Here are the links for mites and fungal. It is often not that easy to distinguish between them. If you are not absolutely sure what you are treating, please have them seen by a vet, as with the wrong treatment you can cause real misery.

Any mites treatment needs to contain a form of ivermectin to be effective (insecticidal shampoos won't work) and needs to be repeated at least twice or three times in 10-14 days intervalls.

http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html

 

[Sodapops]

Ive treated 2 of my boys in the past and am treating my new sow for a fungal infection and i never noticed any scratching with any of them.

Does the bald patch look like any of the images from the guinealynx website?

http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html

I would contact Laura at the Guinea Pig Helpline - she provided me with a great PDF info file for preventing/treating fungal infections:

http://www.guineapighelpline.com/

Obviously if there is scratching then you may need to pop him/them along to the vets for proper and effective mite treatment

good luck

 

[sharonS]

My guineas have had the same symptoms, slight dandruff and scratching; it turned out to be mites, so they had a three week course of ivermectin injections 7 days apart to treat them.

 

[Guinea Wiggies]

Her patches aren't any bigger but I have booked her in to see the vet tonight, I would rather get her seen to than have her suffering.

I will update when we have been to the vets.

x

 

[Guinea Wiggies]

Just a quick update...

The vet thinks that it is mites and has given her an injection for this. I asked about fungal and he said the symtoms look more like mites, I asked him to do a scraping anyway just to be sure but that will take 10days. Fingers crossed that the mites treatment will work.