Hi. New guinea pig owner here.
Is it possible my furry friend has lice? I was examining some specific spots of his hair and his rump where the skin is visible and I saw tiny clumps of white dots, almost like dandruff.
He is only over a month old, and has been showing odd behavior such as rarely interacting and staying inside his hidey hole.
Hi and welcome
Please have your little boy vet checked. It can be a fungal infection or skin parasites of any form. Unfortunately, we certainly cannot diagnose this online without seeing and handling your guinea pig (nor are we qualified to), but you can
do a lot more damage by treating wrongly on spec and with low-dosed broad spectrum pet shop products. You can reclaim the vet cost from your pet shop if you present the vet bill with your sales receipt if your vet can confirm that infection/exposure must have happened at the shop.
Recommended UK vets:
Guinea Pig Vet Locator
Recommended vets in some other countries:
Guinea Lynx :: GL's Vet List
Is he a single baby or do you have other guinea pigs? If he is alone, please be aware that guinea pigs are social prey animals and your little baby boy has just been separated from his family and is very lost in strange territory with what to him are predators; he simply doesn't feel safe.
Please be aware that mass-bred for sale shop and breeder piggies have had virtually no friendly human interaction. Guinea pigs are unfortunately not the natural living cuddly pets they are portrayed as; that is the result of a fairly long and patient process.
If possible, please get him a companion! Guinea pigs require round the clock company of their own kind. We humans hust can't do it. There is nothing better to make him happy than having a mate he can snuggle up with.
If you can get to one of our recommended rescues, you will be in safe hands and will only be rehoming perfectly healthy guinea pigs. Most of our recommended rescues offer dating with your guinea pig under expert supervision, so you come home with a mate of your baby's choice and you have got the rescue to fall back on if there is trouble with the bond at some point. But that has to wait until you have sorted your little boy's skin problem.
Companionship
Boars: A guide to successful companionship.
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
Lots more helpful information for new owners via this link here (including good standard rescue lists):
New Owners' " How To" Starter Kit
