Potential fungal infection on baby piggie

[Cenobite]

Good morning

I got three baby sister piggies four days ago. They’re settling into their new home well, however I have noticed this odd patch on top of one of the sisters heads. I’ve looked online and it seems it could be a fungal infection, but I’m not sure.

She’s not scratching, and it doesn’t seem to be bothering her, but I know guinea pigs hide ailments extremely well. I’ve uploaded two pictures which is the best I could take without stressing the piggie out.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

The best thing is to take them all to the vet for a diagnosis.

If this is ringworm then you need to get on top of it properly with vet treatment and proper disinfection of the cage and items from the beginning - ringworm is highly infectious to all animals and humans and can live in the environment for two years so hitting it hard is best! Don’t be tempted to add creams to the area - it is ineffective at treating it anyway but it will hide the evidence a vet needs to make a diagnosis

I’ve added our ringworm guide which fully explains how to deal with it, but please do get a vet appointment for them

I hope they are ok

Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures

 

[Cenobite]

Welcome to the forum

The best thing is to take them all to the vet for a diagnosis.

If this is ringworm then you need to get on top of it properly with vet treatment and proper disinfection of the cage and items from the beginning - ringworm is highly infectious to all animals and humans and can live in the environment for two years so hitting it hard is best! Don’t be tempted to add creams to the area - it is ineffective at treating it anyway but it will hide the evidence a vet needs to make a diagnosis

I’ve added our ringworm guide which fully explains how to deal with it, but please do get a vet appointment for them

I hope they are ok

Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures

Thank you for your reply. I shall quarantine them and get the one pictured to the vets asap.

 

[Wiebke]

Good morning

I got three baby sister piggies four days ago. They’re settling into their new home well, however I have noticed this odd patch on top of one of the sisters heads. I’ve looked online and it seems it could be a fungal infection, but I’m not sure.

She’s not scratching, and it doesn’t seem to be bothering her, but I know guinea pigs hide ailments extremely well. I’ve uploaded two pictures which is the best I could take without stressing the piggie out.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Hi and welcome

Could you please post a larger picture with the whole body in it so we can see whether it is just a normal crest on the top of the head with hair growing outwards and leaving the middle of the rosette looking bare or whether it could be indeed some fungal?

Right now, it doesn't look like a classic ringworm patch to me and more like the middle of a crest in a rexoid piggy but I can only guess without being able to put my guess into the proper perspective.

If you have any concerns please see a vet. If it is fungal/ringworm, it should develop quickly of the coming 1-3 days.

 

[Cenobite]

Hi and welcome

Could you please post a larger picture with the whole body in it so we can see whether it is just a normal crest on the top of the head with hair growing outwards and leaving the middle of the rosette looking bare or whether it could be indeed some fungal?

Right now, it doesn't look like a classic ringworm patch to me and more like the middle of a crest in a rexoid piggy but I can only guess without being able to put my guess into the proper perspective.

If you have any concerns please see a vet. If it is fungal/ringworm, it should develop quickly of the coming 1-3 days.

Good afternoon.

I’ve managed to get some better pictures of her. In the days we’ve had her (four days today) this patch on her head hasn’t gotten any noticeably worse, but after examining her more thoroughly today i definitely think more opinions are warranted for sure.

Thank you for your reply

 

[Cenobite]

Hi and welcome

Could you please post a larger picture with the whole body in it so we can see whether it is just a normal crest on the top of the head with hair growing outwards and leaving the middle of the rosette looking bare or whether it could be indeed some fungal?

Right now, it doesn't look like a classic ringworm patch to me and more like the middle of a crest in a rexoid piggy but I can only guess without being able to put my guess into the proper perspective.

If you have any concerns please see a vet. If it is fungal/ringworm, it should develop quickly of the coming 1-3 days.

Further to my last reply, I’ve managed to snap some more pictures of this patch on her head. I wore gloves just incase but after touching her head it is indeed quite dry, and the images show that it appears to be on her nose to towards her nostrils

 

[Wiebke]

Good afternoon.

I’ve managed to get some better pictures of her. In the days we’ve had her (four days today) this patch on her head hasn’t gotten any noticeably worse, but after examining her more thoroughly today i definitely think more opinions are warranted for sure.

Thank you for your reply

Thank you for the clearer pictures and a better look at the patch and its location. What a cute little fluff ball!

On consideration, the patch with the skin flakes looks somewhat fungally to me thanks to your newer pictures; if there is a crest/twirl on the top, it is located just behind it.
But it definitely doesn't show the typical ringworm exudate crusts or the characteristic pink/reddish ring (with white skin/hair) around the bald patch if you compare your patch with the ringworm pictures at the end of our ringworm guide link, so that it the worst concern off.

There are milder forms of fungal but we can only guess. I would recommend to see a vet for registering and an overall body check anyway; most especially if more bald areas appear. The time between infection and acute outbreak from fungal spores can be 10-14 days so what we cannot assure about that there could not be more of it in a different place.

Under UK regulations we cannot diagnose just from a picture and cannot recommend DIY home treatment on spec. What we can do is have a look and tell you if, when and how soon you should see a vet.

 

[Cenobite]

Thank you for the clearer pictures and a better look at the patch and its location. What a cute little fluff ball!

On consideration, the patch with the skin flakes looks somewhat fungally to me thanks to your newer pictures; if there is a crest/twirl on the top, it is located just behind it.
But it definitely doesn't show the typical ringworm exudate crusts or the characteristic pink/reddish ring (with white skin/hair) around the bald patch if you compare your patch with the ringworm pictures at the end of our ringworm guide link, so that it the worst concern off.

There are milder forms of fungal but we can only guess. I would recommend to see a vet for registering and an overall body check anyway; most especially if more bald areas appear. The time between infection and acute outbreak from fungal spores can be 10-14 days so what we cannot assure about that there could not be more of it in a different place.

Under UK regulations we cannot diagnose just from a picture and cannot recommend DIY home treatment on spec. What we can do is have a look and tell you if, when and how soon you should see a vet.

Thank you for your in depth reply.

I’ve managed to have a thorough look at my piggie and there is definitely no redness. It’s more like dandruff, or overgrooming. What I will say is this piggie likes her own space it seems as more often than not, she’s in her cosy or alone whilst my other two girls are always together. I’m not sure whether they’ve been fighting or not, so I cannot say for sure.

I think to be on the safe side I’ll take her to the vets to hopefully rule out anything more sinister, and she can then go about her daily business and continue to settle in her new happy home.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your in depth reply.

I’ve managed to have a thorough look at my piggie and there is definitely no redness. It’s more like dandruff, or overgrooming. What I will say is this piggie likes her own space it seems as more often than not, she’s in her cosy or alone whilst my other two girls are always together. I’m not sure whether they’ve been fighting or not, so I cannot say for sure.

I think to be on the safe side I’ll take her to the vets to hopefully rule out anything more sinister, and she can then go about her daily business and continue to settle in her new happy home.

Trios are always the most difficult constellation just get just right because they are the most prone to ending up with 2+1 outsider scenario of some sort or other. I have had some successful trios where the neutered husboar and his two wives have got on really well because the two sows were good friends and more rarely a sow trio or other that were working out but I have had more sow trios where two of them were a lot closer, and any attempts to add a husboar to a sow pair that had issues inevitably ended with him siding with one of the sows. Nor would the addition of a neutered boar or a fourth sows necessarily solve the issue with your trio because you cannot predict whether the new arrival would not rather be friends with one or both of the pair.

Boar trios (and in the case of boars quartets), especially same aged ones, have a very high fall-out rate once they hit teenage. Oldies who want to be with each other are a different story and so are disabled/carer companion trios or quartets.

It's just in the nature of these things. Piggies are socially a lot more complex than most new owners would expect.

 

[Cenobite]

Trios are always the most difficult constellation just get just right because they are the most prone to ending up with 2+1 outsider scenario of some sort or other. I have had some successful trios where the neutered husboar and his two wives have got on really well because the two sows were good friends and more rarely a sow trio or other that were working out but I have had more sow trios where two of them were a lot closer, and any attempts to add a husboar to a sow pair that had issues inevitably ended with him siding with one of the sows. Nor would the addition of a neutered boar or a fourth sows necessarily solve the issue with your trio because you cannot predict whether the new arrival would not rather be friends with one or both of the pair.

Boar trios (and in the case of boars quartets), especially same aged ones, have a very high fall-out rate once they hit teenage. Oldies who want to be with each other are a different story and so are disabled/carer companion trios or quartets.

It's just in the nature of these things. Piggies are socially a lot more complex than most new owners would expect.

Piggies are definitely more complex than meets the eye. As an update I’ve got her a vet’s appointment this afternoon at 17:10, so once that’s been sorted and I’ve got a direction we are headed in, I’ll report back with what the vets have said. My only concern is she’s still settling into her new home, and she’s still very timid but she’s eating and drinking normally which is reassuring, so I’m hoping this trip to the vets doesn’t stress her out too much.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It would be best to take them all - they will find comfort in each other.
Equally if it is a contagious fungal infection, they could all need treatment

 

[Wiebke]

Piggies are definitely more complex than meets the eye. As an update I’ve got her a vet’s appointment this afternoon at 17:10, so once that’s been sorted and I’ve got a direction we are headed in, I’ll report back with what the vets have said. My only concern is she’s still settling into her new home, and she’s still very timid but she’s eating and drinking normally which is reassuring, so I’m hoping this trip to the vets doesn’t stress her out too much.

Please take them all so for moral support (I call this 'paw-holding support'); it will also help them to get used to vet visits before it gets really serious.

Just give them a day or so and they will be back to normal again.

 

[Cenobite]

Please take them all so for moral support (I call this 'paw-holding support'); it will also help them to get used to vet visits before it gets really serious.

Just give them a day or so and they will be back to normal again.

Update from the vet visit. All three piggies were kindly checked by the vet even though he only charged us for one. The vet used a black light to try and illuminate potential fungal spores, and thankfully none were found, and he doesn’t think any of the piggies are currently infected with ringworm.

However he did point out how common it is for baby piggies to get this, and he did recommend a fungal cream as a preemptive strike and to apply twice daily to the bald patch for a couple of weeks just incase. He said all the piggies are healthy and happy, and I absolutely did the right thing taking them to the vets, especially the one (Betty) with the bald patch on her head.

Thank you all for the advice. Much appreciated.

 

[Wiebke]

Update from the vet visit. All three piggies were kindly checked by the vet even though he only charged us for one. The vet used a black light to try and illuminate potential fungal spores, and thankfully none were found, and he doesn’t think any of the piggies are currently infected with ringworm.

However he did point out how common it is for baby piggies to get this, and he did recommend a fungal cream as a preemptive strike and to apply twice daily to the bald patch for a couple of weeks just incase. He said all the piggies are healthy and happy, and I absolutely did the right thing taking them to the vets, especially the one (Betty) with the bald patch on her head.

Thank you all for the advice. Much appreciated.

Good!

The uv light test is not fail-safe but it was good to have a hands-on examination as this is very much a drawback for us on the forum. The fungal cream should work for any mild fungal, which is what suspect, as well.

We also offer a second opinion sexing service for new piggies if you would like to make sure.
Sexing Corner