Sorry. Couldn’t work out how to post a photo. At the vets now. Apparently not ringworm but could be mites and treatment prescribed. Thanks so much for replying so quickly
Do you have any advise about how to prevent recurrence?
Hi and welcome!
Here is our parasite information including your customer rights as to who has to pay for any vet treatment resulting from selling infected guinea pigs.
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites
You will have to apply three rounds of vet grade ivermectin to get on top of the mange mites.
After that it is mainly down to caring well for your piggies and a good diet. The best defence against skin parasites is a fully operational immune system, good health and a happy life. Normally the immune system is perfectly able to keep any parasites under control and to support in getting on top of them. Newly bought piggies are dealing with a not yet fully developed immune system when they are exposed to a stressful series of life changing situations and new environments, which makes them extremely vulnerable to whatever opportunistic bugs and germs are circulation at the breeder's or shop. Please keep in mind that there is usually a gap between contracting them and full outbreak.
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
Preventatively used ivermectin is only advised on vet recommendation in the case your piggy has got a known underlying health issue and an impacted immune system. Ivermectin cannot kill any encapsulated eggs burrowed in the skin but preventative dosages can unfortunately contribute to building up resistance to ivermectin.
It is much better to see a vet promptly and to hit the mange mites hard if or whenever they really make an appearance. If you do this promptly and correctly with good quality treatment, then they will never become more than a temporary nuisance at the worst and hopefully never make another appearance again at the best.
You may find our New Owners very useful information collection helpful as a bookmarked resource. The guide format allows us to keep our information updated and adapted at need, unlike a book. We are specifically addressing all the areas that new owners come up against in practical but precise detail, from the most common pitfalls to help with their care and keeping, as well as learning what is normal (and what not) to understanding your piggies' behaviour and how you can make friends with them (including a spot of 'piggy whispering') as well as spotting early signs of illness, when and how soon to see a vet and what to do in an emergency etc. Unlike so many books we are also not glossing over the sticky but crucial details that tend to throw a new owner!
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
Our full and even wider information collection can be accessed via the guides shortcut on the top bar but you are always welcome to open a thread in one of our Care sections. The most sensitive ones are specially monitored to make sure that hopefully no thread goes unanswered; we try to answer as soon as one of the monitors is coming on but please respect that we are all doing this for fee in our free time. We will still link in guides for further in-depth information or a more detailed step-by-step help.
Here is the direct link:
Guinea Pig Care & Information Guides
PS: Here is is a link on how you can post pictures in several ways. If you still struggle please contact admin via the help desk.
How To Post Photos
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forums/forum-technical-assistance.7/