Overview
1 What is ringworm and how is it treated?
- Ringworm facts
- Available treatments (UK-US-worldwide available products)
- Your customer rights with new guinea pigs
2 Ringworm hygiene during and at the end of treatment
- When to quarantine
- Recommended disinfectants (UK-US-worldwide available brands)
- Disinfection (plastic/hard surfaces, fabrics, wood/toys)
3 Ringworm hygiene/prevention and treatment in humans and other pet species
- Handling ringworm piggies and human hygiene/prevention
- Ringworm/tinea in humans (incl. children/babies) and other pets (with information links)
4 Ringworm progress pictures and post-treatment measures
- Pictures illustrating the onset and the typical progress of a ringworm infection
- Post-treatment bath and quarantine
5 Further information links
Ringworm/tinea is one of the very few things that can cross over from guinea pigs to other species. It is a fungal skin complaint that can affect other mammalian pets like dogs, cats, rabbits, small furries and humans; it can also affect reptilian pets.
Of all the transmittable problems between pets and humans, ringworm is the most common.
If you suspect ringworm or have got a diagnosis from the vet that you are dealing with tinea/ringworm, you have to make absolutely sure that it doesn’t spread. Your hygiene at home is every bit as important as any fungal treatment itself!
Please do not home treat or treat on spec, but seek vet advice unless you know exactly what you are doing. Mange mites and ringworm can often look very similar in the initial stages, especially if they are appearing in atypical locations. The wrong treatment for the wrong complaint can make things a lot worse instead of better!
More information on common new guinea pig problems: What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
1 What is ringworm and how is it treated?
Ringworm facts
Ringworm is the most aggressive and transmittable form of a fungal skin infection. It is most common in young pet shop or breeder guinea pigs or in guinea pigs rehomed privately or from shelters and rescues with no medical care and quarantine. It can also be transmitted from you and other species pets to your guinea pigs.
Any animal or human affected with ringworm is shedding lots of spores that can happily survive in the tiniest of cracks. The spores can stay active for around 18 months or even over 2 years.
The incubation period is about 10-14 days between infection and outbreak.
The human form of ringworm is called tinea. It does also affect babies and children; children often get it worst. It is not painful but very itchy and highly infectious.
Ringworm has characteristically a painfully itchy reddish ring on the outside of a developing bald, often roughly round patch, hence the name; this will not be visible on piggies with darker skin, but you may notice that the rim of the bald patch is often scratched bloody. Ringworm can look like a scratch or bite that is scabbing over at first. Ringworm often affects the head and ear area, but it can also appear in other areas like the sides, belly or the genital area if ringworm spores are picked up from the cage floor during sleeping, scent marking or humping.
Ringworm is an easily transmitted opportunistic health issue. It often affects highly stressed animals with a lowered, not yet fully developed or overloaded immune system, like shop piggies or newly rehomed piggies, which is one of the reasons why we recommend to quarantine any newly arrived piggies that haven’t undergone a mandatory quarantine at a good rescue. It can also hit a guinea pig that is struggling with underlying health issues or that is recovering from an illness/major operation as well as hit pregnant and nursing sows and their babies hard.
Ringworm can also appear out of the blue without any obvious course or source. It can be carried into the house by other pets.
Available treatments
Oral treatment
It is by far the most effective and least stressful treatment for your piggies with the least risk of infection for yourself but may not work in all cases or be available from/prescribed by all vets.
Oral systemic fungal treatment with itrafungol(UK)/sporonox(US) (active ingredient: itraconazole) or ketaconazole (US) is now more widely prescribed by exotics vets and general vets with access to an exotic consultant vet.
It has the advantage that it gets to all places of the body, especially in very sensitive areas like eyes, ears and mouth and it can also be used to treat for candida infections. It is prescription-only in the UK and not cheap but well worth it, especially when you have a number of guinea pigs or are dealing with frail or very skittish piggies.
What oral treatment cannot reach are shed or picked up spores that sit loosely in the fur coat, which is why it is necessary to bathe all guinea pigs on oral treatment and their companions twice in combination with a deep clean: once at the start of treatment and once at the end of it to prevent the risk of reinfections.
If you have it already at home, nizoral or other generic anti-dandruff (i.e. antifungal) shampoos can be safely used for those two baths to prevent any further outbreaks in ringworm piggies and their companions. It is rather harsh on the skin but one or two uses are fine and will do the trick. It is also cheaper than any other medicated anti-fungal shampoos.
Topical (i.e. on the skin) dips and shampoos in order of effectiveness
- imaverol/enilconazole dip is in our own experience the most effective and the mildest when it comes to sensitive areas and skin, as well as very young guinea pigs.
Please ask your vet for it if they won't/can't prescribe oral treatment. A dip needs to dry on the skin and should not be rinsed off for full effectiveness. Follow the advice on the bottle.
There are other dips and shampoo products that can also do the job, but they can be harsh on the skin and can cause an eye to swell painfully for a while if applied right next to it or they may have been overtaken by more effective new products.
Medicated topical products prescribed by a general UK vet may also include:
- malaseb (still very useful for fungal/bacterial/microbial skin infections, especially when the nature is not clear. It does work for ringworm)
- surolan (is still prescribed by vets but we would rather not recommend it because it contains a steroid; it is in our own experience not as effective as imaverol)
Recommended ONLY if you not have access to any decent vet care at all as it very harsh on the skin for a full course of treatment.
- nizoral or any generic human dandruff shampoos (over the counter 1%, prescription only: 2% - the efficiency of the shampoo depends on the concentration). Bathe every third day for at least three times. If crusts are still forming and hair loss continues please treat for longer at this interval.
Nizoral/human dandruff shampoo can be safely used for guinea pigs on oral treament if you have it at home for yourself.
Fungal skin/athletes foot creams as the only treatment - NOT RECOMMENDED
Please NEVER cream on spec before you have seen a vet for a diagnosis!
Creaming does not reach the whole affected area in a ringworm outbreak, which is always much wider than visible. It does not prevent spores from spreading and infecting other parts of the body and transmitting the infection further.
A thick layer of cream can also be problematic, especially in warm weather.
We strongly recommend to not use creaming for ringworm treatment. It is now a very outdated way of treating from a time when knowledge and available safe options for guinea pigs were extremely limited.
Topical fungal treatment, especially in warm weather or in tropical areas, may not be enough.There are other, less aggressive and transmittable fungal skin diseases.
A mild fungal infection (like a fungal nose strip or a mild fungal ear spot) are often treated by your vet with a cream; they are much less infectious and do come with a high risk of reinfection so creaming is efficient in these cases. Please always apply a very thin layer only.
Information on bathing and further ringworm links
- Our illustrated safe bathing guide: Bathing (including cleaning grease glands)
- More information on ringworm and fungal medications can be found here: Guinea Lynx :: Fungus
Your customer rights with new guinea pigs
Ringworm is typically a problem in newly bought guinea pigs. Exposure to spores or acute ringworm usually happens at the pet shop or breeder although the outbreak at home may happen only days into your ownership due to the 10-14 days gap between infection and acute outbreak. Spores sitting loosely in the coat of an unaffected piggy can fall onto the bedding, from where they are picked up and cause an infection even a bit later.
Any vet fees relating to a diagnosed outbreak of ringworm can be reclaimed by presenting the sales receipt together with the vet bill as part of your customer right for having in effect been sold damaged ware
- if your guinea pig is seen by a vet within 2-3 weeks of purchase in the UK
- within a month in the USA and Canada
Please do not let yourself be fobbed off by staff and insist on seeing the manager in the meantime. Do not let yourself being bullied into re-selling your guinea pig to the shop during treatment - it means that you lose your customer rights; this is very much malpractice by the shop. Your stance re. reimbursement is a lot weaker if you buy from a for sale breeder and even more so if you buy online. You can report any seller to their local council over trading standards, though.
More information on common New Owner problems and pitfalls in this link here: New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites
1 What is ringworm and how is it treated?
- Ringworm facts
- Available treatments (UK-US-worldwide available products)
- Your customer rights with new guinea pigs
2 Ringworm hygiene during and at the end of treatment
- When to quarantine
- Recommended disinfectants (UK-US-worldwide available brands)
- Disinfection (plastic/hard surfaces, fabrics, wood/toys)
3 Ringworm hygiene/prevention and treatment in humans and other pet species
- Handling ringworm piggies and human hygiene/prevention
- Ringworm/tinea in humans (incl. children/babies) and other pets (with information links)
4 Ringworm progress pictures and post-treatment measures
- Pictures illustrating the onset and the typical progress of a ringworm infection
- Post-treatment bath and quarantine
5 Further information links
Ringworm/tinea is one of the very few things that can cross over from guinea pigs to other species. It is a fungal skin complaint that can affect other mammalian pets like dogs, cats, rabbits, small furries and humans; it can also affect reptilian pets.
Of all the transmittable problems between pets and humans, ringworm is the most common.
If you suspect ringworm or have got a diagnosis from the vet that you are dealing with tinea/ringworm, you have to make absolutely sure that it doesn’t spread. Your hygiene at home is every bit as important as any fungal treatment itself!
Please do not home treat or treat on spec, but seek vet advice unless you know exactly what you are doing. Mange mites and ringworm can often look very similar in the initial stages, especially if they are appearing in atypical locations. The wrong treatment for the wrong complaint can make things a lot worse instead of better!
More information on common new guinea pig problems: What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
1 What is ringworm and how is it treated?
Ringworm facts
Ringworm is the most aggressive and transmittable form of a fungal skin infection. It is most common in young pet shop or breeder guinea pigs or in guinea pigs rehomed privately or from shelters and rescues with no medical care and quarantine. It can also be transmitted from you and other species pets to your guinea pigs.
Any animal or human affected with ringworm is shedding lots of spores that can happily survive in the tiniest of cracks. The spores can stay active for around 18 months or even over 2 years.
The incubation period is about 10-14 days between infection and outbreak.
The human form of ringworm is called tinea. It does also affect babies and children; children often get it worst. It is not painful but very itchy and highly infectious.
Ringworm has characteristically a painfully itchy reddish ring on the outside of a developing bald, often roughly round patch, hence the name; this will not be visible on piggies with darker skin, but you may notice that the rim of the bald patch is often scratched bloody. Ringworm can look like a scratch or bite that is scabbing over at first. Ringworm often affects the head and ear area, but it can also appear in other areas like the sides, belly or the genital area if ringworm spores are picked up from the cage floor during sleeping, scent marking or humping.
Ringworm is an easily transmitted opportunistic health issue. It often affects highly stressed animals with a lowered, not yet fully developed or overloaded immune system, like shop piggies or newly rehomed piggies, which is one of the reasons why we recommend to quarantine any newly arrived piggies that haven’t undergone a mandatory quarantine at a good rescue. It can also hit a guinea pig that is struggling with underlying health issues or that is recovering from an illness/major operation as well as hit pregnant and nursing sows and their babies hard.
Ringworm can also appear out of the blue without any obvious course or source. It can be carried into the house by other pets.
Available treatments
Oral treatment
It is by far the most effective and least stressful treatment for your piggies with the least risk of infection for yourself but may not work in all cases or be available from/prescribed by all vets.
Oral systemic fungal treatment with itrafungol(UK)/sporonox(US) (active ingredient: itraconazole) or ketaconazole (US) is now more widely prescribed by exotics vets and general vets with access to an exotic consultant vet.
It has the advantage that it gets to all places of the body, especially in very sensitive areas like eyes, ears and mouth and it can also be used to treat for candida infections. It is prescription-only in the UK and not cheap but well worth it, especially when you have a number of guinea pigs or are dealing with frail or very skittish piggies.
What oral treatment cannot reach are shed or picked up spores that sit loosely in the fur coat, which is why it is necessary to bathe all guinea pigs on oral treatment and their companions twice in combination with a deep clean: once at the start of treatment and once at the end of it to prevent the risk of reinfections.
If you have it already at home, nizoral or other generic anti-dandruff (i.e. antifungal) shampoos can be safely used for those two baths to prevent any further outbreaks in ringworm piggies and their companions. It is rather harsh on the skin but one or two uses are fine and will do the trick. It is also cheaper than any other medicated anti-fungal shampoos.
Topical (i.e. on the skin) dips and shampoos in order of effectiveness
- imaverol/enilconazole dip is in our own experience the most effective and the mildest when it comes to sensitive areas and skin, as well as very young guinea pigs.
Please ask your vet for it if they won't/can't prescribe oral treatment. A dip needs to dry on the skin and should not be rinsed off for full effectiveness. Follow the advice on the bottle.
There are other dips and shampoo products that can also do the job, but they can be harsh on the skin and can cause an eye to swell painfully for a while if applied right next to it or they may have been overtaken by more effective new products.
Medicated topical products prescribed by a general UK vet may also include:
- malaseb (still very useful for fungal/bacterial/microbial skin infections, especially when the nature is not clear. It does work for ringworm)
- surolan (is still prescribed by vets but we would rather not recommend it because it contains a steroid; it is in our own experience not as effective as imaverol)
Recommended ONLY if you not have access to any decent vet care at all as it very harsh on the skin for a full course of treatment.
- nizoral or any generic human dandruff shampoos (over the counter 1%, prescription only: 2% - the efficiency of the shampoo depends on the concentration). Bathe every third day for at least three times. If crusts are still forming and hair loss continues please treat for longer at this interval.
Nizoral/human dandruff shampoo can be safely used for guinea pigs on oral treament if you have it at home for yourself.
Fungal skin/athletes foot creams as the only treatment - NOT RECOMMENDED
Please NEVER cream on spec before you have seen a vet for a diagnosis!
Creaming does not reach the whole affected area in a ringworm outbreak, which is always much wider than visible. It does not prevent spores from spreading and infecting other parts of the body and transmitting the infection further.
A thick layer of cream can also be problematic, especially in warm weather.
We strongly recommend to not use creaming for ringworm treatment. It is now a very outdated way of treating from a time when knowledge and available safe options for guinea pigs were extremely limited.
Topical fungal treatment, especially in warm weather or in tropical areas, may not be enough.There are other, less aggressive and transmittable fungal skin diseases.
A mild fungal infection (like a fungal nose strip or a mild fungal ear spot) are often treated by your vet with a cream; they are much less infectious and do come with a high risk of reinfection so creaming is efficient in these cases. Please always apply a very thin layer only.
Information on bathing and further ringworm links
- Our illustrated safe bathing guide: Bathing (including cleaning grease glands)
- More information on ringworm and fungal medications can be found here: Guinea Lynx :: Fungus
Your customer rights with new guinea pigs
Ringworm is typically a problem in newly bought guinea pigs. Exposure to spores or acute ringworm usually happens at the pet shop or breeder although the outbreak at home may happen only days into your ownership due to the 10-14 days gap between infection and acute outbreak. Spores sitting loosely in the coat of an unaffected piggy can fall onto the bedding, from where they are picked up and cause an infection even a bit later.
Any vet fees relating to a diagnosed outbreak of ringworm can be reclaimed by presenting the sales receipt together with the vet bill as part of your customer right for having in effect been sold damaged ware
- if your guinea pig is seen by a vet within 2-3 weeks of purchase in the UK
- within a month in the USA and Canada
Please do not let yourself be fobbed off by staff and insist on seeing the manager in the meantime. Do not let yourself being bullied into re-selling your guinea pig to the shop during treatment - it means that you lose your customer rights; this is very much malpractice by the shop. Your stance re. reimbursement is a lot weaker if you buy from a for sale breeder and even more so if you buy online. You can report any seller to their local council over trading standards, though.
More information on common New Owner problems and pitfalls in this link here: New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites