Ringworm question :(

[TinaY]

Hi! I found this forum due to its fantastic ringworm information (THANK YOU!). I recently purchased 2 Guinea Pigs in Dubai and guess what, on day 2 I noticed something on one of the piggie's ear and I took them to the vet. Ringworm confirmed. I got a spray, a cream and a shampoo. I started the treatment a week ago. Because it was not getting much better, I went back to the vet after 3 days and asked him for the oral medicine (as I read on this forum that it works best).

At that point both piggies already had infections. Today is their 4th day on the oral medication and it is the first day that I am really noticing some improvement (and a bit less scratching). I read that you have to wait 2 more weeks after acute phase is over before you can pet them (I have a 7 year old that is patiently waiting for a week now, but really begging to pet them asap). How will I know that acute phase is really over? Is it after their first week of the oral medication?

Thank you for the help!

On the picture are my two lovely boars, you cannot really see their patches of ringworm here, they are hiding them in between their long hair and on the ears. I am hoping we can properly bond with them soon (not just hunt them down to medicate them) and give them some proper play time on the grass outside.

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
I hope you will continue to find the forum helpful, have some fun here too.
Your boys are gorgeous and I am so sorry about the ringworm.

I’m not a health expert but I would say that guinea pigs only need a tablespoon of pellets per day. 80% of the diet should be hay.

I hope we will see lots more pictures of those gorgeous boys

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! I found this forum due to its fantastic ringworm information (THANK YOU!). I recently purchased 2 Guinea Pigs in Dubai and guess what, on day 2 I noticed something on one of the piggie's ear and I took them to the vet. Ringworm confirmed. I got a spray, a cream and a shampoo. I started the treatment a week ago. Because it was not getting much better, I went back to the vet after 3 days and asked him for the oral medicine (as I read on this forum that it works best).

At that point both piggies already had infections. Today is their 4th day on the oral medication and it is the first day that I am really noticing some improvement (and a bit less scratching). I read that you have to wait 2 more weeks after acute phase is over before you can pet them (I have a 7 year old that is patiently waiting for a week now, but really begging to pet them asap). How will I know that acute phase is really over? Is it after their first week of the oral medication?

Thank you for the help!

On the picture are my two lovely boars, you cannot really see their patches of ringworm here, they are hiding them in between their long hair and on the ears. I am hoping we can properly bond with them soon (not just hunt them down to medicate them) and give them some proper play time on the grass outside.

View attachment 169307

Hi and welcome

What little cuties! They look both like abyruvians (a cross between an abyssinian a shorthair guinea pig with lots of rosettes on their body and a distinctive triangular face and a peruvian with forward growing long hair and a broader face).

I currently have got one too, my Tegeirian (Welsh name meaning 'Orchid'); the second picture a more recent one after a haircut


Tegeirians companion Carys (Welsh for love) is a peruvian


So glad that my ringworm guide has been able to help you! I've been frustrated myself at the lack of practical care information and especially the crucial hygiene - and at having to spend hours reeling it all down all the time, which took up too much of my time with my own piggies.

The acute phase is over once there are no new fungal white crusts are forming on the infected areas and the areas stop expanding. With oral fungal, this usually happens within a week unless there are other underlying health issues that impact majorly on the immune system.
It is all explained in the last chapter of the ringworm guide where I try to show with pictures how a course runs.

PS: You may also find our New Owners and our Emergency and General lllness Care guide collections helpful and interesting; the new owners's one has amongst many other things a whole chapter on settling in and making friends with your new piggies - including a little course in piggy whispering as well as guides that help you learn what is normal and what not and understand guinea pig behaviour.
All these links are worth bookmarking, browsing, reading and re-reading at need. We are trying to do our best to be as step-by-step, practical and precise as possible so you have them always handy whenever you need information quickly.
Wannabe and New Owners Information and Resources
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Non-emergency vet visits, contagion and illness care support

You are of course always welcome to ask any questions you have at any time in one of our Care sections. We are a friendly place with a lively community where you can feel confident of asking even the silly little things and not just the big ones. We haven't forgotten that we have all started out knowing nothing about guinea pigs!
We do have a chat section for talking about our piggies and posting pictures. Our Piggy Chat has a big collection of piggy memes for whenever you need a guaranteed quick laugh as a quick pick me up aid measure.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m so glad the forum already helped you. We also have sections on fun piggy/non-piggy stuff so do feel free to have a browse.

I just wanted to pick up in something mentioned above. As said, they only need a tablespoon each per day. And it should be plain pellets. The ones in the bowl aren’t plain because of the different colours in there.

I hope you can get them something plain. Have a read of the feeding guide and hunt down the pellet guide as well.

Your boys are We would love to see more of them of course. You can start a thread for them.

PS make sure they have a big enough cage - minimum 150x60cm. Boys can be more territorial and given they may still be young, lack of space can contribute to a problematic bond

 

[TinaY]

Welcome to the forum.
I hope you will continue to find the forum helpful, have some fun here too.
Your boys are gorgeous and I am so sorry about the ringworm.

I’m not a health expert but I would say that guinea pigs only need a tablespoon of pellets per day. 80% of the diet should be hay.

I hope we will see lots more pictures of those gorgeous boys

Thank you for telling me this, I just got them and obviously got the wrong advice from the store. Which brand of pellets would you recommend? I give them hay, but wondering how much of fresh vegetables should I give them daily? Thank you!

 

[TinaY]

Hi and welcome

What little cuties! They look both like abyruvians (a cross between an abyssinian a shorthair guinea pig with lots of rosettes on their body and a distinctive triangular face and a peruvian with forward growing long hair and a broader face).

I currently have got one too, my Tegeirian (Welsh name meaning 'Orchid'); the second picture a more recent one after a haircut
View attachment 169320 View attachment 169321

Tegeirians companion Carys (Welsh for love) is a peruvian
View attachment 169334 View attachment 169335

So glad that my ringworm guide has been able to help you! I've been frustrated myself at the lack of practical care information and especially the crucial hygiene - and at having to spend hours reeling it all down all the time, which took up too much of my time with my own piggies.

The acute phase is over once there are no new fungal white crusts are forming on the infected areas and the areas stop expanding. With oral fungal, this usually happens within a week unless there are other underlying health issues that impact majorly on the immune system.
It is all explained in the last chapter of the ringworm guide where I try to show with pictures how a course runs.

PS: You may also find our New Owners and our Emergency and General lllness Care guide collections helpful and interesting; the new owners's one has amongst many other things a whole chapter on settling in and making friends with your new piggies - including a little course in piggy whispering as well as guides that help you learn what is normal and what not and understand guinea pig behaviour.
All these links are worth bookmarking, browsing, reading and re-reading at need. We are trying to do our best to be as step-by-step, practical and precise as possible so you have them always handy whenever you need information quickly.
Wannabe and New Owners Information and Resources
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
Non-emergency vet visits, contagion and illness care support

You are of course always welcome to ask any questions you have at any time in one of our Care sections. We are a friendly place with a lively community where you can feel confident of asking even the silly little things and not just the big ones. We haven't forgotten that we have all started out knowing nothing about guinea pigs!
We do have a chat section for talking about our piggies and posting pictures. Our Piggy Chat has a big collection of piggy memes for whenever you need a guaranteed quick laugh as a quick pick me up aid measure.

Oh, they are so cute! Mine were named by my 7 year old daughter and are called Buckets and Donuts. I had one when I was little so I wanted her to have that special experience and the memories.

Your ringworm guide was the ONLY resource on the internet that actually gave concrete advice♥. Thanks to your advice we are treating my piggies in correctly, the vet was reluctant to give oral medication at first. But the ringworm kept spreading and of course the second piggy got it in no time. I just hope we didn't get it since we were petting them for one day before I released something is off. We were trying to give them space and not touch them so much and then it is harder to notice how bad it was in reality.

I would still be using vinegar thinking we are safe, thanks for being really specific!

Thanks for the useful links, I will check them out!

And thank you for such a warm welcome!

 

[TinaY]

I’m so glad the forum already helped you. We also have sections on fun piggy/non-piggy stuff so do feel free to have a browse.

I just wanted to pick up in something mentioned above. As said, they only need a tablespoon each per day. And it should be plain pellets. The ones in the bowl aren’t plain because of the different colours in there.

I hope you can get them something plain. Have a read of the feeding guide and hunt down the pellet guide as well.

Your boys are We would love to see more of them of course. You can start a thread for them.

PS make sure they have a big enough cage - minimum 150x60cm. Boys can be more territorial and given they may still be young, lack of space can contribute to a problematic bond

That was completely new to me about the pellets, great that you guys noticed! Do you have a favorite brand of pellets for your piggies that you would recommend?

YES, you are spot on with the cage, It is WAY too small. I bought the biggest one they had where I live, now waiting for a proper C&C cage to arrive by mail. They definitely show dominance behavior and get on each other's nerves sometimes because of the lack of space. This is something that stresses me out since I also bought an outdoor cage to give them lots of time outside, but now since they are sick, they told me to wait with it to not contaminate the garden. They definitely did not have the best introduction into the family, we really waned to give them time before we picked them up, now I am hunting them down to give them medicine and they are stuck in a mini cage. I hope they will forgive me later .

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you for telling me this, I just got them and obviously got the wrong advice from the store. Which brand of pellets would you recommend? I give them hay, but wondering how much of fresh vegetables should I give them daily? Thank you!

Pellets should be kept limited to just one tablespoon per pig per day, they are the least healthy and least important part of the diet. They can have one cup of veg per day. Veg and pellets are more like snacks in their diet. Pellets should make up just 5% of their daily food intake, veg 15%. Hay is the most important part of their diet, needs to be constantly available and in large quantities. Hay is 80% of their daily food intake.
You look to have a plain pellet (so they all are the same, no coloured bits), which is grass based, low calcium and ideally doesn’t contain grains or alfalfa/Lucerne.

The guides below will help you

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Nugget Comparison Chart
Pellets Or Muesli / Dry Mix?

 

[TinaY]

Pellets should be kept limited to just one tablespoon per pig per day, they are the least healthy and least important part of the diet. They can have one cup of veg per day. Veg and pellets are more like snacks in their diet. Pellets should make up just 5% of their daily food intake, veg 15%. Hay is the most important part of their diet, needs to be constantly available and in large quantities. Hay is 80% of their daily food intake.
You look to have a plain pellet (so they all are the same, no coloured bits), which is grass based, low calcium and ideally doesn’t contain grains or alfalfa/Lucerne.

The guides below will help you

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Nugget Comparison Chart
Pellets Or Muesli / Dry Mix?

Thank you so much!

 

[Siikibam]

They will take two weeks to settle into their hierarchy. So what you’re seeing isn’t annoying each other but rather sorting themselves and their positions out.

When you move them into their new cage, use soiled bedding so there isn’t as much...drama over the ‘new space’. Do you know how old they are?

 

[TinaY]

They will take two weeks to settle into their hierarchy. So what you’re seeing isn’t annoying each other but rather sorting themselves and their positions out.

When you move them into their new cage, use soiled bedding so there isn’t as much...drama over the ‘new space’. Do you know how old they are?

They told me they are 3 months old, but honestly one looks way bigger than the other so I doubt they were telling the truth. The funny part is that the smaller one Donuts seems to be the boss in the cage, outside the cage he is the shy one. When there is a new noise he always runs to Buckets (the bigger one) and hides behind him. There is obvious rivalry, butt shaking and low growling noises from the smaller one, he was quite "mean" to Buckets at first (this is their 10th day together) - he was making him move rapidly out of his way and seemed like a little bully, but they still sleep very close to each other and there is no major drama in sharing the food. The bigger one Buckets now seems to be establishing some boundaries and won't take all demands, he says "no" sometimes (nips, but does not bite) and the other one accepts it. He is clearly still the submissive one. I am hoping this will go over soon.

I noticed that adding hiding spots worked well and the bossy behavior went down a bit after they seemed to be a bit less stressed out about us too. Anything else I should expect/be careful about?

 

[Siikibam]

That behaviour isn’t bullying. It’s how they sort out who’s top pig and who’s underpig. And being top pig isn’t about size.
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

 

[TinaY]

That behaviour isn’t bullying. It’s how they sort out who’s top pig and who’s underpig. And being top pig isn’t about size.
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

I figured that it is a part of the normal process after I started googling, I had females when I was little and it never went this far . It was funny since the older/bigger one seems a lot more confident around everything else, except the little one.

 

[Siikibam]

To contrast, I also have a pair of sows. The smaller girl is the dominant one. The underpig sprays pee Recently she had a strong season and was mounting and humping top sow! And top sow was accepting of this...behaviour
None of mine have ever cuddled together but I didn't expect it either. My boys are 3.5 years old and have mellowed. There isn't as much rumble strutting as before, and even the underpig rumbles. Funnily enough, when it comes to food the top pig is scared. Fudge (underpig) knows to steal food from him so soon as I hand them their veg, Toffee (top pig) whines if Fudge is anywhere near - even if he's eating his own. Makes me laugh!

 

[TinaY]

this is too funny. It’s very interesting how they decide who is the top pig. Being brave obviously is not a part of the criteria .

 

[Wiebke]

Oh, they are so cute! Mine were named by my 7 year old daughter and are called Buckets and Donuts. I had one when I was little so I wanted her to have that special experience and the memories.

Your ringworm guide was the ONLY resource on the internet that actually gave concrete advice♥. Thanks to your advice we are treating my piggies in correctly, the vet was reluctant to give oral medication at first. But the ringworm kept spreading and of course the second piggy got it in no time. I just hope we didn't get it since we were petting them for one day before I released something is off. We were trying to give them space and not touch them so much and then it is harder to notice how bad it was in reality.

I would still be using vinegar thinking we are safe, thanks for being really specific!

Thanks for the useful links, I will check them out!

And thank you for such a warm welcome!

You can only catch ringworm from an acute patch shedding spores. There is a gap of about 10-14 days. If you can step in with treatment during that gap with any companions, they will never come down with it. Half the battle is knowing how ringworm works and how to cut off any transmission routes - but then we have plenty of practical experience on here.

If your children have caught it, please see a gp; they may need an antibiotic as children tend to get ringworm worse.

Just take your time to read through the general guides and ask any questions you have re. care. Pet shops all over the world still get away with selling too many small cages. Please follow the tips for cage moves in the Boar Guide, chapter 3 (do and don'ts) in order to prevent more dominance discussions. The bonding phase takes about 2 weeks on average until a group is fully establishes, not just a few hours but the group needs to be reestablished in any new territory; our tips help you to avoid the new cage being treated as a new territory.
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

 

[TinaY]

Thank you so much for this. My daughter seems to have it now, found a circular rash on her leg last night. What an experience . You have no idea how much you are helping newbies like us to navigate this.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry! You have to be extremely strict with hygiene. Have a read of the guide below. I hope you can get your daughter sorted soon.
Tips For Post-operative Care

 

[TinaY]

I think this is from the petting when we first got them about 10 days ago. She wasn't allowed to touch them since then and we have been disinfecting EVERYTHING. I am cleaning their cage with F10 every second day and washing their fleece on high temperature. So yeah, this is the price for not being informed ahead I guess. On the positive side, the piggies are finally better after day 5 on oral medication. Now I am treating my daughter .

 

[Hath]

Ringworm is the most annoying thing your piggie can have! Surprisingly expensive to treat, highly contagious and can leave spores for months to come...

How do you clean them out? Do you have different clothes and footwear when you're in room with them? I prefer to switch to cardboard boxes and newspapers with hay when I foster ringworm pigs. That way I know nothing is left behind.

Good luck and hope your daughter gets well soon!

 

[Merab]

Sorry about your daughter, hope she recovers soon.
I think your question have been answered.
I feed mine Science Selective Grain free pellets which they like and I buy my hay on subscription from HayBox.
I order 15kg every 6 weeks, a mix of meadow hay and first cut hay.

Pet shops are notorious for selling stuff to make a profit rather than for a piggy’s real welfare.

 

[TinaY]

I am currently having them in a temporary cage made out of plastic and metal. So I just soak everything with F10 liquid detergent. I clean also their pellet dish and water bottle and I wash all fleece on 95 (yes, it shrunk, but better that than having more ringworm). After I clean the cage I let it sit on the sun for 30min to really dry it out in case I miss any spots after wiping it. I removed any toys and left only fleece cover where they hide that is washable.

When I am handing them, I have gloves, I cover myself with a towel and then I change my T shirt and wash the towel, I wash my hands with F10 and I desinfect the area I use for handling them. I thought I cannot get more careful than that.

I am planning to give them a second shower after 7 days on oral medicine - tomorrow or the day after, depending on how many scales will they have left.

They are currently not roaming free so I thought it was impossible to spread it. But here we are. I hope this is my daughter's only spot.

Oh, yes, this is a terrible disease. Thanks for the sympathy!

 

[TinaY]

Sorry about your daughter, hope she recovers soon.
I think your question have been answered.
I feed mine Science Selective Grain free pellets which they like and I buy my hay on subscription from HayBox.
I order 15kg every 6 weeks, a mix of meadow hay and first cut hay.

Pet shops are notorious for selling stuff to make a profit rather than for a piggy’s real welfare.

Thanks, yes, I got some good advice already, but this is also valuable. Yes, pet stores are just terrible. I tried adopting but could not find anyone at that time. After I bought them, two people reached out. Now I just feel sorry for the rest of the piggies left there that are probably infected but will never get the proper treatment because they will not want to loose profit paying for the medicine.

I got really upset with the store and they just told me that I chose the wrong animal and it is my fault... That they can "replace" them with new . I mean, I did not buy a table...

 

[TinaY]

Just want to give some update. My piggies are better, but the acute phase is still not over. Seems like we need a few more days and yesterday was day 7 of oral medicine. I did not get a dip recommended from the veterinarian, but I am using anti fungal cream and shampoo that he gave me. My daughter is on day 3, one rash, hopefully it stays that way, cream applied twice a day. The new thing is that the piggies seem to have fleas too so I am back to my vet hopefully tomorrow or first appointment available, latest Wednesday.

They do no seem to have that dip you guys are talking about in Dubai. Is there anything similar, would Lime Sulfur dip work or is it too much? I am hoping there is anything out there that can address fleas and the ringworm at the same time. Any other flea advice? Will the fleas spread outside the cage even if we are quarantining the piggies due to ringworm?

What a journey (for them and for us). Thankful for all the guidance here, I do not know how would I navigate this otherwise.

Oh, and if anyone is interested in ringworm progression pictures, I have some and happy to share!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Just want to give some update. My piggies are better, but the acute phase is still not over. Seems like we need a few more days and yesterday was day 7 of oral medicine. I did not get a dip recommended from the veterinarian, but I am using anti fungal cream and shampoo that he gave me. My daughter is on day 3, one rash, hopefully it stays that way, cream applied twice a day. The new thing is that the piggies seem to have fleas too so I am back to my vet hopefully tomorrow or first appointment available, latest Wednesday.

They do no seem to have that dip you guys are talking about in Dubai. Is there anything similar, would Lime Sulfur dip work or is it too much? I am hoping there is anything out there that can address fleas and the ringworm at the same time. Any other flea advice? Will the fleas spread outside the cage even if we are quarantining the piggies due to ringworm?

What a journey (for them and for us). Thankful for all the guidance here, I do not know how would I navigate this otherwise.

Oh, and if anyone is interested in ringworm progression pictures, I have some and happy to share!

What makes you think they have fleas?
Guinea pigs do not have a species specific flea, and therefore do not get flea problems. Please don’t use anything meant for fleas on a guinea pig as they can be harmful

Your piggies may be scratching due to the ringworm.
If they have mites, then they are so small the human eye cannot see them.
Lice are small pale, crawling creatures and can be seen. They require a specific treatment (not flea treatment).
You will need to see a vet for a diagnosis if you are thinking they have a parasite as well as the ringworm

 

[TinaY]

The vet mentioned it at the last checkup that he suspects fleas but he was not sure. I keep getting this flea residue on the piggies (black dots on the fur) despite showering them once a week due to ringworm. I have seen a few dead insects (very small so hard to say how exactly they looked, but were clearly insects) in the bathtub afterwards. And yes, they scratch very much still. I tried looking through their fur, but it is very long and thick and I cannot see much.

I am going back to the vet and of course I won't give them anything before checking if it is OK. I am suspecting they were just unintentional hosts as they probably kept them with other animals in the shop. I hope someone with experience can give me a few tips until I see the vet so we don't get a house full of fleas.

 

[Piggies&buns]

The vet mentioned it at the last checkup that he suspects fleas but he was not sure. I keep getting this flea residue on the piggies (black dots on the fur) despite showering them once a week due to ringworm. I have seen a few dead insects (very small so hard to say how exactly they looked, but were clearly insects) in the bathtub afterwards. And yes, they scratch very much still. I tried looking through their fur, but it is very long and thick and I cannot see much.

I am going back to the vet and of course I won't give them anything before checking if it is OK. I am suspecting they were just unintentional hosts as they probably kept them with other animals in the shop. I hope someone with experience can give me a few tips until I see the vet so we don't get a house full of fleas.

Guinea pigs dont have a species specific flea so if they have come from other animals, they generally don’t stick around for long.
Seeing black dots on their fur is likely hay mite egg casings.
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

 

[TinaY]

Guinea pigs dont have a species specific flea so if they have come from other animals, they generally don’t stick around for long.
Seeing black dots on their fur is likely hay mite egg casings.
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

Oh, that is very good to know. What do you suggest then? Seems like you know more than my vet and that worries me .

 

[Piggies&buns]

Oh, that is very good to know. What do you suggest then? Seems like you know more than my vet and that worries me .

Only a vet can give a diagnosis with a hands on examination. The guide I linked in my previous reply explains piggy parasites

 

[TinaY]

Only a vet can give a diagnosis with a hands on examination. The guide I linked in my previous reply explains piggy parasites

I took a look, thanks. Seems like we are covering at least 2 things in the first 2 weeks of welcoming them to our home.