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Soft white flakey skin on ear

Raelynn

New Born Pup
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I’ve had my guineapigs for almost 2 months. Rex, my dominant piggie, rumblestruts around the pen, and Arlo, the submissive piggie, normally squeaks with discomfort but let’s Rex get what he wants.

I woke up a few days ago and Rex had a small scab on the edge of his ear. I thought Arlo might have been trying to get Rex to back off and nipped him.

The next day it appeared as though a new scab about the same size appeared next to the first, and now some white flakey skin was traveling up his ear. I figured they may have gotten into it again and I seperated them with an open barrier so they could still interact.

The following day, Rex’s ear looked much better and the boys were quite pleased to be reunited in the morning, normal rumbling from Rex but nothing abnormal or concerning. Nothing alarming has happened since.

Today, almost all of the scabbing on the edge of the ear is gone, but the white flakey patch appears to still be traveling up the outside portion of his ear. The inside of his ear looks unaffected, and the white skin is soft, not rough or crusty. I’m getting concerned since it not showing signs of an infection I’ve seen but I’m so unfamiliar!

Any advise on what to do or what this condition is? (Left to right, first day to present)EB5DC022-240D-4C60-9581-8ED65BA3756D.webp
 
Hi, it looks like a fungal infection but you should take your piggie to the vet to have this confirmed. Please do not try and treat this with over the counter meds as some types of fungal won’t react to them at all but make diagnosis harder (eg messing with the crime scene so to speak) and it is important to find out what type of infection it is.

It could be ringworm (a specific type of fungal infection) which is highly transmittable (including to humans) via spores but the good news is that with good prescribed meds and hygiene it can be gotten on top of.

Please take your piggy to the vet for diagnosis as soon as possible (because it will spread and can spread into everything - their bedding, your clothes, carpets, curtains etc the longer it is left) and if it is indeed a fungal infection then this guide may be helpful:

Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

I will again reiterate that this shouldn’t be treated with some anti fungal cream or shampoo from a pharmacy or the like but requires proper diagnosis and prescription meds.
 
Agree with the above advice. Looks like a fungal infection, please get it checked out at the vets, let us know how they get on
 
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