• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Think The Guineas Have Mites

Status
Not open for further replies.
Stayc1989

Stayc1989

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 13, 2015
Messages
967
Reaction score
1,329
Points
625
Location
Derbyshire UK
I think my piggies have mites they have what looks like eggs in their fur, like little black/brown things attached to the hairs. I've bathed them in gorgeous Guineas lice n easy shampoo. does shampoo kill the eggs or just the lice? And how do they get mites? I can't see anything moving in the fur and I also took them to the vets a couple of months ago as they were scratching but the vets did a tape test and said there was no lice or mites. I know for a fact this is a recent thing as I brush their hair once a week and properly look through it and they didn't have them last week and I know it's not from new piggy Freddie as he didn't have anything in his fur when I go him. I will book them in at the vets Monday but is there anything I can do for now? When I bathed them the "eggs" didn't come off the fur.
 
Stayc1989 said:
I think my piggies have mites they have what looks like eggs in their fur, like little black/brown things attached to the hairs. I've bathed them in gorgeous Guineas lice n easy shampoo. does shampoo kill the eggs or just the lice? And how do they get mites? I can't see anything moving in the fur and I also took them to the vets a couple of months ago as they were scratching but the vets did a tape test and said there was no lice or mites. I know for a fact this is a recent thing as I brush their hair once a week and properly look through it and they didn't have them last week and I know it's not from new piggy Freddie as he didn't have anything in his fur when I go him. I will book them in at the vets Monday but is there anything I can do for now? When I bathed them the "eggs" didn't come off the fur.
Click to expand...

What you are dealing with are fur or hay mites (in some places they are also called static lice). The mites themselves are near invisible; what you see is the egg cases, which are attached to the hairs at the bum end. Fur/hay (chirodiscoides) mites usually come with hay and are the least damaging of the skin parasites as opposed to invisible mange mites, which lay burrow their egg cases into the skin.

You can continue with the shampoo, but it may not do the job alone. Your vet is likely to give you some high dosed ivermectin to kill the mites. Please speak to your vet about using both. If you do, you will have to have a 48 hour gap between each topical treatment (be it shampoo or spot-on) for it work.

Guinea Lynx :: Fur Mites
 
Thank you so much @Wiebke :) that's exactly where they are, around the bum and back legs, thank you I will read through the thread now :)
 
Dindypig said:
Here are some links that might help you identify them.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?103540-Mange-mites!/page2
Hay mites or dandruff?
http://www.theguineapigforuhttp://w...-grey-specks-in-furm.co.uk/s...-specks-in-fur
Click to expand...

Thank you :) it's definitely the lice, so does the shampoo/ivermectin kill the eggs or just the lice? And how can I stop them getting it in the future? shall I change to a different hay? Sorry for all the questions it's just a bit of a shock that they can keep getting them from the hay.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top