I have just noticed these brownish coloured bits in my guinea pigs fur! Does anybody have any idea what they are? You can see them if you look closely! I can only see them on her fur by her nose and mouth at the minute 
-
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
What is this in my guinea pigs fur?
- Thread starter Jess1898
- Start date
Hi!
Please have your guinea pig vet checked for hay mites (chirodiscoides caviae); what you see are the egg cases fixed to the hairs; typically in the bum area but spreading to other parts of the body in an more advanced stage. the mites themselves are pretty much invisible.
Please do not home treat on spec with low dosed broad spectrum pet shop products. You vet cannot step in with a better quality treatment until anything of your has worn off. They are the most harmless of the guinea pig skin parasites but some strains can be persistent.
I would strongly recommend that you get rid of your hay (hay mites commonly come with imported hay that is harvested on an industrial scale).
Once seen by a vet and once any spot-on treatment has been absorbed after 48 hours, I would recommend that you give your piggy a short haircut in the affected areas. Even in short-hair piggies the hair will grow back in order to physically remove as many egg cases and future mites that you do not have to hope for that the medication has to be effective on. At the same time, deep clean the cage with a vet grade disinfectant.
You can find more information on hay mites in this link here: What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
For alternative hay resourcing, our hay guide may very helpful to you: A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)
All the best!
Thank you for your help! She has been to the vets with hay mites twice before and the treatment he gave (which has ivermectin in) is available to buy on the shelf in my nearest pet store! I will pop in tomorrow to get some to put on!
If hay mites are an ongoing problem, I would consider changing your hay brand and looking for hay from a UK supplier that is harvested in a gentler method that doesn't churn up the soil so badly. You can find recommended UK suppliers via our hay guide. We have seen a noticeable rise in hay mites in recent years with the introduction of branded hay from large international companies. Before that, they were usually just turning up in autumn in untreated cheap farm hay and were very easy to get rid of.
If you struggle to get rid of hay mites (some strains can unfortunately be persistent), please contact us again.