Bald patch around grease gland

[MnJ]

Any ideas what this might be? It is not hurting him when i touch it. The skin is kinda rough/dry,but no wound. It is not visible unless you part the fur which is why i didn't notice it earlier. I notice it because I was looking for signs of fly strike. I killed a shiny fly in the house and spotted one fly get in the piggy room around 3am. Idk if it is from the dangerous kind but I keep checking them often and cleaned the cages.
I will go to the vet for the bald spot. It can't be a fly strike right, he can't loose that much fur so quickly?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m not seeing signs of concern or irritation to the skin. Are you sure it isn’t just normal for him and you’re only seeing it because your deliberately parted the hair.

No it isn’t fly strike. That is when flies lay eggs in their skin and maggots then eat the flesh. It’s unmistakable

 

[MnJ]

I’m not seeing signs of concern or irritation to the skin. Are you sure it isn’t just normal for him and you’re only seeing it because your deliberately parted the hair.

No it isn’t fly strike. That is when flies lay eggs in their skin and maggots then eat the flesh. It’s unmistakable

I don't know if it is normal for him,since I have never noticed it before. I parted the fur all over his back area to check his skin and seeing his skin was hard, because he had a lot of fur, but not in that area. I didn't pull hard though and used the torch to see better. If you don't part the hair and he just sits normality, the bald patch is not visible.

 

[MnJ]

Are those bottle flies? I think they are.Apologies for the gross image, but I keep finding those around the house. Any advice how to get rid of them and protect the piggies? I don't open windows, only doors when I get out/in. I don't know how they get inside.

 

[Truffolo]

You can smooth come coconut oil on his grease gland if the skin is not broken or sore and this should soften any good there. I put permethrin insecticide (specifically for guinea pigs) onto a comb and comb my piggies with it, especially at the back end. A fan could keep the flies away, if it doesn't create too much of a draught. Fly screens can be quite cheap, or fly paper. Also cleaning soiled bedding and old poop away once or twice a day is good.

 

[MnJ]

You can smooth come coconut oil on his grease gland if the skin is not broken or sore and this should soften any good there. I put permethrin insecticide (specifically for guinea pigs) onto a comb and comb my piggies with it, especially at the back end. A fan could keep the flies away, if it doesn't create too much of a draught. Fly screens can be quite cheap, or fly paper. Also cleaning soiled bedding and old poop away once or twice a day is good.

Thanks for the advice. I spot clean their cage daily, clean the hay tray every 2-3 days and deep clean weekly. I managed to kill the fly that was in their room and it was one of those shiny ones. I checked them again and didn't see anything unusual.
What insecticide are you using exactly? Will that help them if the fly laid eggs. I haven't slept all night and I am still wide awake. I never thought that one day I would be that scared from a fly nevertheless. I can't have them go through that horrible thing, that's why I was extra cautious -not opening doors and windows, cleaning frequently. And the stupid flies still managed to get in .

I'll definitely try the coconut oil. Do I just give him a bum bath after that to clean it of or is the coconut oil supposed to stay there. He doesn't have any nasties in the area, his skin is just black/dark brown there. It is not even greasy, his skin is more dry/rough.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Insecticides aren’t actually needed (you don’t want to spray anythinf around your piggies anyway). I’ve never used any flystrike prevention sprays in 35+ years of small animal keeping and my animals live outside. You are much better off to concentrate on cleanliness and checking their back ends regularly. Fly screens are a good idea against windows and doors. You want some ventilation so it’s not good to never open them.

If fly strike was to occur then it is an immediate emergency vet trip. No sprays are going to solve it - they need immediate vet care to try to save their life.

If his skin and hair isn’t greasy then you don’t need coconut oil or bum baths.
The area on the picture doesn’t look of concern to me.

 

[MnJ]

Since I haven't seen any eggs, red or white spots or wounds, does that mean that they are in the clear? I will still keep checking them. If not how long until I can relax a bit.

I am going straight to the vet if I see or sense something weird. Their carriers are already prepared.

I don't think that the spray can fix advanced stages, but maybe used as an extra measure, since I can't see anything wrong with them so I don't think the vet will appreciate me bringing them just because a fly was near them, but I feel uneasy doing nothing. I won't put anything on them though.Idk it's been a stressful night and my anxiety is through the roof. I am happy though that the bald patch is not concerning.

Thank you for your advice everyone I appreciate it a lot. In times like this the forum is godsend

 

[Piggies&buns]

There is no need to get yourself stressed about this. A fly being in the room doesn’t mean fly strike. The eggs are laid in the flesh which can create a red spot (you won’t see an egg itself) but the maggots then hatch out of the flesh. If they had it, you would be in no doubt about it whatsoever.

Young and healthy piggies who are keeping themselves clean are at low risk of flystrike. Keep their cage clean and check them once or twice a day during summer.
It’s the old, frail piggies who are unable to clean themselves who are most at risk and need checking twice or more times a day.

A spray can’t fix anything and it also isn’t needed as an extra measure. Please don’t spray or apply anything directly to your piggies.
Just keep their cage clean, check their back ends, use fly paper and screens in your house. That really is all you need to do.

Fly Strike

 

[Truffolo]

The spray is Johnson's Insecticidal Spray which I bought from Pets at Home. It does mention being useful against fly strike. It is not very environmentally friendly though. It can be used on bedding and my vet said it is fine to use in this way. It is wise to keep flies away from your pets as they can lay eggs in the bedding and the larvae can be picked up from there. Indeed, I once lay down and squashed under my head and got a maggot in my ear , but that was in a really hot, tropical country. Fly paper is probably the most effective thing along with screens.

 

[Piggies&buns]

This previous thread may be of reassurance to you about the low likelihood of fly strike in well kept piggies, and on the use of fly sprays @MnJ,

Advice on using fly strike spray.

 

[MnJ]

Thanks. The fact that a member with 7 years of vet experience had only 2 piggies with fly strike and both survived is amazing. I didn't know that the eggs can't be seen. I saw images where they were attached, but maybe it was something different. I just skimmed through the images because I couldn't stomach them, but I still wanted to know what to look out for. I couldn't eat the whole day.It is a very unpleasant subject to educate yourself on, but it is for the boys. I did a lot of things for them, that I could never imagine myself doing before, but what can you do when they look at you with those innocent faces.

The boys are still fine, so I am less anxious now. Unfortunately no fly screens in town, so I am going out of town. I don't want to wait for delivery.

Is there a way to miss the little demons? I check thoroughly, but their tummies are harder to check, because they wiggle so much and generally don't like being touched there. Mylo gives me a warning lunge/nibble when he is done with me or doesn't want me to touch him somewhere. Jasper, bless his little heart, licks me when he has had enough . But both of them are actually very good boys when I check their backs. They stay still, as if they know it is for their own good. Even I was surprised with their patience.

The cleaning regime is also updated. I decided to deep clean every other day and clean their hay tray every day since they pee and poo in there a lot and change their bath matts every day.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks. The fact that a member with 7 years of vet experience had only 2 piggies with fly strike and both survived is amazing. I didn't know that the eggs can't be seen. I saw images where they were attached, but maybe it was something different. I just skimmed through the images because I couldn't stomach them, but I still wanted to know what to look out for. I couldn't eat the whole day.It is a very unpleasant subject to educate yourself on, but it is for the boys. I did a lot of things for them, that I could never imagine myself doing before, but what can you do when they look at you with those innocent faces.

The boys are still fine, so I am less anxious now. Unfortunately no fly screens in town, so I am going out of town. I don't want to wait for delivery.

Is there a way to miss the little demons? I check thoroughly, but their tummies are harder to check, because they wiggle so much and generally don't like being touched there. Mylo gives me a warning lunge/nibble when he is done with me or doesn't want me to touch him somewhere. Jasper, bless his little heart, licks me when he has had enough . But both of them are actually very good boys when I check their backs. They stay still, as if they know it is for their own good. Even I was surprised with their patience.

The cleaning regime is also updated. I decided to deep clean every other day and clean their hay tray every day since they pee and poo in there a lot and change their bath matts every day.

You just check their bottoms. Pick them up and have a look. Flies will go for their poop so it’s the genital/bottom area you need to check most

Please dont go overboard with the cleaning - making sure poop is picked up and wet bits removed is enough.
If you deep clean boars too frequently you actually risk disrupting their territories as you are removing too much scent all in one go. That can cause an increase in dominance and risk their bond. This is why we don’t recommend full cage cleans with boars and instead do half a cage at a time

 

[MnJ]

You just check their bottoms. Pick them up and have a look. Flies will go for their poop so it’s the genital/bottom area you need to check most

Please dont go overboard with the cleaning - making sure poop is picked up and wet bits removed is enough.
If you deep clean boars too frequently you actually risk disrupting their territories as you are removing too much scent all in one go. That can cause an increase in dominance and risk their bond. This is why we don’t recommend full cage cleans with boars and instead do half a cage at a time

Do you still remecommend cleaning
half the cage if they are not bonded? They live side by side.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Do you still remecommend cleaning
half the cage if they are not bonded? They live side by side.

Ah, In that case it doesn’t matter and you can clean the whole cage as they don’t have anyone to fall out with

 

[MnJ]

Today I noticed a little red dot on Jasper's bald patch. Does it look like the fly strike red dots? It might be dried blood too. Also his skin is flaky. Does this look like an emergency? My stupid car is at the mechanic so I really don't know what I am going to do

 

[Wiebke]

Are those bottle flies? I think they are.Apologies for the gross image, but I keep finding those around the house. Any advice how to get rid of them and protect the piggies? I don't open windows, only doors when I get out/in. I don't know how they get inside.

Hi

They could be blue bottle flies.
Fly Strike

You can try fly strips or an electric fly swatter. As long as your piggies have tidy bums and no open sores they are not at risk but I would check regularly.

 

[Truffolo]

Give him a bath in any shampoo and buy some small animal safe permethrin based insecticide. Change all the bedding and spray some permethrin under the bedding. Close the windows during the hot hours. Keep cleaning away pee and poop. If you have two bonded boars, leave some old bedding behind to keep the familiar scent markings present. Keep inspecting his bottom and trim away any soiled or matted hair. The advice here is excellent!