Bit worried about these

[avagrace]

My Guinea pig has a bald patch with a little scab in it. Just wondering if there’s anything to be concerned about (could be mites?) I have also seen them I all itching quite frequently but don’t know if it’s just because of new environment and bedding. (2 previously lived outside and have moved into my room, one with bald patch I adopted around 2 weeks ago)
Another one of my guinea pigs has a bit of a lump on her side, just in front of her right back leg. Could be gas but I’m also worried it’s a cyst. It’s not firm, sort of squishy and she’s not in pain when I touch it. Am I just paranoid or do I need it take them to the vets?

 

[Merab]

All I can offer is support, but with any concern it’s worth a visit to the vet.

 

[Wiebke]

My Guinea pig has a bald patch with a little scab in it. Just wondering if there’s anything to be concerned about (could be mites?) I have also seen them I all itching quite frequently but don’t know if it’s just because of new environment and bedding. (2 previously lived outside and have moved into my room, one with bald patch I adopted around 2 weeks ago)
Another one of my guinea pigs has a bit of a lump on her side, just in front of her right back leg. Could be gas but I’m also worried it’s a cyst. It’s not firm, sort of squishy and she’s not in pain when I touch it. Am I just paranoid or do I need it take them to the vets?

Hi and welcome

I would recommend to have your piggies vet checked. Any bald patches in new piggies could be either ringworm or mange mites but whichever it is - it's best tackled promptly and properly because you need in any case treat all piggies in contact with the originally infected one. Fungal and parasites need different treatment but doing it on the cheap on spec can quickly come back to haunt you with a much more expensive and stressful campaign.

Any lumps should be assessed by a vet in a hands-on examination. There is quite a range of them from the harmless to the less so. Gas/bloat doesn't cause lumps. Some piggies can get more lumpy than others, especially as they age. Knowing what you are dealing with helps with ease of mind and getting it taken care of if it needs to early on will make things easier on both of you.

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

All the best.

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Good luck at the vets.

 

[avagrace]

I searched through the fur of a different pig and saw something moving, looked up what mites look on Google and turns out she has them. Will be buying some treatment later today and putting it on all of them. Hopefully they will stop itching as much and the pig with a bald patch will grow his hair back.

 

[piggl]

Please get your pigs checked out properly by a vet. What sort of ‘treatment’ were you looking at?

Trying to solve these issues with store bought items is often more dangerous than helpful. You need a hands on assessment from a vet to diagnose the issue and then they will prescribe a treatment at the correct dose and strength.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I searched through the fur of a different pig and saw something moving, looked up what mites look on Google and turns out she has them. Will be buying some treatment later today and putting it on all of them. Hopefully they will stop itching as much and the pig with a bald patch will grow his hair back.

Mites are not visible to the human eye.
The only piggy parasite which is visible are lice - these are pale crawling creatures.

Please do not buy a treatment off the shelf and do not attempt to home treat them on spec. Any product you can buy off the shelf are too low dosed (pet shops can’t sell the correct strength products) so will not cure the issue. A pet shop product may temporarily suppress it but you are likely to find they come back thus costing you more as you’ll be treating all over again and delaying getting the correct product from the vet. Using low dose products risks leading to resistance and making treating them much harder even with the correct products.
You also don’t know for sure that it is a piggy specific parasite - it might just have been something in his hair non-parasitic. Should the bald patches be caused by a fungal infection then a parasite spot on will not solve it - hence the importance of seeing a vet for the correct diagnosis and never treating on spec.

You need to see a vet to get a correct diagnosis and to have the correct treatment prescribed.
Should it be parasites then the correct treatment needs to be dosed and prescribed by weight of each piggy and as part of a course of treatment (it’s not just one treatment to cure piggy parasites - it’s three separate treatments over the course of six weeks).
Fungal is treated with a different product.
You also need to take appropriate hygiene measures.

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights