Black dot on guinea pigs fur

[Deleted member 147427]

I have noticed a black dot on salsa one of my guinea pigs fur. She dosent have any signs of fur loss or bald patches . Could this be lice or mites . What would u guys class as excessive scratching

 

[Siikibam]

It’s difficult to have a guess really. If you’re worried then there’s no harm having it checked out.

Piggies do scratch themselves. I’m not sure what would be counted as excessive. Perhaps scratching every day quite repeatedly for a long time? You need to compare to what is their ‘normal’.

Did you have them vet checked when you got them?

 

[Deleted member 147427]

No the one of the staff just did a Health check . She does scratch everyday but only for a few mins . But can scratching not be classed as grooming also

 

[Siikibam]

Grooming and scratching are kind of different. I think they get itches like us and other animals.

There’s no harm getting them checked out if you think they’re scratching more than normal.

 

[Deleted member 147427]

Grooming and scratching are kind of different. I think they get itches like us and other animals.

There’s no harm getting them checked out if you think they’re scratching more than normal.

That’s the thing is really difficult to tell If they are scratching a lot more

 

[Wiebke]

That’s the thing is really difficult to tell If they are scratching a lot more

Could you take a picture of the black spot? It is on the fur (in which case it could be something caked to it?) or is it on the skin? What size is it and where on the body is it?

Skin parasites you can mostly not see (both variety of mites) and lice are pale crawling things. A fungal skin infection would usually cause a distinctive crust on the bare skin.

 

[Deleted member 146752]

A picture would definitely help, but from what I can hear it could be hay mites. There’s no harm in getting them checked out! I honestly can’t say though without a photo.