Dry skin!?

[Rolo&Roxy]

Hello All,

Seems to be an ongoing post of mine lol!

I adopted Rolo and Roxy Dec 2020, they did not like to be held for a while so I gave them there space, once they gained my trust around the end of Jan I noticed Roxy had dry skin on her rump, I toon her straight to the vet and was told it was nothing....I then went to see another vet who gave xeno 450,after two rounds of treatment she was still biting and itching I noticed the dry skin getting worse! I decided to give a 3rd xeno treatment in hope it would do the trick, she has since still been itching! There are no bald patches what so ever,I found one little red scab once that had come away from her fur, sometimes hair has fallen out with the skin attached, I took her to a vet again as I did not want her suffering, he done a look under a microscope and said he could not find anything,She has since had a gorgeous guinea lice shampoo wash just incase it was lice or hay mites but after two washes is still itching!? Could it be dry skin she has? I am really getting upset as I can’t seem to come down to the bottom of it and was wondering if anyone has experienced this? I have also tried coconut oil, this helped a little!

 

[Wiebke]

Hello All,

Seems to be an ongoing post of mine lol!

I adopted Rolo and Roxy Dec 2020, they did not like to be held for a while so I gave them there space, once they gained my trust around the end of Jan I noticed Roxy had dry skin on her rump, I toon her straight to the vet and was told it was nothing....I then went to see another vet who gave xeno 450,after two rounds of treatment she was still biting and itching I noticed the dry skin getting worse! I decided to give a 3rd xeno treatment in hope it would do the trick, she has since still been itching! There are no bald patches what so ever,I found one little red scab once that had come away from her fur, sometimes hair has fallen out with the skin attached, I took her to a vet again as I did not want her suffering, he done a look under a microscope and said he could not find anything,She has since had a gorgeous guinea lice shampoo wash just incase it was lice or hay mites but after two washes is still itching!? Could it be dry skin she has? I am really getting upset as I can’t seem to come down to the bottom of it and was wondering if anyone has experienced this? I have also tried coconut oil, this helped a little!

Hi and welcome

What breed is Roxy and are they indoors or outdoors piggies?
Are you using any of these potential irritants? Irritants to Avoid Around Guinea Pigs

 

[Rolo&Roxy]

Hi and welcome

What breed is Roxy and are they indoors or outdoors piggies?
Are you using any of these potential irritants? Irritants to Avoid Around Guinea Pigs

Thank you so much for your response! Roxy is an American guinea pig she is also an indoor piggy just seen the link, we have candles in the hallway but not any of those that where in the link are in the room the pigs are in

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for your response! Roxy is an American guinea pig she is also an indoor piggy just seen the link, we have candles in the hallway but not any of those that where in the link are in the room the pigs are in

Have you got indoors heating? Some piggies can be more sensitive to dry air. See whether a bowl of steaming water can bring some relief. If yes, you may think about getting a more permanent devise to keep the air moister during the winter months.

 

[Rolo&Roxy]

Have you got indoors heating? Some piggies can be more sensitive to dry air. See whether a bowl of steaming water can bring some relief. If yes, you may think about getting a more permanent devise to keep the air moister during the winter months.

Oh perfect! Yes we have the heating on 24/7 would this be something that could cause her to itch then? I will give what you said a go if nothing changes I will travel to a more exotic experienced vet! Thank uou again

 

[Wiebke]

Oh perfect! Yes we have the heating on 24/7 would this be something that could cause her to itch then? I will give what you said a go if nothing changes I will travel to a more exotic experienced vet! Thank uou again

If Roxy is not showing any signs of skin parasites but is reacting with more itching to any skin treatment, then it is worth looking at environmental factors - dry air, perfumes, perfumed skin products etc. Unfortunately, it is quite a wide area that you have to work through by trial and error. Moister air is the easiest to try and can really make a difference for some piggies with sensitivities; especially as she is not a teddy, who can come with breed related skin issues (hence my breed question).