Guinea Pigs Have Lice?

[chappy]

I noticed today that my 2 male guinea pigs seem to be very irritable and itching themselves much more than usual. When I tried to pick them up they chittered angrily and did not want to be picked up. After I wrangled one, I looked at his fur an noticed there were moving parasites on his back side.

I plan to take them to the vet tomorrow for treatment. I used fleece liners as their bedding and their cage is an average midwestern C&C cage. I have a wooden bridge/tunnel in their cage that I would ideally like to clean and reuse after they are treated, as well as a few salt licks.

Once they get treatment from the vet, what would be the best way to clean their cage, fleece and accessories in order to prevent the parasites from coming back?

 

[HeatherW]

If those are hay mites, then I believe you can wash everything as usual. My vet told me that guineas probably always carry "bugs" to some degree, but they only tend to cause issues in times of stress. Symptoms usually start to appear a couple of weeks after the stressful event, like going to someone else's house while you're on holiday.

 

[Lady Kelly]

It does look like lice. I would get some F10 cleaner. I have soaked wooden items in hot water/F10 solution previously for an hour and then let it dry thoroughly before using again

 

[Mother Hubbard]

I love F10 great stuff.
I wouldn’t bother with the salt licks they don’t need them.

 

[Hank288]

Just a word of warning about the salt licks. These are actually dangerous for guinea pigs and should not be used. A couple of deaths have been reported due to dehydration. It would be better if you just got rid of these.