Hay mites

[louiserolorocky]

Hi guys i currently have 2 guinea pigs. I'm a new owner and after bathing them i saw all little tiny bugs in the bathing bowl i bought i have since treated them with a spray, but has anyone got any advice on how to deal with them or keep them at bay or anything really?
Thanks

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. When I first got my piggies the stress of moving home cause a mite outbreak. It’s easily treatable. I’d get them a check out with the vets. It’s best not to use shop bought products as they are not strong enough. Good luck.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum

Please have your piggies checked by a vet for diagnosis and to be prescribed the correct treatment. Don’t be tempted to use any pet shop products as they don’t tend to be strong enough to deal with a parasite issue, plus you don’t have a diagnosis.
Mitea themselves are not visible but the eggs can be. Hay mite eggs stick to the hair shaft usually around the back end.

Do note that guinea pigs do not need and should not be routinely bathed. It isn’t good for their skin.
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

 

[louiserolorocky]

I cant get to any vets, i dont have the resources to get there or money to pay.
It was a recommended spray from a pet shop with outstanding reviews so I'm hoping it works.
Just any advice on anythin to do with guinea pigs will help
Thanks

 

[Siikibam]

Unfortunately we cannot advise you to do anything except to take them to a vet for a check. They are not cheap as they are made out to be. We also cannot support home treatment because should anything go wrong, this is where it would come back to. None of us are vets.

Is it possible for you to borrow the money from a friend or family member? Or speak to the vet and see if they would allow you to pay in instalments. When (and where) did you get them and did you double check that they’re the same sex?

A pet shop is going to recommend its product - it wants to make money. Pet shop products are not full strength (hence being able to sell them off the shelf).

The other thing is that you don’t know what is wrong. There could be issues later on with resistance if you are (repeatedly) using something that’s not the correct strength.

Please try and get them given a general once over by the vet. And also start a vet fund. That’s what most people on here do - set something aside regularly in case said piggies have to be seen/treated.

Below is the list of recommended vets. Perhaps contact them and see if they will allow instalments. There’s also PDSA where you can get low cost/free vet fees depending on whether you are in receipt of some benefits.

I hope you can get them sorted.

PS may I ask why you were bathing them?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I cant get to any vets, i dont have the resources to get there or money to pay.
It was a recommended spray from a pet shop with outstanding reviews so I'm hoping it works.
Just any advice on anythin to do with guinea pigs will help
Thanks

You need to be aware that a spray from the pet shop is not likely to work or at best it may suppress but not necessarily cure meaning the mites come back and running the risk of resistance. Pet shops are not allowed to sell the correct strength products. It will cost you more in the long run trying to deal with it with ineffective pet shop treatments.

The correct treatment for mites is a course of three separate treatments over the space of six weeks to catch all life cycles of mites (without treatment being given at the right time, further eggs will be laid and the issue will jusr continue). The correct treatment needs to be dosed according to their weights.
It can also need to be done in conjunction with other steps including cage disinfection and potentially changing hay source. Hay mites are annoying but are easily treated if done properly from the beginning.

It is obviously important to have the money to pay for vet fees whenever they are needed. Piggies are not cheap pets to keep with some issues running into hundreds and hundreds of pounds. Mites are one of the cheaper issues to deal with.
Do set up a vet fund so you can cover any eventuality including the potential to need to see an emergency/out of hours vet which come with higher charges.

New Owners' Essential Information and Practical Tips Starter Collection