Itching - mites?

[violet and ruby]

Hi! I hope you guys are having or had a good day. I need some help with two of my guinea pigs. They are really itchy and I have been inspecting them. I searched their fur for lice or mites but didn’t find anything. Even searched them with a lice comb! Their fur looks completely healthy and shiny! I washed them a month ago and gave them ivermectin at the same time. It seems like they don’t have ringworm and their not losing hair. Also no irregular skin. There aren’t many good exotic vets around here so I hope you can help me! Thank you!

 

[georgie.gabel]

Hi! I’m sure you already know, but it is normal for piggies to scratch a little bit as part of their grooming routine. However, a cause for excessive itching could be dusty hay irritating their skin?

 

[violet and ruby]

Hi! I’m sure you already know, but it is normal for piggies to scratch a little bit as part of their grooming routine. However, a cause for excessive itching could be dusty hay irritating their skin?

Thank you but I have considered that. Considering I have two other guinea pigs using the same hay, I don’t think that that is the cause.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Excessive scratching can be a sign of a parasite or skin condition. Mites are so small that you can’t see them with the naked eye. You can only see evidence of them such as the excessive scratching, egg casings of hay mites. You can see lice (pale crawling creatures)
You will need to have your piggies seen by a vet to diagnose and prescribe the correct treatment.
Please do not use low dosed ivermectin products. A parasite treatment needs to be given as part of a prescription strength course. A one off treatment wont do anything to stop a problem as 1) off the she.f products aren’t strong enough and 2) a course with several doses with the correct gap in between each dose is needed to do with the full lifecycle of mites, including disinfecting the cage and any hard furnishings . You should also not treat routinely as a preventative as it can allow resistance to form making treatment harder.

New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

 

[violet and ruby]

Excessive scratching can be a sign of a parasite or skin condition. Mites are so small that you can’t see them with the naked eye. You can only see evidence of them such as the excessive scratching, egg casings of hay mites. You can see lice (pale crawling creatures)
You will need to have your piggies seen by a vet to diagnose and prescribe the correct treatment.
Please do not use low dosed ivermectin products. A parasite treatment needs to be given as part of a prescription strength course. A one off treatment wont do anything to stop a problem as 1) off the she.f products aren’t strong enough and 2) a course with several doses with the correct gap in between each dose is needed to do with the full lifecycle of mites, including disinfecting the cage and any hard furnishings . You should also not treat routinely as a preventative as it can allow resistance to form making treatment harder.

New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

I would bring mine to a vet but there aren’t many here and the one at went to had quite bad service and I couldn’t see how clean or how they handled my guinea pigs. That place mainly focused on dogs and cats.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Guinea lynx is your best bet for finding a guinea pig vet Veterinarians: Illinois - Guinea Lynx Records

It's common in the UK at the moment not to be able to go in to the vet surgery with your pet due to the pandemic so trust has to be there when you see a vet.