Itchy guinea pigs!

[holliep_]

Our piggies seem to be quite itchy, they are scratching at their heads and their sides but aren't scratching to the point that they are bleeding or any hair is falling out. It isn't 24/7 however they will do this regularly throughout the day and sometimes nibble at their feet which makes me think something must be irritating them (I do not wash their bedding in bio-detergent). Rachel has been doing this for a little while now and I recently adopted a rescue piggy following the loss of my piggy Phoebe. My new piggy Cheese has moved in with Rachel and wasn't itchy before, however now seems to be scratching in the same way that Rachel does. He was checked for parasites and mange mites at the rescue and didn't have these but I think Rachel may have passed something to him? Are there any ointments or shampoos that we can get to help them? I know that piggys have the occasional scratch however Cheese didn't itch like this when they were separated.

I wonder if anyone can give any advice as I would prefer not to go straight to the vet - our local vets specialised in exotics has a huge waiting list and while the other vet we use are still good, we often find that they go through a process of elimination which can end up being quite expensive.

Thank you

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please do have them checked by a vet. They will first need to be diagnosed before any treatment is given. Treatment for mites is with a course of the correct length and with the correct strength ivermectin product.
Any anti-parasite you can buy in a pet shop is not be strong enough to deal with an active case, can prolong the process, cause resistance due to being too weak, and consequently cost more to get it dealt with properly.

It shouldn’t need an exotic or process of elimination to treat them for mites, if they vets are savvy.

 

[Princess Dustmop]

Mites/lice is a pretty simple diagnosis at a vet ... for lice, the vet should be able to spot them running around (you can, too, if you look for them ... they're quick, though); mites are not visible to the naked eye, but the vet can take a hair/skin sample and look under a microscope. I haven't experienced mites, but when I had piggies with lice, it was pretty simple: I spotted the lice and made an appointment; the vet looked, diagnosed lice, and prescribed ivermectin based on their weight. I do not remember the exact dosage, but they were teeny-tiny, so I know they were splitting a topical kitten dose, but it had to prescribed, not over the counter. Cost was reasonable: just a regular appointment and the medication; my vet was very nice and just charged me for one appointment, since if one had lice, they both did ... obviously if they hadn't been splitting a dose, I would have had to pay for meds for both.