Lice! Help!

[Fluffy17]

Hi guys,
So today i was cuddling with my guinea pig and as i look closely to her fur i noticed lice!
It’s so weird to me because even right after we got her (3 months ago), (yes we got here from a pet store, we weren’t familiar with adoptions but we’re looking into getting our next female by adopting.)
i always checked for lice but never found anything! Where do they come from? Is it maybe that i didn’t check throughly (?) i don’t have any other animals nor she’s been in contact with other piggies for the last 3 months…

My question is also do i have to throw out her wooden hideys that i just bought? She used them for only 2 times and for an hour or so (i preferred giving her a footstool.) or do lice die after a few days without a host near the wood?

Alsooo i was about to switch to fleece from shavings as i just bought them but maybe should i wait until she’s cured from lice? (Bc I'm afraid i won’t get rid of the lice from fleece properly with the washing machine)

First thing in the morning I'm ringing a vet also because ivermectin isn’t easy to find here in Italy so i really don’t know what to do

 

[Siikibam]

lice are species specific so wouldn’t survive once they’ve fallen off her/on wood etc. But do thoroughly clean the cage nonetheless, using F10. It’s good you’re getting her to the vet. She should have three treatments, 2 weeks apart.

As an aside, you say she hasn’t been near another piggy for 3 months. Are you planning to find her a friend? Please bear in mind they’re highly social and really do need companionship of their own. I'm afraid that no amount of spending time with her can make up for the company of another like her. We cant speak their language.

If you are getting her a friend or she has one then please just ignore all that’

 

[Piggies&buns]

This guide explains the differences between piggy mites and lice and what to do regarding cleaning etc.
As you say lice, I assume you do mean the visible pale crawling creatures? Mites are not visible to the human eye.

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

 

[Daisy_and_Mocha]

Hi guys,
So today i was cuddling with my guinea pig and as i look closely to her fur i noticed lice!
It’s so weird to me because even right after we got her (3 months ago), (yes we got here from a pet store, we weren’t familiar with adoptions but we’re looking into getting our next female by adopting.)
i always checked for lice but never found anything! Where do they come from? Is it maybe that i didn’t check throughly (?) i don’t have any other animals nor she’s been in contact with other piggies for the last 3 months…

My question is also do i have to throw out her wooden hideys that i just bought? She used them for only 2 times and for an hour or so (i preferred giving her a footstool.) or do lice die after a few days without a host near the wood?

Alsooo i was about to switch to fleece from shavings as i just bought them but maybe should i wait until she’s cured from lice? (Bc I'm afraid i won’t get rid of the lice from fleece properly with the washing machine)

First thing in the morning I'm ringing a vet also because ivermectin isn’t easy to find here in Italy so i really don’t know what to do

when one of my piggies had lice I used a dab of liquid coconut oil on the affected areas, and it seems to have got rid of them

 

[Piggies&buns]

when one of my piggies had lice I used a dab of liquid coconut oil on the affected areas, and it seems to have got rid of them

Coconut oil is not a treatment for mites or lice.
A prescribed course of three separate ivermectin treatments over a period of six weeks is needed to fully deal with their life cycle along with disinfection of the cage and items.

 

[Fluffy17]

lice are species specific so wouldn’t survive once they’ve fallen off her/on wood etc. But do thoroughly clean the cage nonetheless, using F10. It’s good you’re getting her to the vet. She should have three treatments, 2 weeks apart.

As an aside, you say she hasn’t been near another piggy for 3 months. Are you planning to find her a friend? Please bear in mind they’re highly social and really do need companionship of their own. I'm afraid that no amount of spending time with her can make up for the company of another like her. We cant speak their language.

If you are getting her a friend or she has one then please just ignore all that’

Hii! Yes I'm currently searching for the perfect friend for my fluffy, but first i wanted to solve this lice problem

I can’t find f10 here in italy or in any site, will vinegar and water work?

Do you know how long will it take to get rid of the lice completely?

anyways thank you for the help and for your concern

 

[Fluffy17]

This guide explains the differences between piggy mites and lice and what to do regarding cleaning etc.
As you say lice, I assume you do mean the visible pale crawling creatures? Mites are not visible to the human eye.

New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

Hi! Yes, i could see them running around my precious piggy’s back

 

[Siikibam]

If she is 4 months old or younger please get her a friend. At a young age, the need for companionship is more important than not spreading any illnesses.

I hope you can get her seen soon and treatment started.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Hii! Yes I'm currently searching for the perfect friend for my fluffy, but first i wanted to solve this lice problem

I can’t find f10 here in italy or in any site, will vinegar and water work?

Do you know how long will it take to get rid of the lice completely?

anyways thank you for the help and for your concern

You’ll just have to clean with whatever you can get hold of.

How long depends on what treatment you can get.
In the UK, ivermectin is prescribed and that needs to be given three times with two weeks between each treatment, so a total of 6 weeks to fully treat.

 

[Fluffy17]

Thank u so much

 

[Fluffy17]

Hi guys, as i already posted this morning i wanted to ask yall’s opinion on this one matter:
I currently have my piggie on wood shavings and as of yesterday i discovered she has lice (tomorrow i’ll get her to the vet).

I just bought kavee liners tho, do yall think i should wait to put her on fleece (until lice is gone) bc I'm really concerned i won’t eliminate all the lice and their eggs on the fleece eventually and they’ll come back.

Wood shavings on the other hand i can easily throw away after four days.

Also do i have to RE wash every piece of fleece accessories she has? Even the ones that haven’t been touched by her in weeks (they’re in a box)

Thank you all in advance

 

[Piggies&buns]

It may be easier to stick with shavings for now. You don’t have to though. A hot wash will kill the lice and eggs in the fleece. I just don’t see the point in risking shrinking all your new liners in a hot wash when you don’t need to.
If they have not be near her, then you should not need to rehash them. The lice need a host and without being on your piggy, they will die

 

[Fluffy17]

It may be easier to stick with shavings for now. You don’t have to though. A hot wash will kill the lice and eggs in the fleece. I just don’t see the point in risking shrinking all your new liners in a hot wash when you don’t need to.
If they have not be near her, then you should not need to rehash them. The lice need a host and without being on your piggy, they will die

Thank u so much! Do you know how many days lice can survive without a host?

 

[Fluffy17]

hi guys do you think i should throw away my wooden hideys or buy new ones since my piggy has lice, she’s on a treatment atm since i brought her to the vet this morning.

For anyone who had experience with lice before: how many times weekly should i wash my fleece?

Also i ordered ivermectin cream through another country since they don’t sell it here.

Thank u all in advace

 

[Piggies&buns]

What treatment is she given?

You need to wash/disinfect items a few days after a treatment is given. Then go to normal cleaning routine until the next treatment. Give the second treatment and then do a full clean and disinfect a couple of days later. Repeat for the third treatment.

I know you said you can’t get F10 which is unfortunate. Normally we would say to soak wooden items in F10, leave them out of the cage while treatment is ongoing and return them after treatment is complete. (Use cardboard boxes for example in the meantime).

I’m going to merge your posts all onto your original thread to keep everything together

 

[Fluffy17]

Thank you so much! (Again!)
I’ll definitely do that. As per “normal cleaning routing” Is it ok if i wash the fleece once a week as per usual and replace the pee pads every few days?

I’ll just throw away the old wooden hideys and buy new ones after the treatment. thanks! And in the meantime as u suggested ill use cardboard boxes.

The vet prescribed her a med called “stronghold” i don’t know if it’s also sold in other countries but it’s basically drops i need to put on her once every three weeks for three months. I asked if it was like ivermectin and she said it’s very similar but a bit more specific for piggies ( i think it was selemectin (?) i don’t remember well bc i still have to pick up the medication this afternoon from the pharmacy)

Also she gave me an anti spray parasite spray for rodents i have to spray on my piggy once a week for 8 weeks.

What treatment is she given?

You need to wash/disinfect items a few days after a treatment is given. Then go to normal cleaning routine until the next treatment. Give the second treatment and then do a full clean and disinfect a couple of days later. Repeat for the third treatment.

I know you said you can’t get F10 which is unfortunate. Normally we would say to soak wooden items in F10, leave them out of the cage while treatment is ongoing and return them after treatment is complete. (Use cardboard boxes for example in the meantime).

I’m going to merge your posts all onto your original thread to keep everything together

Thank you so much! (Again!)
I’ll definitely do that. As per “normal cleaning routing” Is it ok if i wash the fleece once a week as per usual and replace the pee pads every few days?

I’ll just throw away the old wooden hideys and buy new ones after the treatment. thanks! And in the meantime as u suggested ill use cardboard boxes.

The vet prescribed her a med called “stronghold” i don’t know if it’s also sold in other countries but it’s basically drops i need to put on her once every three weeks for three months. I asked if it was like ivermectin and she said it’s very similar but a bit more specific for piggies ( i think it was selemectin (?) i don’t remember well bc i still have to pick up the medication this afternoon from the pharmacy)

Also she gave me an anti spray parasite spray for rodents i have to spray on my piggy once a week for 8 weeks.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you so much! (Again!)
I’ll definitely do that. As per “normal cleaning routing” Is it ok if i wash the fleece once a week as per usual and replace the pee pads every few days?

I’ll just throw away the old wooden hideys and buy new ones after the treatment. thanks! And in the meantime as u suggested ill use cardboard boxes.

The vet prescribed her a med called “stronghold” i don’t know if it’s also sold in other countries but it’s basically drops i need to put on her once every three weeks for three months. I asked if it was like ivermectin and she said it’s very similar but a bit more specific for piggies ( i think it was selemectin (?) i don’t remember well bc i still have to pick up the medication this afternoon from the pharmacy)

Also she gave me an anti spray parasite spray for rodents i have to spray on my piggy once a week for 8 weeks.

Thank you so much! (Again!)
I’ll definitely do that. As per “normal cleaning routing” Is it ok if i wash the fleece once a week as per usual and replace the pee pads every few days?

I’ll just throw away the old wooden hideys and buy new ones after the treatment. thanks! And in the meantime as u suggested ill use cardboard boxes.

The vet prescribed her a med called “stronghold” i don’t know if it’s also sold in other countries but it’s basically drops i need to put on her once every three weeks for three months. I asked if it was like ivermectin and she said it’s very similar but a bit more specific for piggies ( i think it was selemectin (?) i don’t remember well bc i still have to pick up the medication this afternoon from the pharmacy)

Also she gave me an anti spray parasite spray for rodents i have to spray on my piggy once a week for 8 weeks.

I would do the treatment, wait a few days then change the bedding.
You can then change bedding weekly as normal until the next treatment.

Either selamectin or ivermectin is fine. Stronghold (selamectn) is used in this country but we tend to get prescribed Xeno which is ivermectin. You’ll just need to follow the instructions as prescribed by your vet - it’s done slightly differently to Xeno so can’t help with anything further on it’s use .

 

[Wiebke]

Just use your normal disinfectant or use a product like virkon (which cannot kill ringworm spores) but is perfectly fine for skin parasites. A good thorough scrub and clean is usually effective.
Give any wooden products a soak in the virkon solution and let them dry. This ensures that all cracks are reached. Do so at the start and then at the end of treatment.

Stronghold is the European brand name for the selamectin-based product used for skin parasites. My Nye had it prescribed by my vet for the hay mites he arrived with; he never had them again even though he had life-long other issues with his skin and with keeping his mange mite reservoir in the skin under control.

 

[Fluffy17]

Just use your normal disinfectant or use a product like virkon (which cannot kill ringworm spores) but is perfectly fine for skin parasites. A good thorough scrub and clean is usually effective.
Give any wooden products a soak in the virkon solution and let them dry. This ensures that all cracks are reached. Do so at the start and then at the end of treatment.

Stronghold is the European brand name for the selamectin-based product used for skin parasites. My Nye had it prescribed by my vet for the hay mites he arrived with; he never had them again even though he had life-long other issues with his skin and with keeping his mange mite reservoir in the skin under control.

Thanks so much!
How long did it take for the mites to vanish with stronghold?

I’m so sorry to hear about his mange mite problem

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks so much!
How long did it take for the mites to vanish with stronghold?

I’m so sorry to hear about his mange mite problem

A full course of three treatments, spaced 2 weeks apart. The first two treatments are there to kill the parasites and any emerging ones; the third treatment is there to catch any stragglers that could start a reinfection.

Please be aware that some strains of lice can be difficult to deal with since they are somewhat resistent.