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Lice/mites and hay

LlamaPatronus

LlamaPatronus

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Hi all, I have noticed that one of my guinea pigs has been scratching more recently so am taking them all to the vet (have an appointment tomorrow morning) to get checked as I suspect mites/lice.

I've given their cage a quick clean (not disinfected yet as I plan to do this at the end of the treatment) and was wondering what to do about the hay. I have four bags of unopened hay from nature's own that I bought at the same time as the one that's currently open (that I think the lice/mites would have come from), do I also need to throw out the unopened bags?
I've been buying from nature's own for about 5 years and have never had an issue, and have seen positive reviews here about them. Is there another source they could have got this from?

Also, I want to get my piggy out to check to see if I can see lice or eggs or anything, however the thought makes my skin crawl. I know that if I see anything I'll feel really dirty and want to give her a bath, if I did this (just with normal shampoo, I don't have any lice shampoo or anything) would that make things worse or make it harder for the vet to diagnose it?
 
Don't bath her until you've seen the vet, you could make whatever the problem is harder to diagnose.
I hope it's not mites in the hay, I use Natures Own! I've used them for years too and never had a problem. If it is the hay I guess it would be the whole batch. You can check the batch numbers on the bags to see if they are all the same. If the vet says it is hay mites I would get in touch with Natures Own and see what they say, they may replace it with a different batch or give you a refund. It would be hard to prove their hay was at fault though.
 
Definitely do not bathe before seeing a vet.

Mites are invisible to the human eye. You can however often see their eggs - they can appear as like grains/black specks usually on the back end.

Lice are visible and will be seen as pale crawling creatures.
 
Could it be the fur mites that live under the skin but are generally suppressed by a healthy immune system? My Zebedee had them when he was stressed due to being unwell for a couple of months. I couldn't see them but they made him overgroom himself underneath so he got a bald patch at the top of his back legs.
 
LlamaPatronus said:
Hi all, I have noticed that one of my guinea pigs has been scratching more recently so am taking them all to the vet (have an appointment tomorrow morning) to get checked as I suspect mites/lice.

I've given their cage a quick clean (not disinfected yet as I plan to do this at the end of the treatment) and was wondering what to do about the hay. I have four bags of unopened hay from nature's own that I bought at the same time as the one that's currently open (that I think the lice/mites would have come from), do I also need to throw out the unopened bags?
I've been buying from nature's own for about 5 years and have never had an issue, and have seen positive reviews here about them. Is there another source they could have got this from?

Also, I want to get my piggy out to check to see if I can see lice or eggs or anything, however the thought makes my skin crawl. I know that if I see anything I'll feel really dirty and want to give her a bath, if I did this (just with normal shampoo, I don't have any lice shampoo or anything) would that make things worse or make it harder for the vet to diagnose it?
Click to expand...

Hi

Here is our guide for guinea pig specific parasites. New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

In the case of mange mites, the eggs are very often already present in the skin where treatment cannot reach them but are kept under control by the immune system; mange mites can make an appearance whenever the immune system is lowered for some reason (illness/underlying health issue or stress).
I have and have had piggies with a mange mites egg reservoir that can make an appearance on occasion, like after the loss of a companion or when frail/ill. As long as I can step in promptly, it never goes any further than nuisance level.

Hay mites do come with hay; but generally with industrially harvested import hay that churns up the soil much more than traditional harvesting methods. Nature's Own do harvest traditionally. By the way, I also feed Nature's Own and do not have any issue. Hay mites fix their eggs to the underlayer hairs around the bum and then spread from there; in lighter guinea pigs' it can look like somebody has turned a peppermill over the back end. In darker haired piggies, you can feel the eggs as tiny beads on the affected hairs.

Lice are pale crawling things that you can see. They are comparatively rare in well kept guinea pigs.

Rabbit fur mites and rabbit ear mites can jump to guinea pigs but only if you have rabbits or if your guinea pigs have been in contact with rabbits.
None of these can jump onto you but you can wear disposable gloves if it creeps you out. They are all species specific and cannot survive on humans. Treatment is the same for all these parasites but you will need three rounds at the product specific level unless it is a new US product that specifically only requires one application. You will need to treat all piggies in close contact but as long as the others are healthy, you have their immune system on your side.

Please never bathe, treat or cream on spec before seeing your vet. For them, you are basically wiping the crime scene and make a diagnosis extremely difficult to impossible and they won't thank you.
It is much better to wait and then hit any parasites hard right away with the right strength product at the right - weight dependent - dosage. If you use low level pet shop ivermectin before seeing a vet, you will need to wait until has safely worn off before you can start full-on higher dosed treatment.
Right now, if itching is all you see but no hair loss or bloody patches, then the problem is still in its very early stages and more in the way of a nuisance. By seeing your vet, it should not get past that level. ;)

I would recommend to wait with throwing away any hay until you know what you are up against. I would be very surprised if it was from the hay.

I hope that this helps you?
 
Thanks everyone! I've not bathed her, and I won't until we've been to the vet tomorrow. I'm also not gonna get her out to see if I can see anything on her, because I know it would freak me out, so I'll just wait for the vet to do that!

It's good to hear that others have not had issues with nature's own, hopefully whatever it is hasn't come from the hay.

I'll update tomorrow after we've been to the vet with what's going on :)
 
Also remember that loads of us on here have had pigs with mites or lice over the years and we humans don't get them. It makes us feel a bit itchy and squeamish but the mites/lice know where they belong and that's firmly on a guinea pig. You might not be able to see them anyway.
My vet prescribes a spot on lotion called xeno-450 for my adult size pigs. Each pig gets 3 doses in total which are given two weeks apart. That can feel a bit pricey for 4 pigs but it needs doing in one go or you'll get escapees hiding on untreated pigs and reinfecting everyone again!
 
I forgot to update yesterday (I spent most of the day cleaning and disinfecting!)

The vet couldn't see anything under the microscope apart from dandruff, he said that they all seem healthy apart from this, no fur loss or wounds anywhere. We are treating with ivermectin just in case it is mange mites, and then will reassess to see if it's got better after the treatment.

I am concerned because I am unsure what could have caused a flare up, so will be keeping a very close eye on them all in case there's anything underlying that caused it.

Thanks everyone for the help!
 
Is the problem piggy the one in your picture by any chance, the Teddy? Teddy's are known for a tendency to dry skin/skin problems. I have one myself who is sporting a bald patch at the moment.
 
piggieminder said:
Is the problem piggy the one in your picture by any chance, the Teddy? Teddy's are known for a tendency to dry skin/skin problems. I have one myself who is sporting a bald patch at the moment.
Click to expand...
No, he's one of my previous piggies who is no longer with us, but he did have skin problems, so that makes sense!

None of my current four are teddy's, I have posted about the problem piggy in the past (late 2021, she had a scab on her back - I was worried about mites then but the vet didn't think it was that and she healed quickly with no issues)
 
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