Mites treatment and cleaning advice?

[Apple&Plum]

Hello,

We took home 2 new piggies earlier this week, only to discover that they both have mites.. Very sad to find out as I just got them home, but it is what it is. I should have checked before I paid!

I would like to try some treatment myself before going to the vet as I have heard they often advise antibiotics which don't always work and can cost £25 per visit (and you need to follow up 2-3 times). This would land me a hefty £150 bill considering I need to treat them both. They are both eating well and seem to be in good health other than this issue - however if this changes, or the situation gets worst I would not think twice about taking them in to see a vet.

Has anyone had any experience with this product? Anti-Parasite Ivermectin Spot On for Rabbits and Guinea Pigs by Beaphar | Pets At Home

The reviews seem great and would be willing to give this a try considering how cheap it is.

The piggies came with their cage, so I would put them both in quarantine in another cage temporarily while I do a big cage clean including all accessories and surroundings. Is there any product in particular that is best for getting a good deep clean with? Should I use bleach, or is this unsafe for them? And for drinking bottles, what can I use to disinfect them?

Thank you!

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,

We took home 2 new piggies earlier this week, only to discover that they both have mites.. Very sad to find out as I just got them home, but it is what it is. I should have checked before I paid!

I would like to try some treatment myself before going to the vet as I have heard they often advise antibiotics which don't always work and can cost £25 per visit (and you need to follow up 2-3 times). This would land me a hefty £150 bill considering I need to treat them both. They are both eating well and seem to be in good health other than this issue - however if this changes, or the situation gets worst I would not think twice about taking them in to see a vet.

Has anyone had any experience with this product? Anti-Parasite Ivermectin Spot On for Rabbits and Guinea Pigs by Beaphar | Pets At Home

The reviews seem great and would be willing to give this a try considering how cheap it is.

The piggies came with their cage, so I would put them both in quarantine in another cage temporarily while I do a big cage clean including all accessories and surroundings. Is there any product in particular that is best for getting a good deep clean with? Should I use bleach, or is this unsafe for them? And for drinking bottles, what can I use to disinfect them?

Thank you!

Hi! Please don't home treat on spec and please not with beaphar!

Take the time to read this guide here. You can reclaim any vet cost from the pet shop (it may be a bit harder if you got yours from an unlicensed for sale backyard breeder, but you can complain to the council over trading standards, which the council usually takes pretty seriously) if your piggies are within the 2-3 quarantining period and have come with the problem. It is part of your statuatory customer rights of being sold damaged goods. More details in the guide.
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

Please save up for vet cost on a monthly basis right from the start as part of their living cost. Vet fees make the overall highest budgest post in any pet's life and you are very likely to end up at the vets at some point during your guinea pigs' 5-7 year life span, very often as a life and death emergency or needing a life saving operation. Access to medical care is one of the 5 animal freedoms in UK law.

 

[Apple&Plum]

Hi! Please don't home treat on spec and please not with beaphar!

Take the time to read this guide here. You can reclaim any vet cost from the pet shop (it may be a bit harder if you got yours from an unlicensed for sale backyard breeder, but you can complain to the council over trading standards, which the council usually takes pretty seriously) if your piggies are within the 2-3 quarantining period and have come with the problem. It is part of your statuatory customer rights of being sold damaged goods. More details in the guide.
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

Please save up for vet cost on a monthly basis right from the start as part of their living cost. Vet fees make the overall highest budgest post in any pet's life and you are very likely to end up at the vets at some point during your guinea pigs' 5-7 year life span, very often as a life and death emergency or needing a life saving operation. Access to medical care is one of the 5 animal freedoms in UK law.

Hi Thank you for the reply! Why should I not use beaphar? I've only read positives so far! And the piggies were purchased directly from a family (were moving away and did not have space for them in new home), they were not breeders. It is my fault for buying them without checking them over thoroughly..

 

[Wiebke]

Hi Thank you for the reply! Why should I not use beaphar? I've only read positives so far! And the piggies were purchased directly from a family (were moving away and did not have space for them in new home), they were not breeders. It is my fault for buying them without checking them over thoroughly..

We recommend xeno (strength depending on weight) as the most efficient and vet grade treatment; whatever the recommendations say, beaphar is not quite strong enough to cut through acute mange mites.

However, please accept that we are a forum that aims for a good standard of care. We are not a self-help place on the cheap like far too many online places.

 

[Apple&Plum]

We recommend xeno (strength depending on weight) as the most efficient and vet grade treatment; whatever the recommendations say, beaphar is not quite strong enough to cut through acute mange mites.

However, please accept that we are a forum that aims for a good standard of care. We are not a self-help place on the cheap like far too many online places.

I did not assume that, I simply want whats best for my piggies. I did not know it was such a bad product to use! Thank you for the help. x

 

[Wiebke]

I did not assume that, I simply want whats best for my piggies. I did not know it was such a bad product to use! Thank you for the help. x

I am sorry that you are starting at the sharp end of things. That is the problem with free-ads piggies - you never know which state they come with. It can be a steep learning curve when you are not prepared.

However, I would still recommend to have them vet checked. Many clinics won't charge for the first consultation; you can enquire before you book an appointment. A spot-on treatment doesn't necessarily need you to pay for three consultations.

You can also ask for a prescription (especially for prescription only medication that is not needed here and now) and order more cheaply online if you want to save on medication cost in the future. You will still have to pay for the prescription fee, but it is a lot cheaper depending on the medication.

We have got a recommended UK vet locator on the top bar that lists the best known vet clinic for guinea pigs in the area; many of them are exotics vets and not cheap, though.

PS: You may find our New Owners' guide collection very helpful and interesting. We are addressing all the areas we get the most questions and concerns from new owners about. A lot has changed in the piggy world in the last few years!
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[Apple&Plum]

I am sorry that you are starting at the sharp end of things. That is the problem with free-ads piggies - you never know which state they come with. It can be a steep learning curve when you are not prepared.

However, I would still recommend to have them vet checked. Many clinics won't charge for the first consultation; you can enquire before you book an appointment. A spot-on treatment doesn't necessarily need you to pay for three consultations.

You can also ask for a prescription (especially for prescription only medication that is not needed here and now) and order more cheaply online if you want to save on medication cost in the future. You will still have to pay for the prescription fee, but it is a lot cheaper depending on the medication.

We have got a recommended UK vet locator on the top bar that lists the best known vet clinic for guinea pigs in the area; many of them are exotics vets and not cheap, though.

PS: You may find our New Owners' guide collection very helpful and interesting. We are addressing all the areas we get the most questions and concerns from new owners about. A lot has changed in the piggy world in the last few years!
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

Thanks for the help! I have already made contact with my local vet who (even though not an exotic vet) but has treated my previous piggies before. I am making an appointment for this weekend. I hope the problem is sorted soon before it gets anymore serious..

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the help! I have already made contact with my local vet who (even though not an exotic vet) but has treated my previous piggies before. I am making an appointment for this weekend. I hope the problem is sorted soon before it gets anymore serious..

If you are sure that it is hay or mange mites, then three rounds of xeno should it sort it out (four in a more severe case). And if your vet knows and trusts you, they may also be OK with you applying the two other rounds at home.

It is difficult for us to judge where new members stand re. experience etc.
We see too many wrong assumptions by newbies to just go by their word with anybody we know nothing about.

All the best! With xeno you should see the itching initially get a little worse during the first couple of days while it absorbed and the mites are killed. Then you see newly hatched ones building up towards the second round two weeks after. Ideally all is fine two days after the second application. The third and - if necessary - fourth rounds are there to mop up any stragglers and prevent a return.

If you are dealing with a strain of resistent hay mites then your vet may consider using stronghold injections instead of spot-on xeno. For these you need to come back as they are prescription only (and not licensed for guinea pigs, so you would have to fill a form). But injected selamectin and ivermectin is more effective than spot-on.
It has done the trick for my teddy boy who came with them plus a weaker immune system so we had all varieties of mites popping up repeatedly during his first year here.