mites won’t go away :(

[bonnie.]

since i got my female piggy nearly a year ago she’s had a problem with mites

after around a month of having her we went to the vet since the day before she was squealing really loudly, and she was extremely itchy. she got injections since she had mites, she got three injections a few weeks apart, and it worked for a few months

she’s recently keeps getting mites again, i use xeno 50 mini on her, three times, two weeks apart, and it works for a few weeks and then she gets itchy again.

she has long hair and near her bottom she has lots of black little specks, which are eggs i’m pretty sure.

is there any other way to get rid of them? i try giving her the spot on treatment regularly and i clean her cage very well, and make sure to clean all her hide houses and toys but nothing seems to work i’ve tried cutting as many of the black specks of but some are quite close to her skin

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry your girl seems to be suffering. Please don’t use spot on treatment. It’s not the correct strength and won’t work. Was the xeno 50 prescribed by the vet?

Something you may want to consider is to change your hay supplier. Piggies can also get hay mites.

Hopefully someone else will be along with more advice as needed n

 

[bonnie.]

I’m sorry your girl seems to be suffering. Please don’t use spot on treatment. It’s not the correct strength and won’t work. Was the xeno 50 prescribed by the vet?

Something you may want to consider is to change your hay supplier. Piggies can also get hay mites.

Hopefully someone else will be along with more advice as needed n

yes the xeno 50 was prescribed from the vet, and still doesn’t seem to be working i’ve changed the hay brand a few times and she still gets them sadly

 

[Swissgreys]

Xeno 50 is far too low dose for an adult guinea pig.
The problem with using a low dose is it may suppress the problem for a few weeks, but the mites will then quickly return.
Does she have a cage mate and is the cage mate also suffering?

The best thing to do would be to go back to the vet and get a new round of prescription strength medication to treat this problem properly.
Xeno may not even be the correct treatment depending on the type of mites involved, but this can only be confirmed by a vet.

 

[Swissgreys]

How much does your piggy weigh?

 

[Wiebke]

since i got my female piggy nearly a year ago she’s had a problem with mites

after around a month of having her we went to the vet since the day before she was squealing really loudly, and she was extremely itchy. she got injections since she had mites, she got three injections a few weeks apart, and it worked for a few months

she’s recently keeps getting mites again, i use xeno 50 mini on her, three times, two weeks apart, and it works for a few weeks and then she gets itchy again.

she has long hair and near her bottom she has lots of black little specks, which are eggs i’m pretty sure.

is there any other way to get rid of them? i try giving her the spot on treatment regularly and i clean her cage very well, and make sure to clean all her hide houses and toys but nothing seems to work i’ve tried cutting as many of the black specks of but some are quite close to her skin

Hi!

Hay mites are the least harmful of all guinea pig skin parasites but they can sometimes be hard to shift because they live off the debris on the hairs and du not burrow into the skin like mange mites or suck blood like lice; this means that they ingest less ivermectin directly than the others.

Measures you can take:
- Use xeno 450 for adult piggies and give only the appropriate part of the pipette if your piggy is lighter. But xeno 50 is too low a concentration to be effective.
- Most hay mites come with imported industrially harvested hay where a lot of soil is churned up in the process. You may want to change your hat brand and ask other members which UK hay brand is currently the best.
- Deep clean the cage with F10 disinfectant and wash any fabrics at 60 C/140 F. Once at the start of treatment and again at the end.
- Cut off any affected hairs with egg cases fixed on them; especially those at the bum end and in the underlayers of the fur. What you can remove mechanically you do not have to fight chemically; it means a lot of mites not coming out of them. The hair will grow back even if your piggies won't be as presentable for a few weeks.
- Or you can see your for selamectin injections (frontline) if they are willing. These are not licensed for guinea pigs and prescription-only. But they did the trick with my Nye when he had persistent issues with both mange and hay mites due to a weaker immune system.

Here is more information:
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)


All the best!

 

[bonnie.]

Hi!

Hay mites are the least harmful of all guinea pig skin parasites but they can sometimes be hard to shift because they live off the debris on the hairs and du not burrow into the skin like mange mites or suck blood like lice; this means that they ingest less ivermectin directly than the others.

Measures you can take:
- Use xeno 450 for adult piggies and give only the appropriate part of the pipette if your piggy is lighter. But xeno 50 is too low a concentration to be effective.
- Most hay mites come with imported industrially harvested hay where a lot of soil is churned up in the process. You may want to change your hat brand and ask other members which UK hay brand is currently the best.
- Deep clean the cage with F10 disinfectant and wash any fabrics at 60 C/140 F. Once at the start of treatment and again at the end.
- Cut off any affected hairs with egg cases fixed on them; especially those at the bum end and in the underlayers of the fur. What you can remove mechanically you do not have to fight chemically; it means a lot of mites not coming out of them. The hair will grow back even if your piggies won't be as presentable for a few weeks.
- Or you can see your for selamectin injections (frontline) if they are willing. These are not licensed for guinea pigs and prescription-only. But they did the trick with my Nye when he had persistent issues with both mange and hay mites due to a weaker immune system.

Here is more information:
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)


All the best!

thank you so much! is the xeno 450 the same as the xeno 50 then? just stronger?
i’ll definitely purchase that and the f10 disinfectant hopefully that will work, if not then i’ll go back to the vet

 

[Wiebke]

thank you so much! is the xeno 450 the same as the xeno 50 then? just stronger?
i’ll definitely purchase that and the f10 disinfectant hopefully that will work, if not then i’ll go back to the vet

It is the same ingredient but in a much higher concentration. Ivermectin needs to be weight adjusted as you can overdose. What happens when you consistently underdose, you have already found out.

 

[bonnie.]

It is the same ingredient but in a much higher concentration. Ivermectin needs to be weight adjusted as you can overdose. What happens when you consistently underdose, you have already found out.

but i’m giving her the right amount of pipettes it says i should for her body weight?

 

[bonnie.]

It is the same ingredient but in a much higher concentration. Ivermectin needs to be weight adjusted as you can overdose. What happens when you consistently underdose, you have already found out.

but i’m giving her the right amount of pipettes it says i should for her body weight?

 

[Piggies&buns]

but i’m giving her the right amount of pipettes it says i should for her body weight?

Wiebke has said that Xeno 50 has a lower concentration than 450. Xeno 450 (dosed for her weight) is best to use for adult piggies.

 

[bonnie.]

Wiebke has said that Xeno 50 has a lower concentration than 450. Xeno 450 (dosed for her weight) is best to use for adult piggies.

ahhhh ok thank you! i didn’t really understand the first time i’ll definitely order it right now

 

[bonnie.]

How much does your piggy weigh?

she weighs 991g

 

[bonnie.]

Hi!

Hay mites are the least harmful of all guinea pig skin parasites but they can sometimes be hard to shift because they live off the debris on the hairs and du not burrow into the skin like mange mites or suck blood like lice; this means that they ingest less ivermectin directly than the others.

Measures you can take:
- Use xeno 450 for adult piggies and give only the appropriate part of the pipette if your piggy is lighter. But xeno 50 is too low a concentration to be effective.
- Most hay mites come with imported industrially harvested hay where a lot of soil is churned up in the process. You may want to change your hat brand and ask other members which UK hay brand is currently the best.
- Deep clean the cage with F10 disinfectant and wash any fabrics at 60 C/140 F. Once at the start of treatment and again at the end.
- Cut off any affected hairs with egg cases fixed on them; especially those at the bum end and in the underlayers of the fur. What you can remove mechanically you do not have to fight chemically; it means a lot of mites not coming out of them. The hair will grow back even if your piggies won't be as presentable for a few weeks.
- Or you can see your for selamectin injections (frontline) if they are willing. These are not licensed for guinea pigs and prescription-only. But they did the trick with my Nye when he had persistent issues with both mange and hay mites due to a weaker immune system.

Here is more information:
New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
A Comprehensive Hay Guide for Guinea Pigs (incl. providers in several countries)


All the best!

thank you for the help! but she weighs 991g and on the internet it says to use the xeno 450 if she’s over 1.2kg
so is it still ok to give to her? but just less than it says? ive read that she could overdoes if i give her too much so i’m not too sure

 

[bonnie.]

my piggy has struggled with mites and many people have told me to use xeno 450 instead of xeno 50 since she’s a year and a few months old, so she’s an adult piggy

she weighs 991g and on the xeno 450 it says you can only use it for piggy’s over 1.2kg but the xeno 50 one is too low dosage? which one should i get? should i get the xeno 450 and give her less than it says?

it says if i give to much she could overdoes so i don’t really know what to do

 

[VickiA]

You can either use multiple tubes of Xeno 50 or a proportion of the contents of a tube of Xeno 450.

 

[Wiebke]

my piggy has struggled with mites and many people have told me to use xeno 450 instead of xeno 50 since she’s a year and a few months old, so she’s an adult piggy

she weighs 991g and on the xeno 450 it says you can only use it for piggy’s over 1.2kg but the xeno 50 one is too low dosage? which one should i get? should i get the xeno 450 and give her less than it says?

it says if i give to much she could overdoes so i don’t really know what to do

Hi!

1 kg of weight is about 5/6 of one pipette of xeno 450 but requires 4 tubes of xeno 50 (the official recommendations for its use only go up to 800g of weight).

For this reason we recommend that you switch to xeno 450 for any adult guinea pig above 800g and use the appropriate weight adjusted portion of one pipette. Our recommendations in this thread follow established and still ongoing vet prescription practice.
Not least because it is a lot easier (and cheaper) to apply nearly one pipette of xeno 450 compared to 4 tubes of xeno 50 as your piggy is for all practicalities 1 kg of weight (just the difference between a full and an empty bladder is 10g, the difference between a full and empty tummy is larger). A smaller amount of fluid is also easier to absorb for the guinea pig.

Here is a copy the official weight list for xeno 50

Small rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, rats, hamsters, mice, gerbils, chinchillas, other rodents, birds	10 to 20	1 drop
20 to 40	2 drops
40 to 60	3 drops
60 to 80	5 drops
80 to 100	6 drops
100 to 150	½ tube (8 drops)
150 to 200	11 drops
200 to 300	1 tube
300 to 400	1½ tubes (1 tube plus 8 drops)
400 to 600	2 tubes
600 to 800	3 tubes

 

[Free Ranger]

We've always done the 450 version for my adult pigs - if they are below 1.2 kilo I've measured the amount in a small syringe to try and get the proportion right. Perhaps the first time the vet prescribed the 50 she was younger and smaller? Dob it onto the bald spots - I do behind the ears, in the rosettes (if you have them) and lifting fur along the spine. Repeating 3 times each 2 weeks apart. No bathing. I treat all my pigs at the same time (between 2 and 4 piggies so the 450 is the cost-effective option) and blitz the cage a day or so after each dosing. I'm so sorry she's suffering. I've got a long haired one at the minute and I was worried the treatment might be less effective on her than her short haired friends but it seems to work just as well (although she did look like a pineapple after each go). I do keep her hair short just for hygiene purposes as otherwise she gets quite a lot of little bits stuck in it as she trails round the cage and she can't keep herself clean! Good luck little lady x

 

[bonnie.]

We've always done the 450 version for my adult pigs - if they are below 1.2 kilo I've measured the amount in a small syringe to try and get the proportion right. Perhaps the first time the vet prescribed the 50 she was younger and smaller? Dob it onto the bald spots - I do behind the ears, in the rosettes (if you have them) and lifting fur along the spine. Repeating 3 times each 2 weeks apart. No bathing. I treat all my pigs at the same time (between 2 and 4 piggies so the 450 is the cost-effective option) and blitz the cage a day or so after each dosing. I'm so sorry she's suffering. I've got a long haired one at the minute and I was worried the treatment might be less effective on her than her short haired friends but it seems to work just as well (although she did look like a pineapple after each go). I do keep her hair short just for hygiene purposes as otherwise she gets quite a lot of little bits stuck in it as she trails round the cage and she can't keep herself clean! Good luck little lady x

yess the vet did prescribe the xeno 50 when she was a few months old and i never knew it was only for younger piggy’s! i’ve already ordered the xeno 450 and will use it tomorrow, ive also given her a haircut and tried cutting of as many of the eggs as i could , hopefully that helps!

 

[VickiA]

yess the vet did prescribe the xeno 50 when she was a few months old and i never knew it was only for younger piggy’s! i’ve already ordered the xeno 450 and will use it tomorrow, ive also given her a haircut and tried cutting of as many of the eggs as i could , hopefully that helps!

The “eggs” you can see are actually the casings left behind by hay mites when they have hatched. When I had a long haired piggy who was a magnet for hay mites I did use a plastic human head lice comb to remove the casings from her hair.

 

[Wiebke]

yess the vet did prescribe the xeno 50 when she was a few months old and i never knew it was only for younger piggy’s! i’ve already ordered the xeno 450 and will use it tomorrow, ive also given her a haircut and tried cutting of as many of the eggs as i could , hopefully that helps!

All the best! The big gap in the product strength is very confusing.
We've been waiting for at least 20 years for a product that covers the gap...

 

[Rubysue]

Just curious was the vet treating for mites and what she actually has is lice? Could be why it wasn't working also.

 

[bonnie.]

Just curious was the vet treating for mites and what she actually has is lice? Could be why it wasn't working also.

she was treating for mites , and we went to two different vets and they both said she has mites

 

[Wiebke]

Guinea pig lice are visible to the naked eye; you cannot miss them because in order to create larger bald areas there need to be quite a number of them. Invisible hay mites (as opposed to mange mites, which borrow their eggs in the skin) fix their tiny egg cases to the hairs; in the number that need to build build up cause larger areas of hair loss you can't miss all those tiny pepper speckles on your guinea pigs' hair - and you can feel the eggs as tiny beads on the hairs especially at the back and in the underlayers.

We can only comment on the basis of the information provided. Without any clear pictures showing the hair loss areas and where they are on the body (seeing that we are lacking any direct access at all times), we can only advice on what we are asked about.

New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
Guinea Lynx :: Parasites
Guinea Lynx :: Hair Loss

 

[bonnie.]

Guinea pig lice are visible to the naked eye; you cannot miss them because in order to create larger bald areas there need to be quite a number of them. Invisible hay mites (as opposed to mange mites, which borrow their eggs in the skin) fix their tiny egg cases to the hairs; in the number that need to build build up cause larger areas of hair loss you can't miss all those tiny pepper speckles on your guinea pigs' hair - and you can feel the eggs as tiny beads on the hairs especially at the back and in the underlayers.

We can only comment on the basis of the information provided. Without any clear pictures showing the hair loss areas and where they are on the body (seeing that we are lacking any direct access at all times), we can only advice on what we are asked about.

New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
Guinea Lynx :: Parasites
Guinea Lynx :: Hair Loss

yeah she defo has mites, we were told by two vets and i tried cutting all the tiny eggs off which were all mostly around her back legs and bottom hopefully after i give her the medicine she feels better

 

[Wiebke]

yeah she defo has mites, we were told by two vets and i tried cutting all the tiny eggs off which were all mostly around her back legs and bottom hopefully after i give her the medicine she feels better

It would help if you called your mites 'hay mites' (as opposed to 'mange mites', which is the other variety of mites that is guinea pig specific). It makes giving advice easier when it is clear which ones you are dealing with since mange mites (trixacarus caviae) can be potentially fatal so our advice will be mainly about how to deal with them and not what you can do about hay mites (chirodiscoidae caviae).

 

[bonnie.]

It would help if you called your mites 'hay mites' (as opposed to 'mange mites', which is the other variety of mites that is guinea pig specific). It makes giving advice easier when it is clear which ones you are dealing with since mange mites (trixacarus caviae) can be potentially fatal so our advice will be mainly about how to deal with them and not what you can do about hay mites (chirodiscoidae caviae).

okay thanks! also as soon as i give her the medicine do all the hay mites die off? should i clean her cage as soon and i give her the medicine, so its clean or a few days later?

 

[Free Ranger]

The stuff acts straight away and it's effectiveness wears off after a few days so if I dose mine on, say, Tuesday morning I would leave the cage blitz until Wednesday but not worry if I didn't get round to it till Thursday. I think any that have dropped off into the environment should have a chance to hop back on and die!

It's important to dose all the cage mates at the same time or her fluffy friends will just harbour the reserve troops and they will re-invade when her dose wears off.

Theoretically the second dose should finish everything off but the third is a safe-guard in case any were missed as life just isn't perfect. But the bulk of live critters should be wiped out with doses 1 and 2.

 

[bonnie.]

The stuff acts straight away and it's effectiveness wears off after a few days so if I dose mine on, say, Tuesday morning I would leave the cage blitz until Wednesday but not worry if I didn't get round to it till Thursday. I think any that have dropped off into the environment should have a chance to hop back on and die!

It's important to dose all the cage mates at the same time or her fluffy friends will just harbour the reserve troops and they will re-invade when her dose wears off.

Theoretically the second dose should finish everything off but the third is a safe-guard in case any were missed as life just isn't perfect. But the bulk of live critters should be wiped out with doses 1 and 2.

but can i still put her into a clean cage or clean her cage a day after the medicine once it definitely killed all of them?

should i also get rid of her cardboard tunnel and things for her that were in her cage that i can’t really clean? or would the mites not be able to stick onto those kind of stuff? thanks so much for your help

 

[Swissgreys]

but can i still put her into a clean cage or clean her cage a day after the medicine once it definitely killed all of them?

should i also get rid of her cardboard tunnel and things for her that were in her cage that i can’t really clean? or would the mites not be able to stick onto those kind of stuff? thanks so much for your help

As you are being ultra careful given the issues you have had with such a stubborn infestation I would play it very safe.
I would clean the cage throughly 24 hours after dosing her and her friend/s and also replace all cardboard items - at least these are free!