Possible lice/hay mites in guinea pig?

[justtwocavies]

Hello, this is my first time posting here so please be kind!
I was giving my piggie Hazel a quick look over just now and I found these strange black specks on her fur. They are most concentrated around her back legs but there are some throughout her fur on her back. We currently get hay from The Happy Hay Co as we used to get pet shop hay but tried a sample box and found the quality to be much better. I checked my other piggie (Olive) however because she has very dark brown/black fur I couldn't really see if she had the same. We rescued Olive 8 months ago and she had very large lice then (crawling all over her fur) so we did a lice treatment on them both then but this is the first time I've noticed these tiny black specks. They don't seem to move and I can't easily pull them off without pulling the strand of hair out
Please let me know what they might be and how to get rid of them!

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. You’ll always get very friendly advice on here for sure.

Have a read of this guide.

New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites

You will need a vet to identify exactly what the problem is and prescribe the correct strength medication. Don’t be tempted to buy cheap pet shop products as these aren’t strong enough so you will end up paying out more in the long run. Good luck.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes they do sound to be hay mites.
You will need to see a vet to get a diagnosis and to be prescribed the correct course of treatment dosed by their weights. They will both need to be treated.

Treatment is usually with a product called Xeno and is three separate treatment with two weeks between each treatment (so six weeks to fully deal with mites (or lice for that matter)).

Disinfection of the cage a few days after each treatment is also important.

 

[justtwocavies]

Yes they do sound to be hay mites.
You will need to see a vet to get a diagnosis and to be prescribed the correct course of treatment dosed by their weights. They will both need to be treated.

Treatment is usually with a product called Xeno and is three separate treatment with two weeks between each treatment (so six weeks to fully deal with mites (or lice for that matter)).

Disinfection of the cage a few days after each treatment is also important.

Ok! Will I need to get new hay (will they keep coming back?) or is the one I have now ok - the current box is almost empty so we'll be getting a fresh box soon anyway or is it the brand/company that's the issue? I will have a look at getting them booked into the vets but is there any way to get the right dosage from home? I haven't been back to the vets since one of my pigs died (why we rescued Olive) so the vets is a little traumatic/triggering for me I will take them if there is no way to do it from home though, I'll put my emotions aside for their health!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Ok! Will I need to get new hay (will they keep coming back?) or is the one I have now ok - the current box is almost empty so we'll be getting a fresh box soon anyway or is it the brand/company that's the issue? I will have a look at getting them booked into the vets but is there any way to get the right dosage from home? I haven't been back to the vets since one of my pigs died (why we rescued Olive) so the vets is a little traumatic/triggering for me I will take them if there is no way to do it from home though, I'll put my emotions aside for their health!

Yes you should replace your hay.

It’s bad luck I’m afraid. Imported or large scale hay harvesting can bring about mite issues but happy hay is uk company and the one I actually use myself without issue.

You do need to go the vet, we would never recommend home treatments. I can appreciate it’s a difficult thing for you to do but it really is the best thing. The parasite products you can buy from a pet shop are too weak to cure it, they can also lead to resistance forming and you will still end up at the vet. By that them it would have cost you more than necessary be spending out on a treatment which one work before getting the right one, plus prolonging the infestation.

Do read the green link that weepweeps added in as it explains everything including disinfection