Running lice

[kittyla]

I've found these on my two today, only a couple on Truffle but quite a few on Moo so I'm guessing as I've only had her
for a week she probably brought them with her. But incase she didn't, I was wondering if it's possible to catch them from
fresh grass? or only from hay? I hope I can get them out of Moo's thick rex fur with some lice & easy

 

[sport_billy]

Found this on guinea lynx for you http://www.guinealynx.info/lice.html

Hoping someone with some experience may be around to help advise

 

[Jerrybelly]

For some reason (in my experience) some guineas are prone to them! My Frankie has had them three times in the past year, but Marley (who lives with him) has never had them. Benny never had them, and neither has Jerry. This is despite them all having the same hay, bedding etc.

Running lice are white and you can see them moving if you look carefully. At a quick glance they can look like dandruff. Frankie is black so they are easily spotted on him!

I treat with either 2 or 3 treatments (depending on the severity) of Gorgeous Guineas Lice N' Easy, as per the instructions. This has got rid of them on every occasion.

It is important that the cage is thoroughly disinfected (including all bedding, houses etc) during and after treatment as otherwise the piggies will just keep reinfecting themselves from the eggs of the lice.

If you have never had experience with lice before then it is worth getting them confirmed with a vet. They can easily be mistaken for other skin complaints.

 

[kittyla]

Thanks that's interesting information. So according to this these lice cant be caught from the hay or the grass as they cant live outside the
animal. And Advantage 40 used to be safe to use before some other chemical was added to it, however, I've found it online without the
addition, Does anyone know if this is now safe to use?
thanks Jerrybelly, I've seen the lice before on other piggies, so I've learned what to look for (I get out the magnifying glass!)

 

[Rodentopia]

Ive had them too this year bad batch of hay is what i put it down too, running low and rushed to local petshop rather then normal place. Noticeable in darker coloured coats. I used Johnsons insecticidal small animal shampoo and took two treatments 7 days apart put heard good thinks about gorgeous guinea lice n easy too, used lots of other gorgeous guinea products though

 

[kittyla]

Actually, rethinking this, I presume even if they cant live on the hay their eggs could still be on it. From rats & mice?

 

[shiny]

Most lice tend to be species-specific so not sure if lice eggs from rats & mice would be an issue. Eggs from lice are normally laid on hair & stuck on close to the skin as they need this kind of warmth from their host so I wouldn't expect to see them in hay really. Lice are very hard to get rid of completely, chances are you will still have one or two hanging around & then will see a flare-up occasionally. Hope you can shift them ok.

Best wishes, shiny

 

[kittyla]

Most lice tend to be species-specific so not sure if lice eggs from rats & mice would be an issue. Eggs from lice are normally laid on hair & stuck on close to the skin as they need this kind of warmth from their host so I wouldn't expect to see them in hay really. Lice are very hard to get rid of completely, chances are you will still have one or two hanging around & then will see a flare-up occasionally. Hope you can shift them ok.

Best wishes, shiny

In that case it shouldn't really be possible to get them from the hay? unless someone working with the hay had been handling guinea pigs!
oh well, Moo will need to get used to having baths, with her thick fur it'll probably be a challenge to clear them all. Do you think any eggs
on the vetbed would survive the washing machine or would it need disinfecting?

 

[kittyla]

I thought I'd get some Easimec, a spot-on with 0.5% ivermectin, guineapigs are listed on the pack as treatable.
I use the 1% one for my chickens & it works really well. Has anyone used this on their piggies?

 

[Jerrybelly]

I've only ever treated with GG lice n' easy. This has worked every time so I've had no need to treat with anything else.

I use Halo pet bedding wash for my vetbed which kills all bacteria. Without this, the vetbed would need to be washed at a very high temperature to ensure that all the lice are killed (60 degrees, or above, I think, but I'm not 100% sure...)

 

[Rodentopia]

I thought I'd get some Easimec, a spot-on with 0.5% ivermectin, guineapigs are listed on the pack as treatable.
I use the 1% one for my chickens & it works really well. Has anyone used this on their piggies?

From what i was told spot ons dont work with lice as they don't bite the skin unlike mites etc... so spot ons won't work in killing them. Bathing is the best option with them 7 days apart first to kill the adults then on the 7th day the babies will have hatched. Make sure all bedding is washed and cage disinfected both times

 

[kittyla]

From what i was told spot ons dont work with lice as they don't bite the skin unlike mites etc... so spot ons won't work in killing them. Bathing is the best option with them 7 days apart first to kill the adults then on the 7th day the babies will have hatched. Make sure all bedding is washed and cage disinfected both times

I think its the hay mites you're thinking of rather than the lice, I think lice are blood suckers which is why they cause the scratching. Anyway I've done the first wash
and oh my! there are lots of dead ones on Moo, so many I was quite shocked! they must have thought her thick curly fur was a five star hotel. I'll definitely wash them
again at the weekend & see how it goes, if they haven't disappeared I'll try the ivermec to finish them off.

 

[helen105281]

I wouldn't use spot on, best to get them to the vets for Invermectin by either injection or orally. Running lice can come from a bad batch of hay.

I use Lyclear Creme rinse if my pigs have mites or lice but you need to patch test behind the ear for at least 24 hours first of all.

 

[helen105281]

You also need to leave 48 hours after any Ivermectin treatment before giving them a bath.

 

[Rodentopia]

I think its the hay mites you're thinking of rather than the lice, I think lice are blood suckers which is why they cause the scratching. Anyway I've done the first wash
and oh my! there are lots of dead ones on Moo, so many I was quite shocked! they must have thought her thick curly fur was a five star hotel. I'll definitely wash them
again at the weekend & see how it goes, if they haven't disappeared I'll try the ivermec to finish them off.

No definately lice as dealt with them this year already. Little white wriggly things that are on the hair shaft. Mites live on the skin lice live on the hair shaft and dont tend to bite whereas mites do why invermectin works best for them. When Moos dried they should brush out easily, 7 days do her again and all the babies will be gone. Just keep an eye on her they could reappear haven't on mine though

 

[kittyla]

yes you're right degu, it says the same on the Gorgeous Guinea site. What I'm a little confused by is whether they can actually get them from hay.
If the lice are species specific so only live on guinea pigs, and cant survive for long off the host, how do they get onto the hay? unless there
are guineapigs where the hay is produced I don't see how that could happen. hmmm? any thoughts?

 

[Rodentopia]

I ain't a clue all i know is my black coated piggy didn't have any then i got different hay and he did. I comb him twice a week and have looked ever since and thankfully nothing. I've googled it and can't find if they are species specific i know rabbits can get lice from hay.

 

[kittyla]

that guinealynx link at the beginning of this thread claims they are host specific, maybe no one really knows enough about them to be sure.