Tapeworms

[Elephonty]

Can guinea pigs get tapeworms from humans?

For context someone in my family has had a tapeworm infection and we didn't know until after they fed the guinea pig.

I am worried as woody has a whole host of issues and I'm fine with getting some wormer if needed!

 

[Wiebke]

@PigglePuggle is our parasites expert. I can't answer your question, unfortunately.

But you should be able to to minimise any transmission risks massively with thorough hand washing before preparing any food and before and after handling your piggies or anything in contact with them.

 

[PigglePuggle]

Whether guinea pigs can catch tapeworms from humans depends rather which species it is, and also where the human picked this up. Tapeworms are quite rare in humans nowadays, and are most commonly picked up when eating undercooked meat. They are extremely unlikely to develop normally within the gut of a guinea pig- but the larvae may get lost and form cysts in other places in the body. Good hand hygiene is a sensible precaution. Worming would be with praziquantel, no other worm medicines are effective for tapeworm- but this isnt given to guinea pigs very often, so consulting a vet about the dose and which product is safe would be essential.

 

[Elephonty]

Whether guinea pigs can catch tapeworms from humans depends rather which species it is, and also where the human picked this up. Tapeworms are quite rare in humans nowadays, and are most commonly picked up when eating undercooked meat. They are extremely unlikely to develop normally within the gut of a guinea pig- but the larvae may get lost and form cysts in other places in the body. Good hand hygiene is a sensible precaution. Worming would be with praziquantel, no other worm medicines are effective for tapeworm- but this isnt given to guinea pigs very often, so consulting a vet about the dose and which product is safe would be essential.

Thank you! We are now pretty sure it's pinworms !

She is washing her hands regularly obviously and waiting on treatment but not a nice thing for a 10 year old, she felt incredibly guilty too as she didnt know until she saw one

Just to be on the safe side I am washing my hands regularly and also getting preventative treatment. I'm keeping handling to a minimum and wearing gloves when touching him

 

[PigglePuggle]

Ah ok pinworms are a roundworm not a tapeworm, very common in humans especially children- and while unpleasant to think about no chance of human pinworm infecting piggies, and no real threat to human health either- just like headlice in kids hair, but worms and bums lol. Very common in schools but nobody likes to mention it of course! Pinworms in humans are usually treated with an albendazole or febendazole prescription worming medicine which is just like panacur for worming pets, but in a human calculated fose and formulation.
A bit yucky but nothing to worry about long term- we had another poster here a few weeks ago asking about human pinworm, but I can't remember who... no risk to piggies though and nothing anyone can avoid if the other kids dont wash their hands properly!

 

[Elephonty]

Ah ok pinworms are a roundworm not a tapeworm, very common in humans especially children- and while unpleasant to think about no chance of human pinworm infecting piggies, and no real threat to human health either- just like headlice in kids hair, but worms and bums lol. Very common in schools but nobody likes to mention it of course! Pinworms in humans are usually treated with an albendazole or febendazole prescription worming medicine which is just like panacur for worming pets, but in a human calculated fose and formulation.
A bit yucky but nothing to worry about long term- we had another poster here a few weeks ago asking about human pinworm, but I can't remember who... no risk to piggies though and nothing anyone can avoid if the other kids dont wash their hands properly!

Thank you! This is actually the second time she has got them from school bless her! Major freak out over we have all got some treatment and I'm keeping up my hygiene including washing everything that was touched which is a long process!