White little dots

[MnJ]

I found white little dots/specks on Jasper's back side today. I wanted to take a picture but it is hard to capture it as he moves a lot and they are very tiny. They are not lice as they don't move and are a lot smaller. Also they are kinda at the end of the hair, not close to the skin. My other piggy had lice months ago, so I know what they look like.

I was wondering what it may be. The skin is not irritated/red and I don't see him scratch more than usual. It is kinda like dandruff, but a lot smaller. I used a torch light to see properly. Is it just dust, something from the hay? Does he need a bath, vet visit?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Run your fingers down a hair shaft . If the specks do not come off and are stuck fast, you will feel little bobbles stuck to the hair shaft then they are likely to be hay mites (actually the pieces stuck to the hair are egg casings. Hay mites themselves are not visible to the human eye).
In that case you will need to see a vet for a course of treatment, throw hay away, clean the cage etc

If they come off then they are more likely to be something not of concern - skin flakes; hay dust etc but what it actually is I’m afraid we can’t tell given we can’t see it.
Bathing should not be carried out unless there is a real medical need to do so - dry skin is not going to to be a sufficient reason given bathing can strip the skin natural oils and can make skin issues worse.

 

[MnJ]

I managed to get a picture with good lighting. I didn't feel anything when I ran my hand through it. Some of it seem to come off, but it's hard to tell, because he lost his patience quickly even though i bribed him with veg. Idk if this is related but I cleaned his grease gland with some coconut oil and fragrance free baby wipes a couple of days ago.

 

[MnJ]

Bad news, I spoke too soon. I didn't see anything moving but today I think I saw some moving with a magnifying glass. Still not sure though, because he keeps moving and they are tinier than those Mylo had. Also Mylo didn't had them at the end of the hair, but close to his skin. Nothing was visible unless you parted the hair and looked for them. Jasper's look like split ends at the end of the hair. Anyway got an appointment for the vet tomorrow.

If they are indeed lice, I just have no idea how he got them. I also don't see anything on Mylo no white dots, nothings. Their fleece is washed on 60-90 long cycle. Main fleece gets changed every 3-4 days, sometimes more frequent if necessary. Hay trays disinfected/ cleaned every day. Pee pads changed every 1-2 days. I give them bell peper daily for vit c and coriander about 3 times weekly plus other veg. I just don't know what I did wrong and how I can prevent this from happening again. I am so angry at myself right now.

 

[MnJ]

Can i also ask what is usually prescribed for lice or hay mites. Also what is the best way to disinfect their wood items or i should just throw them away. Mylo didn't have wood items when he had them.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You didn’t do anything wrong. Please don’t blame yourself.
Xeno is the treatment for lice and mites.
F10 is the pet grade disinfectant that is recommended .
I soak wood items in F10 solution and then lay them out to dry

Thread 'New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights'

Jun 24, 2018

In order to nip any major problems in the bud as much as possible right at the start, there are some things you should do with all new arrivals.

New Guinea Pig Problems
1 Double-checking the gender upon arrival
- Sexing
- Pregnancies and surprise babies
2 When to quarantine new companions?
3 Vet visits
- Health check/registration upon arrival
- Reclaiming vet cost for newly bought ill guinea pigs...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 1
• Forum: New and Wannabe Guinea Pig Owners Corner

• 

 

[MnJ]

Do you recommend washing the fleece with it as well? Also is it a good idea to get some treatment for Mylo as well. The receptionist said that after they know what it is, they may give me some for him. They live side by side.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Do you recommend washing the fleece with it as well? Also is it a good idea to get some treatment for Mylo as well. The receptionist said that after they know what it is, they may give me some for him. They live side by side.

Washing the fleece as normal should be enough.

He may need to be treated if they have come into contact at the bars for example. What you don’t want is for one to pass it back to the other and start it all off again

 

[MnJ]

That is from a link on Wiebke's guide- Guinea linx

Guinea Lynx :: Fur Mites

"Cheyletiella parasitivorax, rabbit fur mites, live on the karatin layer of the skin. These large, non-burrowing mites can be found on cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other animals and can bite, but do not live on humans (cause small reddened, itchy spots). About .3 mm long, they are a pale yellow to white mite. Supposedly these mites are difficult to see and get their name from the fact that they look like tiny bits of dandruff crawling in the fur. Mette the Vet says "Cheyletiella live off the skin. To dissolve the skin they excrete digesting enzymes on the skin surface which digests a small part of it, hereafter the mite eats the dissolved skin." This is what causes the extreme discomfort and scratching, hair loss and scabs. According to her, pet owners can experience itching and red skin eruptions from these digestive enzymes after being in contact with their guinea pigs.

Find images of ectoparasites at www.radil.missouri.edu.

In rabbits: "Cheyletiella parasitivorax might not cause signs in rabbits or it can result in loose hair that can be pulled out in clumps. Affected skin may be slightly reddened, oily, hairless, and scaly in patches over the back, shoulders, and head. Rabbits with Cheyletiella mite infestations appear to have increased "dandruff" on the skin and deep in the fur." (Harkness and Wagner, The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents) In contrast, sarcoptid mites are supposedly rarely found on the face and limbs in rabbits and are microscopic. In most animals there will be itching with varying amounts of dandruff and may be scabs or crusts of dried exudate.

Treatment: Thoroughly clean the living quarters and treat your guinea pigs topically with ivermectin at recommended doses (0.5mg/kg). Place 1/3 of the dose behind each ear and 1/3 in the rump area. Cheyletiella parasitivorax may be particularly difficult to get rid of in the home."


To me it is more logical to be that, since I have absolutely no idea from where he might got lices. It says that they get it from an infected piggy or bedding, etc. I also do have red itchy spots, but I had some away before this and now as well, so might not be related. I'll see what the vet will say tomorrow. I just don't want him to get the wrong diagnosis. Does anyone have any experience with this? It doesn't say that there are egg casings that can be felt with that species. I don't particularly like the last sentence, that they are hard to get rid off. I also can't find info on how they get it.

Does Xeno contain ivermectin?

 

[Piggies&buns]

That is from a link on Wiebke's guide- Guinea linx

Guinea Lynx :: Fur Mites

"Cheyletiella parasitivorax, rabbit fur mites, live on the karatin layer of the skin. These large, non-burrowing mites can be found on cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other animals and can bite, but do not live on humans (cause small reddened, itchy spots). About .3 mm long, they are a pale yellow to white mite. Supposedly these mites are difficult to see and get their name from the fact that they look like tiny bits of dandruff crawling in the fur. Mette the Vet says "Cheyletiella live off the skin. To dissolve the skin they excrete digesting enzymes on the skin surface which digests a small part of it, hereafter the mite eats the dissolved skin." This is what causes the extreme discomfort and scratching, hair loss and scabs. According to her, pet owners can experience itching and red skin eruptions from these digestive enzymes after being in contact with their guinea pigs.

Find images of ectoparasites at www.radil.missouri.edu.

In rabbits: "Cheyletiella parasitivorax might not cause signs in rabbits or it can result in loose hair that can be pulled out in clumps. Affected skin may be slightly reddened, oily, hairless, and scaly in patches over the back, shoulders, and head. Rabbits with Cheyletiella mite infestations appear to have increased "dandruff" on the skin and deep in the fur." (Harkness and Wagner, The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents) In contrast, sarcoptid mites are supposedly rarely found on the face and limbs in rabbits and are microscopic. In most animals there will be itching with varying amounts of dandruff and may be scabs or crusts of dried exudate.

Treatment: Thoroughly clean the living quarters and treat your guinea pigs topically with ivermectin at recommended doses (0.5mg/kg). Place 1/3 of the dose behind each ear and 1/3 in the rump area. Cheyletiella parasitivorax may be particularly difficult to get rid of in the home."


To me it is more logical to be that, since I have absolutely no idea from where he might got lices. It says that they get it from an infected piggy or bedding, etc. I also do have red itchy spots, but I had some away before this and now as well, so might not be related. I'll see what the vet will say tomorrow. I just don't want him to get the wrong diagnosis. Does anyone have any experience with this? It doesn't say that there are egg casings that can be felt with that species. I don't particularly like the last sentence, that they are hard to get rid off. I also can't find info on how they get it.

Does Xeno contain ivermectin?

To my knowledge rabbit fur mites or rabbit ear mites are only going affect guinea pigs if you also keep rabbits. (I do also keep rabbits and have never had an issue because I keep very stringent hygiene and never risk any cross contamination between my piggies and bunnies.)

Do you have rabbits? if not, then I would think it highly unlikely this is going to be the diagnosis.

Have your piggies been anywhere in contact with rabbits or have they been near other guinea pigs?

Yes Xeno contains ivermectin

Hay mites come in with hay.
Mange mites live in their skin all the time but are kept at bay by the immune system.
Lice - In new piggies it can be from a backyard breeder/poor conditions/neglect. But otherwise it’s just a bit of a mystery.

 

[naguya]

Mange mites live in their skin all the time but are kept at bay by the immune system.

A guinea pig with weak immune system may keep presenting mange mites periodically?

 

[Piggies&buns]

A guinea pig with weak immune system may keep presenting mange mites periodically?

You can see an outbreak if their immune system is struggling.

For example, this happened to my elderly rabbit (he passed away two years ago). His system simply couldn’t fight and he had a mite outbreak in the weeks before I had to let him go

 

[MnJ]

No I don't have rabbits, no contact with other guinea pigs or rabbits. To be honest getting rid of lice seems a lot easier than those mites, it is just that the description sounds a lot like it.

I got Jazzy at the end of May. When I got him he had bald patches on his chest, tummy, legs and groin area. I posted on here about this. Also the fur on his chest and tummy was rough, like it has been cut off before. Kinda like when a man gets a really short hair cut or has a stubble. It felt like that. It is not like that anymore. Also no bald patches, only the one on his grease gland. The vet said that there is nothing visible, but she put a spot on just in case back then.

I guess the treatment would be the same regardless what it is, and I will add the f10 in the cleaning regime instead of the white vinegar. I just want to know what and how it happened, so it doesn't happen again. Also the fact that I didn't see anything on my other piggy yet, is very strange.

Anyway, do you think I should separate fleece items for each one of them. Now I don't, but I wonder if that will make it more likely to spread, although they sleep next to each other next to the bars so I don't know if that will do much.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Mites/lice unfortunately happen and there is simply no way of avoiding it. All you can do is deal with it if and when it happens.

I use F10 as a deep disinfectant every six weeks or so.

An immune system can fend a lot of things off and not everything is caught by the other so it’s not always strange when one gets something and another doesn’t.

 

[MnJ]

Just been to the vet, strangely enough he didn't had that much white dots. The vet wasn't sure what it is exactly, but his bald patch on his grease gland is red/inflamed. He said that this is reaction from a bite of an insect lice/mites/mosquitoes whatever. He give him a spot on Xeno, but it's Xeno 50-mini. I asked him if he needs more than one treatment and he said,that this one lasts 6 weeks and he gave me one more for Mylo. Isn't that one too weak and not enough. Mylo is 1200g and Jazzy 1015g ish.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Correct - too weak and not enough

Xeno 50 isn’t enough for adult piggies and as far as I’m aware it does not last six weeks (not unless something has changed in the formulation recently!).

We recommend that adult piggies under the xeno 450 weight (1200g if I remember rightly) are still given xeno 450 but are given a proportion of a pipette (based on weight).
Xeno 50, for piggies of their weights, will require multiple pipettes just for one treatment to get to their dosage for their weight - will cost a fortune!

Treatment course is a total of three treatments given at two week intervals

 

[MnJ]

Will it be safe for him to get the 450 soon, going to another vet tomorrow.

 

[MnJ]

I am actually quite disappointed with the vet. Just read the dosage of the 50 for his weight which is 4-5 and he gave him only 1 tube. He didn't even gave him a full treatment.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes I knew as soon as you said you’d been given one tube of the 50 and said their weights that it was nowhere near the right dose.

If he has already had a pipette of the 50 then the new vet needs to know that and will tell you when and if you can give a dose of the 450.

 

[MnJ]

Just back from the vet again. She said that those are mites and that they can have both lice and mites but she doesn't see any lice and that they usually come from the hay.

She give him a portion of the 450 and gave a tube for my other piggy. But she said that there is no need for repeated treatment, only if they are still there or if i see something. I think it would be good to trim his hair where the white dots are stuck. I have seen this being adviced here and also to give them vit c suplement for 2 weeks.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Just back from the vet again. She said that those are mites and that they can have both lice and mites but she doesn't see any lice and that they usually come from the hay.

She give him a portion of the 450 and gave a tube for my other piggy. But she said that there is no need for repeated treatment, only if they are still there or if i see something. I think it would be good to trim his hair where the white dots are stuck. I have seen this being adviced here and also to give them vit c suplement for 2 weeks.

A treatment only kills mites but not the eggs present at the time of initial treatment. Any eggs which exist at this moment will therefore hatch in around two weeks time. Therefore the second treatment kills the mites that have hatched. The third treatment catches any stragglers.
If any eggs are left and hatched without further treatment then the cycle perpetuates.

Yes it’s good to cut off his hair if he has hay mites.

Two week vit c booster is recommended to boost the immune system to help deal with lice.

Hay mites come from hay.

Lice can come from hay but it’s not always the case, they can come over other sources.

Mange mites live in the skin but are kept in check by a functioning immune system. They can become an infestation if the immune system is in some way compromised.

 

[MnJ]

Does that look like lice. To me this is away smaller than what Mylo had. I used the micro mode on the camera on my phone to capture this. It is almost invisible to the naked eye. Those on Mylo could be seen easily, even them moving.

Is it possible for the eggs casing of hay mites to fall on their own or maybe those were nits. Just wanted to trim him since he had quite a lot white dots stuck to his fur in a cluster like, but I can't find that thing anymore. Those were easily seen and the first thing I noticed, but they didn't feel bumpy at all.

Apologies for the many questions and the kinda gross picture, I am just curious and kinda like a nerd

 

[Piggies&buns]

Lice are visible to the human eye. Pale crawling creatures. Mylo clearly had lice.

Mites themselves are not visible to the human eye. All you can see of mites are their evidence - egg casings stuck to the hair shaft; scratching etc

No, they don’t fall off on their own - they are stuck fast. You will feel them when you run your hand fingers down the hair.

 

[MnJ]

Can hay mites infest other hay as well. My hay is bought in sealed plastic bags, but sometimes there is a little opening and I have a couple bags.

 

[MnJ]

I just trimmed his hair around his grease gland and I feel horrible about it. There was white dots stuck again in 2 clusters and he seemed uncomfortable and more itchy. I just have no idea why some days I don't see as many and some days there are a lot. He surprisingly didn't wiggle at all and behaved really well. I gave him a pepper as a snack but he didn't ate any during the trim, but he ate some of his hair . Strange boy. Is that something that can cause issues? It happened rather quickly.

 

[Piggies&buns]

It won’t cause issues - barbering (hair eating) is something they do (for a variety of reasons) but it won’t harm him

It’s the fact you’ve been told to only do one treatment with bothers me more!

 

[MnJ]

I know, I will call them again in two weeks to ask for the other rounds, but I don't know if they will agree. If he has something visible she said that they will do it. I will push for it though. The dosage for Mylo is rather simple just 1 tube, she told me that, but the one for Jazzy has to be dosed properly from the tube and I am kinda reluctant to trust other vets to dose it properly. I had my fair share of clueless vets and I am scared they may do more harm than good. It's not that this practice is perfect, but it is better than the others.

When Mylo had lices he stayed with the one spot on treatment I gave him, none of the vets I went to gave him anything else, he was deemed clear and to be fair I didn't see any as well. But it was a nightmare at that time and I was more focused on keeping him alive rather then the lice as his internal temp was 35° and he stopped eating after the spot on, which was actually underdosed. At that time I had him for like 3 weeks - 4 weeks and I had no idea what to do. I am glad that I found the forum, followed the advice and he pulled through.

Now spot on treatments make me nervous. As I said it might not have been the only reason for his illness or a reason at all, but he deteriorated quickly after that.

 

[MnJ]

Just been to the vet again. Good news. Today there was someone else at the practice and he did the tape test. He even showed me the mites under the microscope. Some were still alive. It's good to finally have answers.

The thing is the vet said it's better for him to have an injection, because some were still alive. So he gave him Panomec. It contains ivermectin. He even knew about the mites life cycle and said that he might need 3 treatments so I am back in 2 weeks time for another tape test. So he is a more knowledgeable than the others, but he tried to give the Xeno 50 for Mylo, only 1 tube. So I told him about the 450 and he gave me that, but said that that might be too much for him and make him drowsy. Now he didn't get drowsy after the first one but he lost like 40g, 20g he gained back and his poops were a bit tear shaped and less frequent and smaller and drier. He didn't show up for his hay top up one day and was a bit off that day,but he seems better now - popcorns, zooms and eats.He was around 1220, dropped to 1180 and now 1200. I am thinking do I give him a bit less from the Xeno 450. I don't know if that was reaction to it as it started a bit before I gave him the Xeno 450. I took him of veg and he seems better now.

Jazzy actually lost like 30g. He was around 1015 now 980 something. But the vet said that might be because of the scratching. Both of them are scratching more than usual.

Jasper screamed during the injection and shed a lot of fur. The last time I hold Mylo for an injection he started to try to bite me after we got home and I tried to take him out of the carrier. He is still like that sometimes. I hope Jazzy doesn't have the same reaction as he is very sweet and tame now.