Worming And Flea Treating Indoor Piggies?

[bumbling-bambi]

So i have two young boars and this is the first time i have kept piggies indoors so i am wondering should i be worming and flea treating my boys? Am i a terrible piggie mum for not doing so?
The only creatures other than them living with me is a snake and my boyfriend so I'm not sure?
I groom them daily as they are very long haired so i do check for anything untoward in their fur and I've never seen anything!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[eileen]

guinea pigs do not usually need flea and worming prevention treatment .its usually only advised to treat a current mite/lice/fungal infection.if you are concerned maybe you could pop along to your vet for a checkup.@Adelle maybe able to give you more accurate information.you are a very considerate cavy carer.

 

[bumbling-bambi]

Thank you! - They are off to the vets next week for their regular check up (as they are growing i like to do it every 3 months or so!) but between them i check them when i groom. But thank you - I used to worm and flea treat my outdoor piggies just in case because we had a cat so i wasn't sure if my indoor boys needed it too! I like to make sure they are as happy as can be so this website is brilliant! Do you think Adelle would mind me popping her a message? Just as i prefer to know everything i can so i can make better decisions regarding their care!

 

[zombieprincess]

I have never routinely flead guinea pigs. And have kept them outside (and also had cats) for 20 years. Nor have I ever found a flea on them, so I'd say it's not necessary. I'd imagine much like lice or mites it's best done if you know it to be there. Some people swear by routinely worming every 3 months with panacur. Again I have only done it when I've felt it necessary, such as in the summer when they are out grazing more.

 

[VickiA]

I would let the vet advise you @bumbling-bambi. We do not recommend home treating with any medication or treatment unless it has been recommended by a vet following an examination.

As for messaging members, please could we ask that you do not privately message any forum member about Health and Illness issues. It is far preferable for them to be dealt with on the open forum as you are doing. That way everyone can see your concerns and you can gain the responses of more than one member. It is safer for the members and the staff that way as there is a clear trail of information. Thanks.

 

[Adelle]

I have never wormed or flea treated a Guinea pig. It should only be done if there is a diagnosis of an infestation.

Iv only mite treated my lot once with xeno as fudge was losin her hair.. Turned out to be hormonal And no one had mites!

Iv never routinely treated for anything and never had any pigs come down with any bugs so i don't see the need personally x

 

[Wiebke]

So i have two young boars and this is the first time i have kept piggies indoors so i am wondering should i be worming and flea treating my boys? Am i a terrible piggie mum for not doing so?
The only creatures other than them living with me is a snake and my boyfriend so I'm not sure?
I groom them daily as they are very long haired so i do check for anything untoward in their fur and I've never seen anything!
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Indoors guinea pigs don't have species specific fleas and do not need worming. Please be careful with using low dosed broad spectrum shop products on spec.

It is generally much better to treat with a full course of good quality stuff if and when you have actually got a proper diagnosis for mange mites/fungal or lice - which is hopefully never.

 

[bumbling-bambi]

Thank you for the advice - and also for letting me know about messaging members privately I'm still new here so not sure of all the rules!
They are both seeing a vet next so i will discuss with her but i thought i would be good to get the opinions of other piggie owners before i go to see what works for others!
I'll have to discuss the worming issue with our vet for when they are able to go outside and graze when it warms up - they don't like the cold one bit and often complain when i open a window in the house xD So no adventures for these two until it warms up! I tend to go and get them some grass as an extra nibble when its really cold like this!
As i said these are my first indoor pigs and when i had outdoor pigs I was told by our vet that they should be flea treated and wormed but I think that was to do with the fact we lived next to a horse farm so i wasn't sure if it still applied! Again thank you for helping me clear this up! They haven't had any form of treatments so unless our vet says otherwise i won't bother! (they see the vet roughly once every 3 months as when i got them they were very malnourished and I'm trying to put weight on them in the healthiest way possible and as such they get regular check ups just to make sure they aren't putting on too much too quickly and stressing their joints!)

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for the advice - and also for letting me know about messaging members privately I'm still new here so not sure of all the rules!
They are both seeing a vet next so i will discuss with her but i thought i would be good to get the opinions of other piggie owners before i go to see what works for others!
I'll have to discuss the worming issue with our vet for when they are able to go outside and graze when it warms up - they don't like the cold one bit and often complain when i open a window in the house xD So no adventures for these two until it warms up! I tend to go and get them some grass as an extra nibble when its really cold like this!
As i said these are my first indoor pigs and when i had outdoor pigs I was told by our vet that they should be flea treated and wormed but I think that was to do with the fact we lived next to a horse farm so i wasn't sure if it still applied! Again thank you for helping me clear this up! They haven't had any form of treatments so unless our vet says otherwise i won't bother! (they see the vet roughly once every 3 months as when i got them they were very malnourished and I'm trying to put weight on them in the healthiest way possible and as such they get regular check ups just to make sure they aren't putting on too much too quickly and stressing their joints!)

If you have a fairly enclosed back garden lawn, then your need to worm is pretty small and flea treatment is not needed as you are at very low risk. I have never needed to worm my piggies, nor have most of us with lawn access, to be honest. We have have pretty rarely cases in our health/illness where worming is one of the options to pursue. But you are welcome to discuss it with your vet. A lot depends on what animals your lawn is regularly exposed to and how high the risk is.

You may want to check on our diet thread; the more hay they eat, the better.
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

 

[bumbling-bambi]

If you have a fairly enclosed back garden lawn, then your need to worm is pretty small and flea treatment is not needed as you are at very low risk. I have never needed to worm my piggies, nor have most of us with lawn access, to be honest. We have have pretty rarely cases in our health/illness where worming is one of the options to pursue. But you are welcome to discuss it with your vet. A lot depends on what animals your lawn is regularly exposed to and how high the risk is.

You may want to check on our diet thread; the more hay they eat, the better.
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

They get through mountains of hay! I can't get my head round where it all goes! they eat almost as much as my shetland pony did! The lawn access we have is pretty bad really as its only a little bit at the back of our house as it is a communal area. The only time I allow them out there is if i can ensure that nothing has been sprayed nearby in terms of pesticides or anything! They often get day trips back to my parents house who have a massive run they play in with her rabbit next door to them. For the most part I will pick them grass as they prefer it over the normal treats you buy (fine by me!) and they will get their daily veg and the amount of that varies if they have had a lot of grass. They get the freshest hay i can find, previously having horses has its perks - i can find really good quality hay for cheap! and of course they will have their 'complete food' which is the natures feast pellet food.
I am pretty reluctant to allow them out onto our shared lawn as there has been a dog and a few cats out here in the past few months and I'm not sure of how regularly they were wormed or taken to the vet.