Ringworm mites and lice
We are often asked how to treat and prevent lice, mites and ringworm in guinea pigs.
Thankfully this is not a thing we need to run to the vet for. My advice should never replace vet care, and if you are concerned your number one place for advice should always be an exotic vet.
If your guinea pig is showing signs of hair loss, in our experience it is wise to treat for fungal and for mites. Mites often presents itself as a V shape hair loss pattern on the back of the guinea pig. Fungal often starts on the face. Either problem can be anywhere on the body though.
Fungal ie, Ringworm is contagious to us, so always wear gloves when handling and treating. Mites is species specific.
If the affected guinea pig, lives with piggy friends, I would treat everyone as a preventative. Wash cage well, including bars of cage and any accessories with a mild bleach solution, we also wipe over with vinegar. Throw away anything wooden as it is hard to get fungal spores out of wood.
Some people believe piggies can get mites from hay. In my experience, this is not one of the main culprits. Mites and bugs need a host to survive. Unless there was a host in the hay, which could happen occasionally, it it is unlikely hay is the culprit. Humans and animal alike all carry a certain amount of bacteria etc on their skin and bodies. This is normally kept in check by us being healthy. When guinea pigs don’t feel their best, they become stressed. Stress can cause their bodies to go out of whack for a while and let bugs etc take a stronger hold on them. Stress can be as simple as a move or a new cage, maybe a new cage mate or some change in their environment and routine.
Over the 35 years we have had guinea pigs, we have seen mites, lice and fungus in guinea pigs that come in. We have seen severe cases, but it is relatively easy to treat and to prevent.
If you believe your guinea has any of the symptoms of hairloss or itching the very first thing to do is to treat right away with Ivermectin. This product is placed behind the ears on the guinea pig, on the bold spot, they all have. Guinea Lynx has the dosages based on weight on their website, but it basically equates to one drop behind each ear on a 2lb guinea pig. Smaller than that, we use one drop behind one ear.
Do not bathe your guinea pig at this time. Bathing can make itching more intense and cause your guinea pig to have seizures. If you see obvious ringworm signs, you can use Lotramin cream on those patches. Athletes Foot Cream and Jock Itch cream work too.
We wait for six to seven days to give a bath, to give the Ivermectin time to do its job. We then bathe with Nizoral shampoo. This is an antifungal shampoo. It kills fungal spores and is soothing to skin irritations. We soak the piggy for a few minutes working the shampoo in well. After the bath we re apply Ivermectin as before.
Ivermectin will kill Mites and lice. It should be used three times, seven to ten days apart, so you get the life cycle of any bugs. It does not kill eggs.
If treating for Ringworm cream should be applied twice a day for two weeks on the patches. Even if it starts to look better, finish the course, to make sure all spores are gone.
There is a lot of conflicting information out there. We must all decide safely what works for us, through research and talking to others. Anti fungal shampoos do not kill mites and lice. Miconazole shampoo is an anti fungal shampoo. Some people are getting confused and using it to treat mites. That is because of the wrong information being put out there by some. I am getting messages daily of piggies getting worse with mites, because they are treating with this shampoo. Ivermectin treats lice and mites. Nizoral, Meconazole etc treats fungal. It is always wise to treat for both, but don’t bathe a guinea pig who is symptomatic until the Ivermectin has had time to work.
Ivermectin can also be used as a preventive. We routinely treat every pig that enters and leaves our home. We also treat our herd every four to six weeks. This way you can stop something before it starts.
I am not a vet, so please consult your exotic vet if in any doubt what you are dealing with.
Thankfully this is not a thing we need to run to the vet for. My advice should never replace vet care, and if you are concerned your number one place for advice should always be an exotic vet.
If your guinea pig is showing signs of hair loss, in our experience it is wise to treat for fungal and for mites. Mites often presents itself as a V shape hair loss pattern on the back of the guinea pig. Fungal often starts on the face. Either problem can be anywhere on the body though.
Fungal ie, Ringworm is contagious to us, so always wear gloves when handling and treating. Mites is species specific.
If the affected guinea pig, lives with piggy friends, I would treat everyone as a preventative. Wash cage well, including bars of cage and any accessories with a mild bleach solution, we also wipe over with vinegar. Throw away anything wooden as it is hard to get fungal spores out of wood.
Some people believe piggies can get mites from hay. In my experience, this is not one of the main culprits. Mites and bugs need a host to survive. Unless there was a host in the hay, which could happen occasionally, it it is unlikely hay is the culprit. Humans and animal alike all carry a certain amount of bacteria etc on their skin and bodies. This is normally kept in check by us being healthy. When guinea pigs don’t feel their best, they become stressed. Stress can cause their bodies to go out of whack for a while and let bugs etc take a stronger hold on them. Stress can be as simple as a move or a new cage, maybe a new cage mate or some change in their environment and routine.
Over the 35 years we have had guinea pigs, we have seen mites, lice and fungus in guinea pigs that come in. We have seen severe cases, but it is relatively easy to treat and to prevent.
If you believe your guinea has any of the symptoms of hairloss or itching the very first thing to do is to treat right away with Ivermectin. This product is placed behind the ears on the guinea pig, on the bold spot, they all have. Guinea Lynx has the dosages based on weight on their website, but it basically equates to one drop behind each ear on a 2lb guinea pig. Smaller than that, we use one drop behind one ear.
Do not bathe your guinea pig at this time. Bathing can make itching more intense and cause your guinea pig to have seizures. If you see obvious ringworm signs, you can use Lotramin cream on those patches. Athletes Foot Cream and Jock Itch cream work too.
We wait for six to seven days to give a bath, to give the Ivermectin time to do its job. We then bathe with Nizoral shampoo. This is an antifungal shampoo. It kills fungal spores and is soothing to skin irritations. We soak the piggy for a few minutes working the shampoo in well. After the bath we re apply Ivermectin as before.
Ivermectin will kill Mites and lice. It should be used three times, seven to ten days apart, so you get the life cycle of any bugs. It does not kill eggs.
If treating for Ringworm cream should be applied twice a day for two weeks on the patches. Even if it starts to look better, finish the course, to make sure all spores are gone.
There is a lot of conflicting information out there. We must all decide safely what works for us, through research and talking to others. Anti fungal shampoos do not kill mites and lice. Miconazole shampoo is an anti fungal shampoo. Some people are getting confused and using it to treat mites. That is because of the wrong information being put out there by some. I am getting messages daily of piggies getting worse with mites, because they are treating with this shampoo. Ivermectin treats lice and mites. Nizoral, Meconazole etc treats fungal. It is always wise to treat for both, but don’t bathe a guinea pig who is symptomatic until the Ivermectin has had time to work.
Ivermectin can also be used as a preventive. We routinely treat every pig that enters and leaves our home. We also treat our herd every four to six weeks. This way you can stop something before it starts.
I am not a vet, so please consult your exotic vet if in any doubt what you are dealing with.