[dizzylizzie]

ok, we havent even had this baby guinea pig for a week, and today we had to take him to the vets because he has mites    !!!
the vet thinks the stress of leaving his mum, and coming to a new home has allowed the mites to get a hold. Apparently, they can live dormant under the skin until the cavy becomes ill or is placed under stress, well our poor little man has a nasty sore on his head . I agreed to take the piggy from my friends sister-in-law, so i rang my friend today to tell her to tell her sister-in-law she has to take her piggies for treatment , as the vet said its the only place he could have caught them from, and she wont tell her-she is embarassed!!!! she dosent want her sister-in-law to think people think her pigs are not looked after properly!!!!! :mad:ow im so mad!!!! this woman got her pig from a famous pet store, shortly after bringing the guinea pig home, she gave birth, ive had the only boy, who has mites, and as the mites can only be passed from piggy to piggy, and we have had him less than a week, and he hasnt been anywhere else, he must have come with them, so the rest of the family of pigs must also have them, and my friend is too embaressed to tell them!!!! its mad...those poor pigs are going to suffer
Anyway...my little one has been treated, and he is going again in 2 weeks for more treatment, then again 2 weeks after that. If anyone has come across this before , any tips on how to stop his itching would be most welcome, thanks lizzie

[Aunt Sally]

We had some piggies when our children were small and they had mites at one time (the piggies not the children).  I was told it had probably come in on the hay/straw.  We had to dunk them in some yellow liquid a few times (no idea what it was - too long ago to remember).  It cured them.

[dizzylizzie]

Hi, thanks for that, i did ask if they could have come in on the hay, as timothy hay is a major part of his diet, but the vet said they are guinea pig mites, they only live on pigs, and are passed from one pig to the other. I asked about cleaning/disinfecting his cage, and she said no need to do anything different as they dont live in bedding, just feel sorry for the poor little thing......and cant believe ive got another animal that needs the flipin vet

[Aunt Sally]

Well I was wrongly informed then 

Are you using the yellow plundge bath stuff ?

[Beetroot queen]

Never had mites in any of mine, how old was the piggy when he left his mum, he looked so small in the pics but maybe thats because mine look so porky 

could he have been too young to leave and the stress was too much

[Hawkins]

when ours had mites again vet said it was from the hay, the vet gave us

Xeno 450 Spot-On treatment to use. It stops the itching and gets rid of the mites.

[Beetroot queen]

 Mites are NOT passed on to people or other pets.
 Mites are NOT visible to the naked eye.
 Mites are very difficult to test for.
 Mites do not originate from hay or bedding.
 Mites CAN be passed from guinea pig to guinea pig.
 Mites cannot be 'cured' with a shampoo.
 Mites require a vet visit and 2-3 subsequent visits for treatment. Most vets who suspect mites will simply treat for it. It is easier and less painful than testing.
Mites may always be present in guinea pigs, but can overtake an animal under stress, poor diet, or pregnancy. If left untreated, seizures and death can result.

Might be worth highligting the above to the person they came from

[dizzylizzie]

No Aunt sally, he has had some topical ivermectin (sp?) on his back, between his shoulders. It dosent kill the eggs apparently, thats why he needs more doses. Normally the vet would just give it to the owner, but the dosage is calculated on weight and as he is only a baby, his weight is expected to change, therefor the dosage will change , im apparently not capable of working that out!
As regards the info, you may not have been given the wrong info, it may have been the mange mite yours had, which can be carried on bedding....and also treatments change all the time, maybe its just a different treatment now

[Aunt Sally]

BQ can you give a link  for that list please.  We infringe copy right without a reference back to where you copied it from.

[Beetroot queen]

BQ can you give a link  for that list please.  We infringe copy right without a reference back to where you copied it from.

http://www.cavyspirit.com/biting.htm

Sorry 

[Aunt Sally]

You are quite right Lizzie,  we are talking prehistory when my children were young

Mange mite rings a bell though.

[Aunt Sally]

Thanks BQ

[Beetroot queen]

Thanks BQ

I had to enter it into google to find it again. I never thought about the desk top history  I didnt post the link as last time I did it was nearly 30 foot long and made the screen go funny, and then I had to have it fixed  I have been told how to shorten links 5 million times and guess what I still cant 

[dizzylizzie]

beetroot queen, thankyou, that os exactly what the vet said. He was born on the first of dec, so he was very young, but had to be seperated because he is old enough to breed with her . The vet thinks its the stress of the new home/seperation that has brought this on. I was hoping what the vet said about bedding was true, because pigs need hay i was worried about getting more hay for him! Im going to ring the woman i had him from tomorrow, my friend dosent want me to, but i dont care, her pigs need treatment. The vet said some people believe a small number are always present on the pigs, then if they are ill, or stressed etc, it lowers the pigs immune system, allowing the mites to thrive ...like i said earlier, he has had his first dose, but i just dont want him to be in pain, is there anything i can do other than wait for the ivermectin to take affect, and anything i can do in the future to stop this happening again?...thanks

[dizzylizzie]

You are quite right Lizzie,  we are talking prehistory when my children were young

Mange mite rings a bell though.

sorry that sounds cheeky...didnt mean it to sound like that!