my guinea girls have mites,i got some mectin stuff from our vet, but he wasnt helpful about , where we got them from, and how to prevent reinfestation, ive washed out the cages, with bleach ,sprayed the walls they are near,i had big bag of hay and straw next to pigs should i chuck this.pigs are now on news paper so i can change daily, any thing else i can do, never seen anything like this.
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help elve
- Thread starter theresa
- Start date
petticoat74
Alpha Buck
I had a serious problem with mites a while back, and as I got 30 pigs it is a serious problem!! If you got ivermectin droplets, then I would suggest, bath them with very mild dandruff shampoo, I have organic stuff, then apply the drops... bed them on paper, shredded paper and a little hay to munch, but not to bed down on... no straw... it took 3 weeks to clear in my lot! Hope that helps?
petticoat74
Alpha Buck
Comes in through the hay, this weather doesnt help either... they all carry it on them and when they feel down or stressed they can flare up... but if it bad weather it can flare too! Try putting a crushed kelp tablet in their dry food, as this helps the coat condition...or Denes Denex tablets.. they good too!! If you have a bad case and have ivermectin drops put 3 drops on back of ear once week, thats what I do.. and you can buy it online.. its MUCH cheaper, dont need script and if you have lots of piggies.. you will probably need it again!!
Ivermectin apparently stays in the system for a month so it should prevent reinfestation (from that particular infestation - though obviously if the mites are coming from the hay you might want to change suppliers or they'll return once the ivermectin is out of their system) if used correctly. Just be careful with the dose and stick to what the vet said as you can overdose and it has nasty side effects on the nervous system
petticoat74
Alpha Buck
Thats okay!! Glad to help!!
SarahP
Wise Old Thumper
I disagree with a lot of this, to be honest. A lot of vets think that the most common mites are internal to the guinea pig and times of stress bring them out. I therefore don't get rid of all the hay etc when my guinea pigs get mites - it is really common and I have never known them to have come from the hay. I do, obviously, clean the cage thoroughly though - I just mean I don't throw away the bale of hay I'm on, if that makes sense.
Ivermectin kills all the mites, but not the eggs, therefore you need to do a follow up Ivermectin treatment in one week's time, and occasionally a follow up further to that, depending on how bad the infestation.
Edit: forgot to say, bathing doesn't help either, as the mites burrow into the skin, and cannot be dislodged by bathing.
A lot of vets think that the most common mites are internal to the guinea pig and times of stress bring them out. I therefore don't get rid of all the hay etc when my guinea pigs get mites - it is really common and I have never known them to have come from the hay. I do, obviously, clean the cage thoroughly though - I just mean I don't throw away the bale of hay I'm on, if that makes sense.Ivermectin kills all the mites, but not the eggs, therefore you need to do a follow up Ivermectin treatment in one week's time, and occasionally a follow up further to that, depending on how bad the infestation.
Edit: forgot to say, bathing doesn't help either, as the mites burrow into the skin, and cannot be dislodged by bathing.
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SarahP
Wise Old Thumper
I disagree with a lot of this, to be honest.
Ivermectin kills all the mites, but not the eggs, therefore you need to do a follow up Ivermectin treatment in one week's time, and occasionally a follow up further to that, depending on how bad the infestation.
Edit: forgot to say, bathing doesn't help either, as the mites burrow into the skin, and cannot be dislodged by bathing.
Yeah, it depends on the type of mite. Lice are usually the "catching" sort and mites supposedly live on the animal in a reasonable number which can get out of control if the animal is sick or stressed, in which case you need to intervene to get the numbers down but also find the reason - e.g. treat the illness or find the source of stress.
However, some mites are the sort they 'catch' so it would depend on the type
Oh here I am at last I agree with Sarah - mites are normally carried by piggies and don't bother them unless their immune system is weakened in some way, by illness, poor diet or stress from their living situation. I've had 2 piggies whose mites got out of control - one was my only pig who refuses dandelions and grass (looks at them like they're poison - although now she's bonded with a dandelion muncher she's giving it thought ) Tara also didn't eat much pellets at that time, which are a good source of vitamin C too, so I think it was her diet at fault.
My other pig that got it bad was Florence, who was so stressed by a trip to the vets (for breathing in a bit of food - vet said she'd sneeze it out eventually) - her mites flared up about a week after seeing the vet.
In both cases I simply cleaned the cage, sprayed it and soaked it for 15 mins in a dilute solution of bleach (one tenth bleach, 9 tenths water) and sprayed the piggie with Johnsons mite spray (gasps of horror - yes I know it contains pyrethrins but I hardly think one application every 2 years is going to kill them - and I don't have a car for tripping to the vets) - They were fine after that although I did Tara again a week later. I also gave them extra veg for a few weeks to get their immune system boosted. No need to change brands of hay or anything major - Guinea pig mites don't drop off them unless the animals is severely infested or dead.
I agree with Sarah - mites are normally carried by piggies and don't bother them unless their immune system is weakened in some way, by illness, poor diet or stress from their living situation. I've had 2 piggies whose mites got out of control - one was my only pig who refuses dandelions and grass (looks at them like they're poison - although now she's bonded with a dandelion muncher she's giving it thought ) Tara also didn't eat much pellets at that time, which are a good source of vitamin C too, so I think it was her diet at fault.My other pig that got it bad was Florence, who was so stressed by a trip to the vets (for breathing in a bit of food - vet said she'd sneeze it out eventually) - her mites flared up about a week after seeing the vet.
In both cases I simply cleaned the cage, sprayed it and soaked it for 15 mins in a dilute solution of bleach (one tenth bleach, 9 tenths water) and sprayed the piggie with Johnsons mite spray (gasps of horror - yes I know it contains pyrethrins but I hardly think one application every 2 years is going to kill them - and I don't have a car for tripping to the vets) - They were fine after that although I did Tara again a week later. I also gave them extra veg for a few weeks to get their immune system boosted. No need to change brands of hay or anything major - Guinea pig mites don't drop off them unless the animals is severely infested or dead.
aaaarr think ive got the gist of yours and sarahs answers, im thinking of getting pigs some vits as little ,still wont entertain dried foods,love their salads ,fruit etc, love hay,can they have orange, or anything else rich in c vit. makes sense with stress thing as it kicked off when we moved them from the mums,as the mums attacked them,they were fine,we just left the youngsters together,as their the same sex
,still wont entertain dried foods,love their salads ,fruit etc, love hay,can they have orange, or anything else rich in c vit. makes sense with stress thing as it kicked off when we moved them from the mums,as the mums attacked them,they were fine,we just left the youngsters together,as their the same sex
SarahP
Wise Old Thumper
Have a look at the Galens Garden website:
http://www.galensgarden.co.uk/index.php
There is some really useful info on what veggies to feed, and they also sell a natural vit c supplement.
But try not to worry too much - mites are so so common in guinea pigs. It doesn't really have to mean anything much.
http://www.galensgarden.co.uk/index.php
There is some really useful info on what veggies to feed, and they also sell a natural vit c supplement.
But try not to worry too much - mites are so so common in guinea pigs. It doesn't really have to mean anything much.
Just for you and anyone else who struggles to get to the vets, you can now buy products containing Ivermectin in petshops by Beaphar. Just make sure to follow the weight and dose guidelines to prevent overdosing, but they're a weaker version than the pure stuff the vets give (but they do work)
Thanks for that - I'll have a look online
http://www.ratwarehouse.com stock it (halfway down the health page, go past the gerbil/hamster one) and only charge by weight so postage isn't too bad for little items
