My guinea pig has recently starting losing some of his hair on both sides of his tummy. He also has little scratches and his skin looks dried out. We have a cat so did he hurt him? Should he be checked out by a vet?
Master Advisor Torunn says:
February 19th, 2008 at 09:00 PM
Hi there
This does sound like mites, which is the most common skin problem in guinea pigs. The mites can not spread to you or your cat. They are too small to be seen, and they dig under the skin cells. This causes the skin to die, little scabs are often present, the hair falls out and is usually very itchy.
You definitely need to bring him to the vet for treatment, there is no over-the-counter medication for this (at least not in the UK). It is usually an easy disease to treat, but if left untreated it will get a lot worse.
Another possibility for hair loss in guineas could be allergies or stress.
Good luck!
cathy crosby says:
January 04th, 2009 at 03:55 PM
In the US you can buy ivermectin, which is used to treat horses and other livestock over the counter. It comes in several forms but I find the paste easiest to use. Put a small amount on the end of a toothpick (about the size of a 12 point "o" in Times New Roman font). Wipe it on the inside of the guinea pig's cheek. Usually they don't object too much. Treat them every 10 days for 40 days, so 4 times total. If that doesn't take care of the problem, you should see a vet because it might be caused by something besides parasites, but ivermectin is an effective, inexpensive place to start. Good luck!
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