Bald Spots

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hipxop

Post   » Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:29 pm


Yesterday my friend wanted to get a guinea pig from someone and so she did. I went with her to see what condition the guinea pig was in, sadly I couldn't look properly at her as people would stare and point out I had a big rat. Anyway the guinea pig looked fine as I could see from far, although the nails have been neglected. Well my friend asked me if I could keep it for a few days because I have the bedding and food the guinea pig needs. I took her in and looked at her little more, then I thought to see if she would get along with my other three females, however she was too bossy so they didn't stay together for more than 10 minutes.( I gave them a bath and cleaned every toy and their cages too)

After cleaning up I noticed that the new guinea pig had bald spots and that's when I started panicking.My guinea pigs have never had any problems with any parasites or infections and it scared me to think that because of me and because I didn't look at her good enough they could now suffer. Now back to the new guinea pig, she has them mostly on her behind and it looks like she has dandruff. I haven't noticed her scratch at all and the bald spots are clear and the hair an be pulled easily in some places, she doesn't seem to mind me doing so. Well now my friend doesn't want her and she is going to a shelter tomorrow, but I am just not sure if that is the right choice. I bought a mites and ticks spray from our local pet store thinking that might help. I am not sure what to do, especially if my guinea pigs get this too.

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PinkRufus
Contributor in 2020

Post   » Mon Jun 03, 2013 6:53 pm


First of all, it is never a good idea to introduce a new pig to the pigs you already have, without a quarantine period of around three weeks. The reason is that the new pig could have something that is contagious and all of your pigs can become infected/infested.
https://www.guinealynx.info/quarantine.html

It sounds like she could have mites/lice, or possibly a fungal condition. Can you post a picture?
https://www.guinealynx.info/lice.html

https://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html

What kind of spray did you use on her? Most (if not all) sprays have harmful ingredients that are not suitable for guinea pigs and can possibly do more harm than good. Please read the above links which have more detailed info on how to properly treat guinea pigs for external parasites.

Taking her to the shelter could result in them having her PTS, if they do not have the resources to treat her. It would be in her best interest to treat her yourself and re-home her when she is cleared up. Parasites are a nuisance, but relatively easy to treat.

hipxop

Post   » Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:40 pm


Hello, I did get some pictures, but there isn't much dandruff left because she looked rather dirty and I decided to bathe her. Here is a photo of a little of it I found on her fur. Image she basically had it all over her body. it was also at the bottom of the fur Image basically on the fur right next to the bald spot I could see dandruff, but I can't see any after I bathed her(some of the hairs that fell were stuck together at the root). The one in the picture is the biggest one and is on her behind. It's about half of a fingertip. I haven't seen anything move anywhere on her body.

I am not sure if I used the mites and tick treatment correctly as I have never done so before. I washed it off right after I used it. It's by Ultra Care Flea & Tick spray.
I have also learned my lesson when it comes to introducing pigs now.

I forgot to mention in my first post, but I think she was pregnant because he nipples were a little bigger than my other guinea pigs. also her belly is soft to the touch.

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PinkRufus
Contributor in 2020

Post   » Mon Jun 03, 2013 8:06 pm


That spray has Pyrethrins as the main ingredient which are toxic to guinea pigs. It's not your fault, pet stores sell these products marketed for small animals, but they are not good.
More info on Pyrethrins:
viewtopic.php?t=32261

From your pictures this looks like it could be fungus:
https://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html

Or possibly hormonal hair loss, although I don't know if dandruff is connected with that type of hair loss.
https://www.guinealynx.info/hairloss.html

Info on pregnancy:
https://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html

hipxop

Post   » Wed Jun 05, 2013 3:12 pm


Thank you for the info. I have another question, once I get malaseb can I also use it on all my other guinea pigs? Or is it going to affect them in any way?
Also I've noticed some black flakes coming off of my dark colored guinea pig. They don't move but its quite a lot, but I've never seen them before. I didn't give him a full bath in about two baths, I am thinking it might be because of that.
Can I still handle any of them, I am not sure if they have anything yet. How about the one with the infection, can I handle her?

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shiny
Supporter in '13

Post   » Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:34 pm


Hi,

If you are still wanting to rehome this guinea after treating her then please post on the placement thread on here rather than using a shelter straight away. Hopefully a member may be able to recommend a no-kill shelter in your area.

I would wash hands very thoroughly between handling the guineas & look at the link Lynx posted above about quarantine.

Best wishes to your guineas

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Jun 05, 2013 10:05 pm


You mean the link PinkRufus posted?

Yes, that is very helpful.

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