guinea pigs - mites

[bambinibop]

Anyone got any good ways of getting rid of mites and helping guinea pigs stop scratching and their skin heal? Our two have definitely got mites, we have thrown all the bedding stuff out and cleaned them out. We have used a spot on treatment for mites on both guinea pigs. One has a small cut on her neck from scratching which we'll wash with salt water.

Any other things we should be doing? Or tips?

Thank you!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Ouch- poor piggies.

If you already treated them, it will take a while to absorb into the skin but then it'll start working.
Maybe something like Gorgeous Guineas? They do Micro Neem that you dilute and pour over their fur (you can use it 48 hours after treatment)

One of the most horrible sounds is that of a guinea-pig scratching squealing and carrying on with their scratching

I've put a drop of edible oil on dry patches before - to stop their claws getting a grip and it won't harm the pig to ingest.
(Make sure their claws aren't sharp, you'll get judgey looks if you clip them but you're in the doghouse anyway )

If it's really bad, you might need a vet visit (they can inject Ivermectin but guineas don't like injections, bless them)
Or you might need to employ the Sock Pig method (they can't wear cones so you need to make little jackets from a childs' sock. But that's a last resort if they can't leave their fur alone)

Are your pigs on fleece or hay?
Maybe give them fleece bedding (washed without any biological or conditioner to reduce irritants) and hay in a rack or 'hayball' or stuffed into lo roll tubes , so they can eat it but not lie in it.
I'm always how many bits of twigs are in hay, I worry sometimes about mine charging through it.

[bambinibop]

Hi thanks for the advice. Oil is a great idea. We did clip their nails earlier so that's okay. Hopefully the treatment will start to kick in soon then. They are on hay I hadn't thought of there being another option!

I'll look into stuff for their fur I don't think they'd like it though!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Just a drop of oil on any dry bits - greasy guinea-pigs are uncatchable