Guinea Pigs with Mange

[silver73]

Hi

I'm v worried about our gps. They have mange and have been to the vet and have to have three lots of treatment two weeks apart. They had their first treatment yesterday but they are still scratching. Any idea how long it takes for them to get over it?

Thanks

S

hi as long as its being treated it will go

but make sure you dont just put hay straight from a farm into cage as this is where the mites are so if you dont change the hay then the mites are still going to be there

we buy screened hay its not overly expensive and lasts a while i only clean twice a week it lasts up to 4 cleans

and havent had a problem since i changed hay as soon as treated other wise mites are still with them

also i bought a mite shampoo and washed them and then put in fresh clean hay and it clreared within a week

Hi bubblagirl

Thanks for that. Could you give me details of the mite shampoo and screened hay?

We buy our hay in bags and the vet said it looked good quality hay but not happy to use if it is the cause of giving our gps mange.

Thanks

S

aw your poor piggies, mine had mites but obv different, big hugs to the poor lil things x

NOT SURE ABOUT SCREENED HAY I JAUST GET THAT FROM PAT SHOP IN TOWN sorry caps its about 3 pound a bag but yours may be ok if its bagged and not straight from farm

in pet shop its johnsons shampoo insectiside for small animals to treat mites etc and also got tea tree cream for animals from pet shop to treat sore area on my guinea's

if its shop bought hay then all may be ok i prefer hay to straw as softer and i also go for dust extracted as apparebtly the dust can have mites etc

not a pro at this at all so may be wrong but it worked for my guys

we got our guineas from recue centre they gave us the hay etc and it was farmed and that was what was affecting our guineas one nearly died hair fell out was skin and bone within week of injection at vets changing hay etc was fattening up and moving about im sure i got a spray as well

and washed there cage in disinfectanr for animals also from pet shop

also not sure if you do it already but as you know guineas cannot absorb vit c so need to be given this as extra i put half vit c dissolvable tablet in drinking water and wasnt aware when first got them so done this straight from vets and as i say this could of also helped with healing process for my little boys

Ive heard of a book called "piggy potions" by peter gurney I think - might be worth a look for natural remedies

re vitamin c: they dont need any supplements as long as you feed them fresh green stuff - brocoli, cabbage, spring greens

Hi Everyone

Thanks for your posts. Our three gorgeous guineas are on the mend now. They had their first treatment on Friday but seem to be much better now.

We give them vic c in their water and also they get fed a variety of veg morning and evening.

We give them: tomato, carrot, cucumber, parsley, kale and green peppers. Any other suggestions gratefully received.

Does anyone know if you should give gps a mange treatement once a month?

S

i think once they are treated then you dont need to but you can bath evey couple of months in shampoo mine have never been affected again since treatment

I had one guinea pig with mange mites, she was constantly scratching she lost a little bit of hair but it grows back. I got my treatment simply from pets at home with no vets bill, and no trips to the vet. If you have a pair or herd and only one of the guinea pigs is showing the simptoms still treat the others as I treated my other two when only one of mine was showing the simptoms.

My guinea pig caught the mange from a guinea pig sanctuary that we put her and her friends in when we were on holiday, (the hutch ovs hadn't been cleaned thoroughly )

Straw should not be used (it's fine for rabbits) but it can irritate guinea pigs skin.