giunea pigs

Question
my ginuea pigs have little red tiny bugs on there cage or used to and now on their fur and when I play with them my skin itches or my face does can you tell me what they are and if they are harmfull please

Answer
I'm honestly not sure what little red bugs would get on a guinea pig.  Guinea pigs do get mites, but they're microscopic and you don't see the mites themselves. You see the chewed area on the pig, generally on their back forming a v shape from where they've been chewing trying to rid themselves of the mites.

However, those types of mites are what we call 'species specific' and will not get on anything other than your guinea pigs.  They will not get on humans, nor can you see them. You need a microscope and even then they aren't always visible because they burrow under the skin.

If you have little red bugs ON the cage I suspect it may be something that came in with their bedding. You don't say what kind of bedding you use, but if you're using shavings it's possible something could have come with them. However, those kind of bugs don't attach guinea pig fur.

Another possibility is some kind of tiny spider. Whatever they are I would suggest a good thorough cleansing of everything in and around the pig cages. Dump all their bedding.  Put the pigs in a large plastic container, then scrub the cage inside and out with a bleach solution.  Put it in the sun to dry. Bugs don't like sunlight and will vacate the cage if they are there.

Give each pig a bath using soap and water.  The bathroom sink is a great place for bathing pigs. If you have a really deep sink you can put just a couple inches of water in it and bathe them in there.  Guinea pigs don't get fleas. They can get a type of lice. But lice look like a tiny white piece of thread and would only be found on their hair.  If your pig has lice you can see them if you separate the hair and look down near the skin, although sometimes they are visible on the coat.

If that's the case you can get some Adam's Dip that's meant for dogs and cats. Mix it according to the directions on the bottle.  Dip each pig and get them thoroughly saturated. Be sure you don't pour it over their head so it doesn't get in their eyes and ears. Once you've done that, put them on a towel and let them drip dry.  DO NOT USE A HAIR DRYER OR try to dry them with a towel. It's important that they drip dry.

The Adams solution has a nice smell, and it also leaves their coat very soft and shiny after it has dried. The pigs should be treated for mites every couple of months even though you don't see any sign of them. The seem to find the pigs wherever they are.  

I don't think they have lice or mites because they don't get on humans. So it seems more probable that these bugs are coming in from somewhere else.  But cleaning out the cages should get rid of everything.

I hope his helps. Please let me know how this works for you.