Guinea pig hair loss?

Question
I have 2 guinea pigs, both about 6 years old. In the last few days I have noticed that one of them in losing hair on her sides, near her butt just above the hind legs. The balding areas have some thin patchy hair. The other guinea pig doesn't have any hair loss at all. The only thing I am fairly sure is not causing it is lice, because they have had lice before, and when they did they had small bald patches on there backs, itched a lot, and you could actually see the lice in there hair. Now i can't see anything in there hair, and i haven't seen much itching. The woman at the pet store said that it could be vitamin c deficiency.  What do you think the cause is? What ever it is, can i treat it my self? My parents do not really want to go spend a few hundred dollars on veterinary care for animals who are near the end of there life expectancy. Thanks!

Answer
I don't see any reason for you to go to the vet at this point. Lice would not necessarily cause a hair loss unless there is a bad infestation. And if it was that bad you would see them (like you did before). Mites however, could cause her to bite at her sides from the itching. I don't think this is a vitamin c deficiency. That would have more effect on the bones and joints as well as possbily some hair loss.

Pet stores seem to offer this kind of blanket diagnosis for everything. The reality is very few of those people have a clue what they're talking about. I'm not criticizing them for that. Their job is to sell products, not diagnose problems in animals.

If she has longer hair than an American (short smooth haired breed) this could be a temporary hair loss from the climate. You might try putting some kind of ointment on the bald spots to see if that helps. I keep Bag Balm in my caviary and use it for all kinds of things.

For mites you can get either a dip or a spray from your pet store or vet supply. Mites are so tiny you can't see them with the naked eye. They will burrow under the skin and cause itching. Then the pig chews where she can reach, thus creating a bald spot.

I would try using some Adams Spray on her. It's made for mites,lice,fleas and ticks on dogs. It's what we use for mites on guinea pigs as well. You have to spray the pig until she's very wet, then allow her to drip dry. If it's mites they should resolve and the hair grows back.

There's another possiblity and that's ovarian cysts. In older females these are fairly common especially if they've never had a litter. The change in hormones from the cysts cause a hair loss. It seems to start on the sides first.

The cysts are typically benign (not cancerous) and don't have any serious effect on the animal. I have an old sow who has ovarian cysts and has lost a fair amount of hair, but she's happy, active and still has a good appetite. There's no reason to have surgery especially when they're already at an advanced age. In that I agree with your parents.

Is it possible you can send a picture before you start any treatment? That would be so helpful. It would give me a better idea of what this may be.