sores on guinea pig

Question
I have one guinea pig and noticed that he's been getting a few sores.  I thought they were scratches but now I'm worried that it's something else.  He eats guinea pig food, Timothy hay, some fresh greens, and guinea pig treats. He's also losing some fur, but not a lot.  Please help!

Answer
Hi, I have done some research on what could cause such a thing with that cute little piggy and have come up with a few different possibilities.
Now with my friends guinea pig Mandy, once suffered from hair loss, scratches and small cuts. We later found out that this was because she was fighting with her sister, Kautay. So first thing to check would be, is your guinea pig allowed free time with other guinea pigs or rabbits or  hamsters?
Another thing to check would be to take this guinea pig to the vet. This is a must do in this case because the vet may find find that it is an infection called mange mites. Mange mites burrow under the skin and cause severe pain. You may notice scratching, biting, hair loss, and in serious cases, seizures. Severe infestations can be life threatening so remember V-E-T-S A-S-A-P! Fungal infections could also be it.
Now to lower your anxiety from the last paragraph, it could just be one bored guinea pig. It is called barbering and my guinea pig gypsy did it a couple of times. Barbering is when a guinea pig is bored so they chew there fur usually around there back legs and sides. An easy fix to this is to try out putting in some toys like an empty clean toilet paper roll or a crumpled up piece of paper (both edible). you can even try putting his favorite treat in the toilet paper roll!
So take him to the vets as soon as you can to get his/her opinion and possibly a treatment.

Thanks for asking!
-Nicky