guinea pigs have crawling white bugs!!

Question
Hi,
It is me again, with the two shy girl guinea pigs who had scabs on the back
and behind ears, and that we thought might be from bites from their former
pet shop mates (including one rabbit). I noticed the past couple days that the
black and white girl is getting a little bald spot on her head, and since there
was no sore, thought maybe it was her hair and the way it grows (they're
long-haired peruvians). but now today i saw little tiny white things crawling
around there in the bald spot!!! :-(

I don't see them in the other girl, but she doesn't have any bald spots and
these white things are so small they would be hard to see unless on a bald
spot since they have so much fur. (these bugs are kind of elongated, not
round, and very white -- and don't look like human lice). both girls have
these scabs, though.

could these be mites or lice and is that is why they have these scabs or could
it be lice? is this contagious to humans?? otherwise, they are eating fine,
although still shy, getting slowly better.

when i brush, them, sometimes there is a bit of dander coming off with the
brush, but not huge amounts, which i wondered about.

i will take them this week to the shop owner, who has already offered to take
a look at the scabs (hadn't seen these white things though until today), but
am now so worried, and want to know what it could be and if it is ok that my
daughter and i handle the pigs in the meantime...?

THANKS AGAIN!

Answer
Jenny,
Your Guinea Pigs have lice.
They cannot pass them onto humans - do not worry!
I found some information that may be useful to you...

LICE:Guinea pigs lice look like tiny, thin, long bugs. They don't hop or jump. They crawl around throughout the guinea pig's fur and close to the skin. They irritate the guinea pig and make it very uncomfortable. Please groom your guinea pig with a small brush or an old toothbrush every week, and check through their fur to make sure that it doesn't have anything that's not supposed to be there.

Symptoms: Guinea pig scratching furiously, bare spots or patches through fur, small thin yellow-white bugs crawling through fur, tiny insects that hop around on guinea pig

Possible Treatments: flea/tick/lice spray available at pet stores, give guinea pig a bath, brush with a clean toothbrush, take to a vet.