lumpy guinea pig

Question
i bought 2 girl guinea pigs for my birthday last year called co-co and panda and i cleaned them out today and when i was about to put them back when i realized the oldest ginny had lost a little fur got thin and had a lump on her head!

please respond as i am terribly concerned

Answer
Hi Billy,

It is difficult to predict what could be wrong with your piggy without seeing her. However, hair loss is usually an indicator of a mite infestation. Mites live on guinea pigs all the time and don't seem to bother them, but from time-to-time infestations break out. If you ever notice your piggies scratching more than usual, you can usually nip the problem in the bud and treat them at home with a special shampoo.

However, as your girl also has a lump on her head (probably a mite bite that has become infected) and has lost weight, the infestation will be quite advanced, and you should take her to a specialist small animal or exotic pets vet ASAP, who will most likely inject her with a drug called Ivormectin that clears up skin conditions promptly. If you notice that she feels hot to the touch, or experiences episodes of fitting, then her condition is quite severe and has developed into mange which is curable but if left for too long, is fatal.

A mite infestation does seem like the problem, but it is possible that her symptoms are not linked, in which case she'll need to see a vet anyway. Take both piggies as it is more than likely that the other will have caught the mites, and though her case may not be as severe, the vet may wish to treat them both to prevent the same thing happening in a couple of weeks to her! In the future; please try to examine your girls more often than when you clean them out, as this will prevent condition of ill-health developing, and avoid vet bills!

If you'd like to know how to bath your girls as a preventative measure and to treat mild cases of mites, let me know.

Best wishes and good luck,
Jenny.