guinea pig products! URGENT!

Question
I have a little guinea pig and he seems to be losing his hair i got some advice on what to do but i dont know where to find the products i would use to cure him.the products are soap free shampoo,ivermectin,malaseb,pyohex and betadine!!


Answer
Dear Natalie,

First of all, don't panic. The most common cause of hair loss in guinea pigs is mites ... these little critters constantly live on your piggies, so it is only when they start scratching a lot and an infestation breaks out that you need to do anything. If you've noticed hair loss, it is probably an infestation; well done on spotting this!

You can easily treat the mites at home by giving your little piggy a bath. Guinea pigs do not like being bathed and it is always a tricky process; you will need someone else to help you.  The best thing to do is to find a large, clean bowl (like the one for washing up) and line it with a flannel. Get someone to hold your piggy in this bowl. Wet him with warm water (test it first) by either pouring it over him gently (not on his face!) or squeezing it over him using another flannel. Rub in the required amount of shampoo being careful not to let your guinea pig lick himself (for this bit, you can take him out of the bowl and get your helper to hold him on a towel on their lap) and then wrap your guinea pig up in a towel (to keep him warm, and stop him licking) for five minutes. Then return him to the bowl and rinse away the shampoo; the mites should fall off too! Dry your guinea pig with a towel, and once he is just damp, you can finish off drying him with a hair dryer if you like (some piggies love this, some hate it). Give him a nice groom and pop him back in his cage (but only once he is clean and dry). You will need to clean out the cage (and spray it, with a safe animal cleaning spray) before returning the guinea pigs to it, as some of the mites will be living in there too.

For where to buy the shampoo, I am going to refer you to Gorgeous Guineas, a company who make a range of aromatherapy shampoos. These are kind and gentle to your guinea pigs, but also very effective, and are safer to use on guinea pigs with babies than insecticidal shampoos.  Their website is http://www.store2go.net/shop/gorgeousguineas/ and that's where you can buy all the products I am about to mention. They usually deliver within two days if you choose "first class".
* "Lice n Easy" shampoo is excellent; I recently used this on my pet piggies and not only has it got rid of their mites, it has made them lovely and soft! The trial size will be plenty to do your piggy quite a few times, and is available in full-size bottles if you decide you like it.  
* Until baby guinea pigs are 12 weeks old, they should not be treated for mites (or sprayed) as their little bodies won't copy with it very well. So if your piggy is young, the only thing you can do is use "Mini Pig" shampoo on him to try to wash the mites away. The smell of the shampoo on their hair might also be unattractive to the mites. Give the cage a good clean and a spray, and that will help.

Bath time is stressful for guinea pigs so make sure he's fully dry and give him lots of cuddles before you return him to his cage. Some of his favourite vegetables will probably help to keep him still, but make sure you don't get any shampoo on them!

If your guinea pig is squeaking in pain when he scratches, is very hot to the touch, and seems generally miserable, he may have mange and will need a trip to the vets (try to find one that specialises in small animals or exotic pets) ASAP to start a course of injections.

I hope this helps, please get back to me if you have any more questions.

Jenny.