Guinea Pig health.

Question
I have been wanting this particular guinea pig from a store near my home. I have kept my eye on it in the store, until I had the money to purchase it, however on this visit, he had small scabs and was balding on his hindquarters(none of the other pigs are like this) I noticed, that there were flies in the cage and they seemed to bother him. This was at a store called Meijer and, there were 3 other pigs in with it. It was being fed the pellets, had a full water bottle and the bedding appeared to be old ripped up newspaper. I was just wondering if it sounds more like a parasite, or a reaction to it's bad hygiene condition(I'm not sure if they change the bedding too often) in the cage, or just an infection or something simple like normal itching problems. I'd appreciate if you could help me specify which of those, if any, it was and if there is a treatment. Also, I'm not sure if I should invest in it or not. If you cannot determine for sure what it might be, that is okay and I appreciate your time greatly.

Answer
Hello Sarah,

I'm very sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I have been very ill the last few days. Again, I am terribly sorry for the delay. If he is living with others, it could be wounds from fighting or dominance assertion. It could also be mites if he's scratching alot. Mites usually appear when a piggy is stressed. The treatment for mites is ivermectin administered by a vet. It could also be fungal because of poor living conditions and fungal infections can be cured with antifungal shampoos, ointments, or creams. A trip to the vet is advised if there is alot of scratching or if the wounds don't heal quickly after being separated from the other piggies. Once again, I'm sorry for the delay in answering.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs