Itchy piggy??

Question
hi!

I am the proud owner of my second guinea pig.  
He is a very young pig... not even a year old yet (he will be a year old in July of this year).
I noticed he is constantly scratching himself, and he has two bald spots behind his ears.

I never saw scratching like this on my previous pig, but then again he had very oily skin and hair.  My new boy doesn't.  Could this be some type of skin condition or dryness?  I see no sign of fleas, and I clean his cage every single day.  He lives in a very clean home.
The bedding I use for him is Kaytee Soft Sorbent bedding, which always looks white with no sign of bugs.  Could this be the result of the cooler weather or dry heating in the house?  I actually don't remember him scratching like this when it was warmer out.

If you could suggest a shampoo or something i should do for him, I would really appreciate it!

Thanks so much!

Monica


Answer
Hello Monica,

It sounds like he has mites. Here's some information that I got off a website:

A mite similar to the scabies mite of people causes serious infestations in pet guinea pig.  Mites are microscopic, spider-like organisms that live within the outer layers of the skin. They usually cause intense scratching and significant hair loss. Some cases without scratching have been reported. Some guinea pigs are so miserable because of the infestation that their constant scratching produces serious wounds. They may run wildly or in circles, and occasionally even have convulsions. A veterinarian must do a number of scrapings of the skin to confirm the diagnosis. Successful treatment consists of 1-4 injections of a specific drug (ivermectin) 10-44 days apart. Any wood shavings within the enclosure should be replaced by white paper toweling during treatment to help make the patient more comfortable.

I hope this helps you! Sorry if my taking so long to respond caused any inconvenience to you.

 ~~Arielle