Plse Help! Pretzel has a bald area on his back!

**chloe_pretzel** · #1 10-20-05, 04:44 pm

Hey, does anyone now about skin problems with guinea pigs? I am not sure what the cause is; Pretzel has a bald area on the very back of his back, almost down as far back as his back side, but not quite. Anyway, I can't tell if he has been chewing at it, if it's mites, mange, etc. I have checked for mites multiple times but am still not sure. We give him vit. C guinea pig tablets so it shouldn't be a deficiency. Please help!

**VoodooJoint** · #2 10-20-05, 04:50 pm

The only way to know for sure is to take your GP to a Cavy Savy vet. Make certain the vet you pick deals with Cavies often otherwise they may do more harm then good.

You wouldn't be able to see mites as they are microscopic. I really can't tell you more without either seeing your GP or knowing more about how he is acting.

**chloe_pretzel** · #3 10-20-05, 04:57 pm

He isn't acting strange at all. I think he is chewing it because of boredom or stress. Thanks for the reply. I will probably call the vet.

I have had other guinea pigs and gerbils that have had mites, I could see them pretty clearly, but they are pretty small

. Hey I read your profile, my mom homeschools me!

**my_oreo_cookie** · #4 10-20-05, 05:40 pm

I was going to say what about Vitamin C, but then I reread your post, aside from that, I don't know. My Maple pig, (she died in may) had two bald spots when she was pregnant, but it grew back after I started putting Vitamin C in her water.

**chloe_pretzel** · #5 10-20-05, 07:50 pm

Thank you for your concern anyway!

**Ly&Pigs** · #6 10-20-05, 07:56 pm

Vitamin C does not belong in the water. It degrades rapidly and distorts the taste. I would think mites is the problem. You won't be able to see them and you can treat and it won't hurt your pig if he doesn't have mites. If you go to the vet, he/she will probably want to do a skin scraping and those are quite useless.

See http://guinealynx.info/mites.html and http://guinealynx.info/ivermectin.html

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #7 10-20-05, 08:03 pm

I would have him treated for mites as a precaution:

http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html

It doesn't hurt him if he doesn't have mites. How long have you had him and where did he come from?

**my_oreo_cookie** · #8 10-22-05, 04:14 pm

Ly: My pigs love the vitamin C, they drink more water when its in there. And how can her hair have grown back without vitamin C?

**amyjane** · #9 10-22-05, 05:00 pm

Parasites are probably the most common cause of skin problems. There are also hormonal causes to lose hair, but those are much less common, and I wouldn't expect to see it in a guinea pig. If your vet does a good skin scraping, they might see the mites. You should probably just go ahead and treat for them, even if you don't find any.

**Ly&Pigs** · #10 10-22-05, 05:14 pm

You can give Vitamin C either as a liquid vitamin by syringing it to them or by Vitamin C tablets, but not in the drinking water. Vitamin C has nothing to do with hairloss or hair growing back.

**my_oreo_cookie** · #11 10-22-05, 05:34 pm

I had a book on guinea pigs, that was really, really good, about pregnancies and all that. And I did other research on guinea pigs on the internet and in other books, and all of them said that Vitamin C is related to hair loss. So i give them vitamin C because it works!

**Ly&Pigs** · #12 10-22-05, 05:41 pm

Oh, so just because it says so in a book that means you are going to listen huh? If the book told you that a wheel and a salt lick are definate musts, would you give them those things too? You can give the pig Vit. C, but don't put it in the water!!! If you are feeding a good diet of veggies, they really don't need the extra C anyway. They should have all they need from their veggies.

**my_oreo_cookie** · #13 10-22-05, 05:47 pm

I didn't give them a wheel, or a salt lick, because i did my research. I know that a wheel isn't good for them because its bad for their feet and ankles, plus it could break them. And a salt lick isn't good for them because of all the extra minerals and crap that goes in there. My oreo CAN'T eat big chunks of food without getting indegestion. So she needs her vitamin C from some other source. And another thing: The vitamin C isn't going to degrade as much if you change the water every day! Like how often are you suggesting I change their water???? Once a week??????

**Ly&Pigs** · #14 10-22-05, 06:02 pm

I didn't suggest anything other than to STOP putting the drops in the water period and use another method of giving the Vitamin C. It degrades far too rapidly in the water (like within a couple hours) and your pig is not benefitting as much as you think from it. Find some liquid syringable Vitamin C or a tablet and give her that instead.

**dagwellismypigy** · #15 10-22-05, 06:03 pm

The vitamin C will deplete in, oh, about an hour or two. You really expect us to believe you get up in the middle of the night to change the water bottle? There are vitamin C droplets you can give your guinea pig orally. The vitamin c tablets are about the size of a dime and most of them you can break in half.

**my_oreo_cookie** · #16 10-23-05, 11:04 am

Ok, I'll try to find some.
K guys? I’m so sorry about what I said last night, I wasn’t in a good mood at all, I had a headache and I was really feeling crappy. Sorry Ly. I didn't mean to like, put you down. Sorry about that.

**daftscotslass** · #17 10-23-05, 11:07 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by my_oreo_cookie

I was going to say what about Vitamin C, but then I reread your post, aside from that, I don't know. My Maple pig, (she died in may) had two bald spots when she was pregnant, but it grew back after I started putting Vitamin C in her water.

The fact that her hair grew back was complete and utter coincidence. Symmetrical bald spots are characteristic of horomonal imbalance that occurs during/after pregnancy and with the presence of ovarian cysts. It was almost definitely nothing to do with the Vit C.

Oh, and my guinea pig Bonnie will eat orange flavour 50mg vitamin c tablets right out my hand. Far easier than fiddling about with putting it in her water and far more effective.

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