Flaky skin - any advice?

[Gwab_1999]

I have two teddy cavies - sisters, almost two years old (not from a pet store). One of the two has always shed hair in small clumps of two or three strands (or single strands) but with a piece of flaky skin attached to the bottom of the strand. I have noticed some itching (but not a huge amount) - no bald spots or irritated looking skin patches. She doesn't seem to itch much when she's out for floor time or cuddling with me. The other piggy has never had this problem, and has always shed normally. I assumed the flaky skin was just the way she was, but now wonder if she might have a mite of some sort. If she has had a mite all this time, wouldn't her sister have shown some signs of it too by now?

Also - does anyone know how a pig would acquire a mite even if it hasn't come in contact with any other animals and lives in a super clean cage etc? I'm not sure how this would happen.

Any advice would be much appreciated. If I have to treat both pigs, I certainly will - just don't want them to go through any unecessary angst if there is really nothing wrong other than a case of flaky skin.

Thanks very much.

[Treen]

One of the most common theories on mites is that pretty much all guinea pigs have them, but not in numbers that affect them until they experience a period of stress, during which the mite population is able to take hold. What counts as stress to them may not be anything you'd notice - just things like a bit of mild and temporary tension between two cage mates, or if they sense something has changed in their environment like the temperature or a smell.

With you describing the fur coming off with climps of skin, it may be that she has a mild fungal skin problem. I would take her to the vet for a professional opinion (along with a bit of the hair with skin at the base if you can) to be sure.

Try posting on Guinea Lynx http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/ and see if anyone has any experience/ advice on it.

Good luck.