I think we might have mites :(

Hi, I'm very new member of cavy slavery. I live alone away from my family, and after my fish died my girlfriend suggested I get a gp. We did a lot of research online one night and I agreed to go have a look at them the next day.

My original plan had been to mope around and mourn Pete (fish) but once I saw them in the pet store (yes, a pet store) I had to take one home. It was obvious that the pet store did not have the best living conditions, and the woman working was completely clueless.

The cavy I immediatly fell in love with was being picked on by the other gp's. He had a few bite marks on his back end, and one of his ears was torn. We took him home and the first day he was already very loving and willing to be held, but the 2nd day he began acting withdrawn.

He now quickly becomes irritated if I pet him, is scratching what I believe is excessively and definatly doing a large amount of back-biting as well as chewing at his hind legs. He doesnt' have any bald spots yet and I'm hoping that means the infestation is at an early stage.

I'm going to call all the vets in the area tomorrow first thing, although I've read that it can be difficult to find one compitent in treating cavies?

The whole situation is very worrysome for me, especially after losing Pete so recently. Has anyone else had a cavy with mites? If so, was it difficult to treat? Was the vet an obstical in his own way?

He likes parsley and dandelions.

It is hard to find a good cavy vet but if you take time looking and asking questions you'll find one. Your pig does sound like he has mites. He'll need three shots of Ivermectin each 7-10 days apart. Mites are very painful to pigs so you'll want to treat him ASAP.

If you can't find a competent vet you may want to print off dosing instructions from GuineaLynx and bring them in to the doctor. Mites are very easy to treat as long as you get the 3 treatments.

If you are interested in treating your pig yourself there are guides that'll help you on GuineaLynx. If you don't feel comfortable treating your own pig just find a vet. Good luck and sorry to here about Pete.

www.guinelynx.com