Ick! What do I do!?

[Guineapigslave]

I suspect that all three of my guinea pigs have mites because of the symptoms below.

Lulu- Excessive itching and biting, sesative back legs.

Peanut- Lots of itching and some biting, sensative back legs.

Thumper- Constant grooming and some itching.

If it is mites....

Where do i go for ivermectin? (greater philadelphia area)
How do i treat it?
Should i thoroughly clean the cage? and to what extent?
How did they get the mites?
Can mites kill them?

I would really like to have a solution to this because I have taken 2 of my 3 to the vet twice in the last month and payed a fortune! My goal is to treat them without any unnecissary vet visits.

[Katrinah]

From what I know the treatment for mites needs to be prescribed by a vet, you cannot just buy it. It is very painful and yes can be very dangerous and deadly to your pigs. Guinealynx has a good read on it. i would suggest you talk to your vet and see what he can do for you as far as a prescription to help clear them up, it does sound like it could be mites and when you think it might be it is best to treat them.

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

[Seonta]

Mites can/will eventually kill them.
It is believed mites lay dormant and flare up from time to time. They, like most parasites, are contracted from contact with infected animals- usually of the same species.
Mites can not live off of the host for an extended period of time but it can't hurt to scrub down the cage
You need to see a vet.
you can do a forum search for this as it pops up a lot. Guinealynx gives good advise on how to treat with horse paste ivermectin. You would do better by seeing a vet though.

[Guineapigslave]

Ok, can I buy the invermectin OTC? or does it need to be prescribed?

I'm not sure if I can see the vet too soon, so how long before it really becomes a problem?

[SheriMartini]

I took one of my guys in last year to treat as a precautionary measure. The most expensive part was having the vet "diagnose" Fajita. This vet knew absolutely NOTHING about guinea pigs. I ended up getting the puppy/kitten formula of Revolution, and that was only around $25 I think for two tubes? I believe it was like $40 for the appointment. I personally didn't feel comfortable buying any medicine off the internet to treat.

My recommendation would be to talk to your vet. They may be willing to see just one and then give you the medicine. Also, maybe if you print off some stuff from here & GL, they might be willing to just prescribe you the medicine without seeing your animals. This will be something you will have to discuss with them.

Don't let them talk you into a skin scraping though! The vet I took Fajita to insisted upon it. I told him that skin scrapings are not always accurate, and not worth the pain. He proceeded to tell me that 'they aren't ever accurate if you don't do them.' I must've been staring some daggers at him, because after that he backed down and just let me have the revolution :D

[WildRye]

You can buy Ivermectin at most farm supply stores or online (valleyvet.com, among many others). They will sell in a topical form (marketed towards cattle, goats, sheep) or in an oral paste form (for horses). You will have to dilute it according to the directions on Guinea Lynx.