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Mites Static mites or something else? Pics included

PolkaDotPig

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 3, 2007
Messages
47
I believe a piggy in the care of a family member has mites of some kind. I've noticed the hair on his back/rump area is starting to look dull and just bad in appearance. Starting to thin in a spot as well. I've also been told he has recently become nippy when hands go near him. Possibly from the discomfort of the mites? He doesn't appear to be in pain. He's eating, drinking and behaving normally. No scabs. Supposedly no excessive scratching.

What I have noticed is severe dandruff. You part his hair and it's nothing but dandruff. His skin should be dark colored but it looks white because of it. Also the hair on his back comes out very easily (a few strands at once) and has clumps of something stuck to the ends. I'm wondering if this is Static mites? They are supposedly visible to the eye though? I have yet to see anything moving on him.

I need some advice from people more experienced. Static mites would require special shampoo, but if it's fur mites then I will need to buy Revolution. The family member is very short for money right now, hence why I'm going this route. If you guys think it sounds like something more then I will take him to vet myself. For now I'm just trying to figure out what kind of mite this sounds like so I can try home treatment.

Thanks!
 

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My guinea had a very similar looking bald patches and symptoms. Her hair was also coming off in clumps with black dandruff type stuff with it. The vet ruled them as lice and not mites though. It's best to get it checked out as usually that type of skin problem is easy to diagnose. She was prescribed a special shampoo to be bathed in once a week that helped immediately. The hair had even started growing back by week 2. Her fur over all looked shinier and felt softer too. There are a lot of skin problems that guineas can get that look very similar to the untrained eye and even to vets. But they can run test to figure it out. If it's bacterial, which some skin problems they get are, it can spread and become life threatening quickly. If not treated soon no matter what it is, it can easily spread to other parts and get worse. Or be contagious to other animals and people. I really can't stress enough to please take it in and get a proper diagnosis. To have a guinea die due to an untreated skin condition is terrible. I just had to put my 3 y/o down tonight because the previous owner let hers get too bad.
 
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