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Conditions New guinea pig skin condition. Could it be ringworm? He's also making strange sounds.

Nadiv

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Hello all!
I have some very sad news Harlow has passed away and I am very very sad about it, but she lived a good life and I'm trying to focus on the positives.
Like the fact that I recently got Dillon a future cage mate named Obi Wan (they are not living together until I properly introduce them and sort out this problem)
Last night I noticed Obi had crusty spots on his rear, I looked harder and found more flaky crusty spots on him I thought it might be ringworm so I put some ketoconazole 2% on the crusty spots and washed it off after five minutes. Now I'm not sure if this was the right thing to do. I should have asked for help first, but I panicked.

Obi is also making a strange noise from time to time, kinda like a whistling sound coming from his nose, it is very quiet and not noticeable unless you listen very hard I have listened to his chest and heard nothing he doesn't seem unwell and is running and popcorning but he also sneezes and has coughed once like he was choking on something should I be worried? I looked into his nose a few minutes ago and noticed what seemed to be an extra fold of skin in both his nostrils his nostrils also look rather small do you think that's why he's sneezing or do you think it is possible he is allergic to carefresh bedding? Obi doesn't have all the symptoms of a URI, he's eating, his breathing isn't labored, his eyes are very clear and bright, he is pooping a lot, but I will get that checked out.

Here are some pictures of Obi's skin. He also likes to chew on everything does this mean he's in pain? I have a link to a video but I dont know if I'm allowed to post it.

20170223_174059.jpg20170223_173818.jpg
Thanks!
 

bpatters

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It may be a fungus, but ringworm is round, hence the name RINGworm.

You can post videos.

Is he scratching this area at all?

What I'd do is treat it like a fungus. Get some Nystatin or other antifungal cream at any pharmacy, and apply sparingly twice a day with a q-tip, rubbing it in well. If it doesn't start to look better in a few days, switch to a triple antibiotic cream (any pharmacy, any brand) and apply the same way.

The reason we start with an antifungal is that an antibiotic can make a fungal infection worse, whereas an antifungal medication won't do anything for or to a bacterial lesion. So if the antifungal doesn't work, try the antibiotic.
 

Nadiv

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Thank you Bpatters, so you don't think it's ringworm? That is a relief.He does scratch at his spots every so often, how long should I wait after his skin clears to introduce him to Dillon? Are fungal conditions contagious to other pigs?

Here's the link of Obi chewing, he does this all the time with everything including my fingers. Is this normal?

https://youtu.be/lIopTGWCnoY
 

bpatters

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Well, my pigs have all chewed water, so I can't say that's abnormal. But you should never allow him to nibble on you.

You should continue to treat him for several days after new hair has started to grow in. It takes a while to get rid of a fungal infection.

If it's not a fungus, and the antibiotic cream clears it up, you can put them together after 4-5 days of treatment.
 

Nadiv

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Thank you again Bpatters, I will follow your advice and get some fungal cream I'll post about his progress in a week or two. I will also try to stop him from nibbling on me I'm glad to know chewing on things is normal. :)
 

jaycriae

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Bpatters is absolutely right- just wanted to add that for some pigs, excessive chewing can be a sign of pain. It's hard to tell with a new boy like Obi-wan though, since you don't know how often he chewed before, it could also just be his personality.
 

Nadiv

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Thank you Jaycriae, I will watch his chewing habits carefully and see if it stops as his skin condition improves.
 

Nadiv

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Good news, Saturday I took Obi to get checked out and he got a clean bill of health! Apparently he is just fine and I was worried for nothing, they think his sneeze was caused by new smells or some particles getting stuck in his nostrils, he has clear airways and no gunk in his nostrils. Obi's rash is mostly gone now, I'll post pictures when I get a chance.
 
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