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Skin Problems Guinea pig won't be picked up but still enjoys being petted?

HollyG

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Hello, so my guinea pig has been eating/drinking/using the bathroom fine and seems in perfect help except for this odd recent behavior. She loves being petted and scratched but suddenly now she hates being picked up. When I first got her, it took a while to be able to pick her up, but except for some running, she has been fine. She hasn't been scratching any more than usual or anything and she enjoys being touched, just not picked up. She makes noises and seems genuinely scared to be picked up and is biting to hurt/drawing blood. She hasn't ever been dropped or anything and I don't know what would cause this behavior change in the last day.
I was thinking possibly mites or lice but I don't see anything in her fur (from what I can see), she isn't scratching more than usual, and she likes being touched except when it comes to petting. This is probably the second day I didn't pick her up (yesterday I just wasn't home) so I think it is odd that something could develop that quickly. Could it be her stomach or some other issue?
Thanks in advance!
***Admins, I don't have a page on medical/veterinary (I checked) but I do have one under diet and nutrition, so if this needs to be moved or whatever just let me know.
 

Aussie pigs

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have you checked her weight?
 

Snugglybutt

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I don't think you can see mites with the naked eye. I took my piggie to the vet the other day and she examined for lice with her eyes, and took a skin swab to test for mites under a microscope. But yes, you should check her weight!
 

HollyG

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I haven?t checked her weight, I just got a scale for her but I put her on the other day and it seems waaaayyy off. I?ll try again today and make note of any changes. She is eating fine and everything, doing zoomies, etc.
The only change is that I put a fleece forest in and she is most aggressive if you try to get to her while she?s in there.
Could she get mites just out of nowhere? She?s had no changes in food, I bought her hay about 2 weeks ago, I use fleece bedding so no new shavings.
 

bpatters

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Every living thing has mites -- your guinea pig, you, me, snakes, whatever. They're microscopic and can't be seen with the naked eye, but sometimes the stars just align so that there's an outbreak and the pig gets very cranky.
 

HollyG

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So I want to treat for mites ust in case. She makes a purring noise whenever she is touched but she is normal in every other way. I don't want to have her suffer for 2-3 days waiting for it to arrive via mail so I looked and my local Tractor Supply has this; is it the same thing as the one on the sticky? (broken link removed)
 

HollyG

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Thank you [MENTION=19714]spy9doc[/MENTION]. The store is closed for the night today but I will be picking it up tomorrow and may have more questions! I'm still not quite 100% sure if it is mites but it can't hurt to do it anyway. Thanks everyone!
 

spy9doc

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Put 1-2 drops on the bald spot behind each ear, fold the ear back and rub it in. Do this for a total of three treatments, each a week apart. At the end of this course of treatment, evaluate the effectiveness. If the problem hasn't resolved, repeat the course of treatment one more time. If the treatment isn't effective, then I would reevaluate the situation and consider taking a rest period before repeating.
 

HollyG

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Thank you so much! So I just put it behind her ears? Will that get to the rest of her well enough? I know it shouldn?t be put anywhere where she could lick it off. Should I put it on the fleece in her cage at all?
 

bpatters

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Put 1-2 drops on the bald spot behind each ear, fold the ear back and rub it in. Do this for a total of three treatments, each a week apart.

Those are the directions for applying ivermectin. It is absorbed into the skin, and will treat the whole pig. Don't put it on the fleece -- the fleece doesn't have mites.
 

HollyG

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Thank you [MENTION=13820]bpatters[/MENTION] and [MENTION=19714]spy9doc[/MENTION] and everyone for answering my questions, as silly or clueless as they may seem.
I bought and applied the Ivermectin this afternoon as I was told (just behind the ears and to rub it in). She didn?t give me a hard time at all putting it on, which was a nice surprise. However, she seems itchier now (about 3 hours post application). Is this normal? When should I expect to see results, soon or only after the 3 weeks of weekly application?
 

spy9doc

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However, she seems itchier now (about 3 hours post application)

Sounds to me like the little critters are running for their lives!!

I honestly can't answer your question because my cavies apparently never had mites. I was treating them "just in case".
 

bpatters

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Yes, they can itch more immediately after the treatment. Things should start to calm down soon.
 

HollyG

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Alright, I might be paranoid but I'm beginning to think maybe it wasn't mites. I was holding her today (she actually let me pick her up without fighting it, yay!) and petting her and as she was purring she sounded a little hoarse if that's possible? I've asked everyone else in the house if she sounded different at all and they didn't notice anything, but she is mine and stays in my room, so I feel like I know her better.
My air conditioner has been on for a couple of days; could that be causing this? It has been hot and muggy in Vermont lately, but I know if the air conditioner is on for a while I get a sore throat. She is nowhere near the air conditioner; it is in the window in a walk in closet, there is literally a wall seperating her from the air conditioner. My first (and scariest thought) was a URI but she has no symptoms of it at all. Her eyes are clear and no discharge, she is eating and drinking, going to the bathroom, playing, no runny nose, no more sneezing than usual (like a random few sneezes a day or something) and no wheezing that I have heard.
It's hard to tell if I'm being paranoid or if I have just read these forums and am super careful with her but I kind of think I'm overreacting. Still, if any of you wouldn't mind giving their opinion it would be most welcome.
Thank you!
 

bpatters

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Our air conditioner runs 11.5 months a year. No guinea pig has ever had a problem from it.
 

HollyG

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Thank you bpatters. I?m sure I?m just being paranoid, I just want to make sure she is healthy. I?ve been monitoring her weight and it has been the same. She lost some between Sunday and Monday but it could have just been the scale being off or something. I plan on keeping an eye on her and maybe getting a tad more Vitamin C in her diet than usual and keeping track of her weight. Thank you all for your help!


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