Hair Loss Bite Scabs or something else?

[SarahRose]

Hi! I just rescued a guinea pig today as a friend for my other one. The people who had her were allergic so they had to get rid of their three. The one I got is four months old. The two other guinea pigs she lived with previously, weren't very nice to her and pulled some of her hair out. She has a large scab on her cheek that looks like it's almost started to heal itself. The other one is around the bottom of her eye. Could that be an upper respiratory infection? I think the woman who owned her said they took her to the vet and they said she was healthy. Should I talk to my dad about taking her to the vet just to make sure everything is okay? I checked for mites and lice and she doesn't have either. She liked the massage of me looking through her hair though. She's been very social and happy since she came home (pop-corning all over her cage). The two are in separate cages for a week so they can talk and get to know each other. Any advice/suggestions? Thanks!!

 

[SarahRose]

Here is of her eye.

 

[BaconAndEggs]

I'm no expert, but you may want to talk to a vet that specializes in guinea pigs. It looks to me like it is only her former cagemates' pulling of her fur, but I can't be sure.

 

[SarahRose]

That's what I was thinking too. It looks very similar to the spot when a horse gets his hair pulled out.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

You made a mistake by putting her cage next to your pig. It looks to me like she has a fungal infection, which is highly contagious.

 

[SarahRose]

Well then what do you recommend I do?

 

[Soecara]

Have a read of this https://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html

Your other guinea pig has already been exposed so moving the new girl now would be pointless. Normally when getting a new guinea pig it is recommended to quarantine the new individual in an entirely separate room for three weeks to make sure they do not have any contagious illnesses.

On a side note you can not physically see mites as they are microscopic and burrow under the skin. However normally mites hair-loss begins on the back, whereas fungal infections typically begin on the face.

 

[SarahRose]

Have a read of this https://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html

Your other guinea pig has already been exposed so moving the new girl now would be pointless. Normally when getting a new guinea pig it is recommended to quarantine the new individual in an entirely separate room for three weeks to make sure they do not have any contagious illnesses.

On a side note you can not physically see mites as they are microscopic and burrow under the skin. However normally mites hair-loss begins on the back, whereas fungal infections typically begin on the face.

I've read that. Thank you. I feel terrible and really bad now that I've exposed her to that. But in my house, there is virtually no where else to put her for three weeks. Should I take them both to the vet, or just the one with the infection? And where should I put her? I have her on the other side of the room right now. And when I put the cage next to each other, neither of them touched the side. The older one went to see what was over there but didn't touch the other cage or anything. She stayed away after that and went about her daily business. The new one was only in the separate cage for about 2 hours since we just got her and she wasn't interested the other one. I've washed the fleece that was in the older one's cage and put a clean one in just now. Was that still enough time to expose her? Thanks!

 

[SarahRose]

Also, is it going to affect me being in the same room as her?

 

[Soecara]

Strictly speaking fungal infections don't necessarily need vet visits as they can be treated at home with topical creams from a human pharmacy (the types of creams to use are listed in the previous link). However in your case she does have a patch very close to an eye so you might be better off with an oral medication from a vet as there is a high risk of you getting the cream into her eye.

Yes that short of a time is long enough for exposure, just keep an eye on your other guinea pig. Where you keep the new girl is up to you now as your other girl has already been exposed.

Finally yes it is contagious to you, how likely you are to catch it depends on your immune system. I personally have dealt with two cases of fungal infections in my guinea pigs, and one with my dog but have never caught it from them. Precautions you can take include washing your hands after handling her, changing your shirt, wearing disposable gloves etc.

 

[Icarus_Hermes]

I had to take Hermes to the vet shortly after I got him for fungal infection (ringworm) on his face. I took both pigs since they were already living together (they lived together before I got them). Icarus was showing zero signs of infection and the vet confirmed that. My vet said there was no point in separating mine since both were already exposed. Not sure if you should take both pigs since they live separately, maybe ask the vet's office when you make the appointment?

Humans can catch it, but if you change out of your clothes after handling the infected pig and wash your hands, you should be fine. Wear gloves if you want to be extra cautious. I handled mine regularly with bare hands during treatment and didn't catch it.

With my vet, treatment was oral medication for Hermes, stinky medicine bathes for both pigs to stop the spores from spreading and prevent Icarus from getting infected (he never caught it). The treatment was not expensive, just took several weeks.

 

[SarahRose]

I had to take Hermes to the vet shortly after I got him for fungal infection (ringworm) on his face. I took both pigs since they were already living together (they lived together before I got them). Icarus was showing zero signs of infection and the vet confirmed that. My vet said there was no point in separating mine since both were already exposed. Not sure if you should take both pigs since they live separately, maybe ask the vet's office when you make the appointment?

Humans can catch it, but if you change out of your clothes after handling the infected pig and wash your hands, you should be fine. Wear gloves if you want to be extra cautious. I handled mine regularly with bare hands during treatment and didn't catch it.

With my vet, treatment was oral medication for Hermes, stinky medicine bathes for both pigs to stop the spores from spreading and prevent Icarus from getting infected (he never caught it). The treatment was not expensive, just took several weeks.

Thank you so much, that just helped me worry a little less. I changed my clothes, threw them in the wash, and took a shower. And that doesn't sound too bad so I'll tell my dad in the morning since is 11:30 here. It'll be difficult to give my first one a bath because she's been real moody lately.

 

[Icarus_Hermes]

Good luck! Icarus hates baths too, he jumped out of the bathtub for the first treatment! He's a cuy, so drama to the extreme. I usually ended up bathing him on my lap to keep him still (and giving myself at bath in the process.) At least he got his treatment!