Parasites Quick relief for lice!

[NefariousNox]

Hello! I just adopted a pair of guinea pigs and I'm pretty sure they have lice. I think my one piggy Boris had them first because when I first held him I noticed he had light scabs along his back. I didn't know what to make of it and I didn't notice him being particularly itchy so I let him and my other piggy Skittles play together. However tonight I noticed that both of them are scratching quite frequently and I'm worried they have lice. (I'm not very happy with their previous owner for not telling me, and/or not noticing that poor Boris was suffering from it). I'm a first time guinea pig owner so I'm not sure how to best approach this situation. I've done a little googling but I keep finding old old threads and no solid answers.

I ordered some Lice 'N Easy from Gorgeous Guines a little while ago but it's going to take a week or so to get here since it's international shipping. Does anyone have any quick relief tips that I can use to help my poor itchy boys!

 

[bpatters]

Why do you think it's lice and not mites? If you comb the hair carefully, you should be able to see the adult lice, and you can also see the nits stuck to the hair shafts. If you don't see those, the problem is more likely mites.

You can treat for mites yourself -- this is the easiest stuff to use: https://www.amazon.com/Ivermectin-Pour--Cattle-250-mL/dp/B00JAL3AAW/ref=sr_1_6. If you decide to get it, post back here when it arrives and we'll help you with dosing.

See https://www.guinealynx.info/parasites.html and follow the various links.

 

[NefariousNox]

I read somewhere advantage helps so I might drive out to the petstore tomorrow and pick some up. I saw guinea lynx had a page on proper dosage for guinea pigs, but I'm still looking for a possible temporary relief tip? I know it's sort of grasping for straws but I hate seeing my boys like this :C

 

[NefariousNox]

I read that mites lead to hair loss, so I wasn't sure. It's true I couldn't see lice but both my piggies are very hairy. I'm gonna try to get them to a vet soon but do you recommend I try the mite solution?

 

[NefariousNox]

Thank you for the link Bpatters. I just bought the medicine! I just assumed lice cause I thought mite's symptoms were more severe but this is a new issue so it probably builds up to that. I will post back here as soon as I get the medicine (sadly it won't be here to the 3-7th of september :/)

 

[bpatters]

It takes a pretty serious mite infestation for pigs to lose hair. It's entirely possible for a pig to have mites, even to the point of having scabs, and still have all its hair.

You can't use the Advantage that's currently on the market. It's Advantage II, and it contains insect growth regulators that shouldn't be used on guinea pigs. If you can find the original Advantage, that stuff is ok.

It's your choice as to whether to see a vet. But if you do, don't let them do a skin scraping to test for mites. It's painful for the pig, costs you money, misses the mites half the time, and the outcome is the same whatever the test finds -- treat for mites. Just skip straight to the treatment.

 

[NefariousNox]

Okay thank you for the advice! I know I'll have to clean their cage but do I need to worry about the mites spreading in my room or to my cat?

 

[bpatters]

No, you don't have to worry about the cats or yourself.

 

[NefariousNox]

Okay good. My friend had me worried. She was saying I had to clean them a lot or the mites would spread and I'd have to bug bomb. I didn't think that was right with guinea pig mites since I never hear anyone mentioning having that problem so I think she meant another type of mites.

 

[bpatters]

No, for heaven't sake, don't bug bomb anything. I never heard of bug bombing for any kind of mites. They burrow under the skin and are microscopic, so bug bombs wouldn't help anyway.

And you don't have to clean all the time. You do need to do a thorough cleaning after each dose (once a week for 3-4 weeks to get the whole life cycle of the mites), and you need to treat all your pigs.

If you think there's any chance that the problem could be lice rather than mites, Revolution will treat both very nicely. Unfortunately, it requires either a vet prescription, or ordering it from another country. It's sold without a prescription in Australia, and might be available in Canada.

 

[NefariousNox]

Okay! (my friend means well she just has her facts mixed up, I'll be sure to tell her this though) Thank you so much bpatters! I would still be scratching my head looking at solutions for lice if you hadn't recommended I go for a mite treatment. My boys thank you too <3

 

[NefariousNox]

UPDATE: I am now sure that my boys are suffering from lice and not mites. While I was petting Boris just a moment ago I searched through his fur and saw the lice crawling around in his neck fur. Should I still use the Ivermectin or is that a mites only thing? I have lice shampoo on the way, but what else should I use to help get rid of the lice?

 

[bpatters]

If it's lice, I'd see a vet for Revolution, or order it online from somewhere. Ivermectin will eventually kill them, but Revolution is quicker.