General Is it mites or ringworm?

[lkraub]

I have one Guinea pig, a 2 1/2 year old female named Aspen. She's laidback and social. Well yesterday I noticed a large ugly bald patch on her shoulder area that ran down her neck. It looks bright red like a wound and is full of small scabs. On her other side there's a small penny-sized patch of hair loss as well (red and scabby). I've posted pictures so you can view each.

I thought for sure it was ringworm until I researched mites. Now I'm so confused! I don't know which one it is... She seems a little 'not-herself' and seems to be more sleepy than usual, but her appetite is still good. I've only caught her scratching the areas twice.

I can't afford to take her to a vet at the moment so I really need to know if it's mites or ringworm (that way I can take appropriate treatment measures for her at home.) Anyone else have any experience with this type of thing?? Any info would be awesome. Thank you.

One side...

The other side (in the same spot, but much smaller)

note: She doesn't seem to mind much if I lightly touch the areas. You can till she's a little irritated, but it's not like she's in a lot of pain.

 

[bpatters]

Probably mites, and the scabbing is where she's been scratching it. See https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/111160-How-to-treat-for-mites-and-lice.

 

[Paperpapillon]

I would think fungus (ringworm) honestly. I've had 2 boys with mites and they had zero hair loss and minimal itching; but there are different kinds of mites.

Can you get a cat/dog flea comb and sit her on your lap, slowly comb through the fur starting at the back end. Make sure the comb pins go all the way to the skin, not just the top of the fur. Do this in a really well lit area, like under a lamp. You MAY be able to see the mites on the comb or her fur if she has them. Some are microscopic, but mine weren't. I'll post a few pics to show you mine. They were actually white crawling bugs all over them. Instead of itching, they would shake off like a dog does when it's wet. Really were barely itchy. That's why I would guess fungus, and in my hospital we see cats and dogs with ringworm which is usually a red area of hair loss like that. I'm sure it's a bit different in GPs though.

This link may be helpful: https://www.guinealynx.info/hairloss.html

 

[Paperpapillon]

Here's a picture of the mites. Hard to see, but they are the white specks. He had a pretty bad infestation IMO!

(he had one scab, not hairloss though)

 

[bpatters]

@Paperpapillon, those are not mites at all. Mites are microscopic, burrow into the skin, and can't be seen at all. Those are lice.

 

[jaycriae]

Can confirm that it's almost definitely not ringworm (I've both had and treated ringworm and it doesn't look like it, plus she probably wouldn't be lethargic. I know my ringworm kept me from sleeping more often than not.)


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[lkraub]

Thank you all for your responses! I'm going to treat her with ivermectin pour-on, as I do suspect it's mites. However I bought an anti-fungal cream so that if the Ivermectin doesn't clear it, I can treat her for ringworm. I gently touched the area with my finger and she was really jumpy and wouldn't let me touch it. Hopefully I can get the ivermectin on successfully.