Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register
  • ONE THREAD per pig please!
    We really want your pig's history all in one place to help you. Please don't start a new thread for a new issue. Just reply to your old one. We can edit the title for you if needed.

Scratching Some days my guinea pigs scratch a lot but some day they don't

MomoPrincess

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Posts
33
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
33
I noticed they have been itching recently so I've treated my guinea pigs with ivermectin (to treat for mites) and will be giving them a bath soon (to treat fungal infections). I don't know why but some days my guinea pigs scratch themselves a lot and some days they don't scratch at all (or barely). Does anyone know why and what may be the cause of this?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
The ONLY thing I can think of off the top of my head is humidity.

They would tend to have dry itchy skin if the humidity in your house is low, and scratch a lot less if the humidity is higher.
 

MomoPrincess

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Posts
33
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
33
I think you're right. Today is a rainy day and they have been scratching like crazy.
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
So how did you treat them for mites? What strength was the ivermectin? How much did you give? How did you give it? How much do your pigs weigh?

And you and [MENTION=35161]Guinea Pig Papa[/MENTION] are saying two different things. He's saying if the problem is dry skin they'll scratch less on a humid day, you're saying it's a rainy day and they're scratching a lot.
 

MomoPrincess

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Posts
33
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
33
I treated them for mites by Farnam Ivercare Horse Dewormer Paste 1.87%. I gave them diluted ivermectin according to their weight. Momo is 1.020kg (or 1020g) and Princess is 0.685kg (or 685 g) so I gave Momo 0.204 cc (250 g of ivermectin diluted with 22 mL water) and Princess 0.137 cc (250 g of ivermectin diluted with 22 mL water). Btw I gave this to them just yesterday, I would have to treat them again 7 days later. I'm planning to give them bath tomorrow (I'm going to use head n shoulder which contains pyrithione zinc) just in case if they have fungal infection.

What I meant is that the buildup of humidity before rain might have caused dry skin, I placed a mini humidifier next to their cage and it has been raining hard currently. As of now, my guinea pigs aren't itching at all :)

It's so confusing to exactly pinpoint what they are going through. Everything is normal (no hair loss, poop normal, eating normally, & same behavior etc.) but they sometimes itch alot (they also bite their feet) and it really concerns me.
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
Don't mix the H&S with the ivermectin. There's no way to know if there are adverse interactions between the two, but ivermectin generally isn't given in conjunction with other topical meds.

It takes several days for ivermectin to work, and they do generally itch more right after the first treatment.
 

MomoPrincess

Active Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Posts
33
Joined
Nov 21, 2020
Messages
33
Wait?! So I can't give them a bath yet? I'm not directly mixing ivermectin with H&S, I'm just going to use H&S tomorrow when I give them a bath for fungal infection. It should be safe right?
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

GuineaPigParent36
Replies
2
Views
265
GuineaPigParent36
GuineaPigParent36
N
Replies
4
Views
502
Guinea Pig Papa
Guinea Pig Papa
K
Replies
1
Views
299
bpatters
bpatters
M
Replies
4
Views
584
bpatters
bpatters
megamazing
Replies
5
Views
197
SSLee
SSLee
Top