Our 2 year old guinea pig has 5 red bumbs in a hairless spot above his butt. What could cause this and how should we treat it?
Has the guinea pig been scratching lately? What type of bedding is the guinea pig on?
Reply to Danielle's Post: To the best of my knoweledge no he hasn't been scratching but he is spending more time than usual in his igloo where you can't see him as much. We recently moved him to our basement so he wouldn't be disturbed by construction on the floor he was normally on. He is on pine bedding chips. Thank you for your reply.
It sounds as though your guinea pig has a case of mites. There are two types of guinea pig mites -- fur mites and mange mites. Fur mites live in the hair and fur of the guinea pigs and on top of their skin. Mange mites, however, burrow deep into the skin where you cannot see them. Both types of mites cause itching, hair loss and red spots and bumps. Where the two mites differ is in their form of eradication. With fur mites, it is much simpler to rid of the mites. You can do so by using a typical bird or rodent mite and lice spray sold at most pet stores. Mange mites, however, are much harder to treat and usually require veterinarian treatment with more potent medications such as Ivomec. In order to find which type of mite the guinea pig has, and to determine the proper course of treatment, the guinea pig needs to be examined by a veterinarian experiened with guinea pigs. They will typically pull a small clump of hair, as well as a skin scrape, and look at it under a microscrope. This will tell the veterinarian which type of mite the guinea pig has and where the mites are located. Hope this helps!Danielle39204.6978681713