A scratching cavy.
QUESTION 1: How do I get info about medical care?
ANSWER: Contact an exotic vet, (maybe several) or ask a lot of people in your local guinea pig club. In Sweden we have veterinarians as members of the guinea pig club... Look also at the Internet!
There are also two great piggy books, by the GP-lover Peter
Gurney: "The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs" and
"Piggy Potions".
You could also try the "Deseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs"
by Richardson, a bit outdated, but still interesting, and
"The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents" by
John E. Harkness & Joseph E. Wagner.
QUESTION 2: Is it true that piggies can get mites or lice from hay?
ANSWER: Only if there has been a mite or lice infested cavy near the hay recently! If you buy hay from feed stores that is impossible. The reason lots of people think piggies can get mites from hay is that they do not know that the mites can be inactive for a very long time, in the piggies skin, and they can start multiplying when the piggy is in stress (pregnant or change of environment or whatever). Also the worst mite (Trixacarus caviae, also called Sellnic) is quite impossible to find in skin scrapings, so you can not be sure that the piggy is not having them. Lots of piggies have them dormant for months and months.
Also a pig can have few undetected running lice in their fur for a very long time. When the piggy gets in a stressful situation the immunune system works slower and the lice can start multiplying. If you did not see the lice before this it is easy to believe they came in with hay or bedding material, especially since rats and mice can get both lice and mites from hay or bedding!
The reason that cavies can not is that no wild cavies lives in the countries where cavies are usually kept as pets. But wild rats and mice do! And it is only wild specimens of the same species that can leave behind lice or mites in hay and other material!
If you have rats or mice, and want to give them hay you only have to store the hay in an absolutely mice and rat free environment for as long as the lice and mites can live without a host (usually around three weeks for mites and 4 weeks for lice!).
QUESTION 3: My piggy is scratching/having sores/hair loss. What is wrong and what can I do?
A scratching cavy.
ANSWER: Scratching/sores in combination with hairloss is usually caused by external parasites. A cavy can also lose hair without scratching (hairloss).
Some examples of external parasites:
Hairloss is not uncommon in females that are pregnant or has small babies. Also older females with hormonal problems/ovarian cysts often loses hair. This form of hairloss is not associated with mites and/or scratching. Eva's Sick Cavies Page.
Booklets about Guinea Pig Parasites
QUESTION 4: My piggy has an enlarged foot. Whats wrong?
ANSWER: This piggy probably has Bumblefoot. Take a look at this page Eva's Sick Cavies Page. And see an experienced piggy vet for treatment!
QUESTION 5: My piggy is eating his own poop! Is anything wrong?
ANSWER: Probably not, eating fresh poop right from the source is normal piggy behaviour.
QUESTION 6: My male piggy has some sticky yucky thing at his bum, is this normal?
ANSWER: Yes. Most male piggies gets this (or all gets it more or less). You can try cleaning it away if you do not like the feel of it!
QUESTION 7: My piggie is bald behind the ears, whats wrong?
ANSWER: Nothing. All piggies are bald behind their ears. If you look carefully youll see that they also have bald spots on the insides of their wrists on their front legs too! Probably for cleaning themselves better...
Actually guinea pigs have three places that are bald:
Drawing by Eva Johansson.
Last update: 10th of January 2006.