Eva's Sellnick Page

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Symptoms

I don't have any photos of Sellnic infested cavies, since I never had Sellnic on my cavies, at least not yet.

Symptoms of mite infested cavies may vary, from open sores anywhere to bald patches on the belly. Usually they are:

Hair loss, often on the belly and on the insides of the back legs. The coat might be partly missing (bare belly), missing in smaller patches or thinned out by hair loss. Hair loss is caused by scratching.
Scratching. Extreme scratching in severe cases.
Scurfy skin, might look like dandruff.
On light coloured cavies the skin turn dark red.
Open wounds. Caused by scratching. May appear anywhere on the body.
Pain and/or irritation if touched. The affected cavy can get so irritated that it resembles an epileptic seizure!

The cavy will die sooner or later if not treated! Death occurs from dehydration and anorexia. Dehydration from the bigger and bigger sores and anorexia because they are so irritated that they can't eat.

Identification

The mite itself is too small to be seen with a bare eye. It is also so small and deeply embedded in the cavy's skin that they might be almost impossible to get in a skin scraping, therefore they are hard to get to see under a microscope. Diagnosed from the symptoms.

Treat all cavies with Ivomec if you suspect Sellnick!

Treatments

Only treatment is Ivomec (ivermectin). This you can only get from a vet. See a vet! In Sweden, all cavies with open sores are injected. Cavies caught in early stages only need oral Ivomec, same dose. Repeat treatment twice, with 10 - 14 days inbetween. Usually you will see a complete recovery within two weeks, no other treatments are needed, except that you can cut the nails on the back feet short to avoid further damage from scratching.

If the cavy were having severe symptoms you might have to give more than three Ivomec treatments, but this is highly unusual.

If the treatment does not help at all within two weeks your cavy probably has something else! Maybe some kind of fungus.

Ways to spread

Sellnick DO NOT spread to humans or any other animals, only from guinea pig to guinea pig in direct contact. Sellnick cannot spread via hay or litter.

Facts

The name of this mite is Trixacarus caviae, and the mite lives deeply burrowed in the skin of the cavy. If the cavies are in good health the mite may stay dormant for many months (or maybe even years) and when the cavy eventually gets sick or in a stressful situation a mite infestation is not always the first thing on your mind. Usually a pregnancy will start the attack, or some other stressful event (maybe a cavy show or travelling with the pigs).

Another name for Sellnick is mange.

Sadly enough, many cavies bought in pet shops in Sweden has this mite, and if these piggies do not see a vet and get proper treatment they will probably die.

Litterature

Guinea Pig Parasites.