Static Lice are very small, ca 0,5 mm, and attach themselves to the hairs. Especially on the hind quarters they can be found. By stroking the cavy you can feel the unevenness of the coat. These small creatures sits firmly on the hairs. They can be seen as dark spots on lighter coloured cavies, and as light spots on dark coloured cavies. They do not cause scratching since they usually sits on the outer part of the hair, and thus do not irritate the cavy's skin. They are believed to be commensals, and in some countries they are not even disqualifying in shows. But even a normally harmless commensal can cause severe harm to its host in some cases, and therefore they should be treated for.
These you can feel with your bare hand.
Try louse schampoo first, you will have repeat the treatment.
Ivomec will eradicate severe cases. A thorough cleaning of everything in the vicinity of the cavies and their cage is recommended. Static Lice do not survive long without a gunea pig.
Static Lice spread via direct contact, soiled bedding, and via people; if you hold an infected cavy and then hold one without Static Lice - without washing and changing clothes - you might very spread this parasite! It cannot spread via hay that has not been in contact with affected cavies!
Static Lice can only multiply on a cavy, and Static Lice only affects cavies. It can not spread to any other species.
The name of this parasite is Chirodiscoides caviae, and it is not even a louse.
It is often thought to be spread by hay, but that is only true if a cavy with Static Lice has been in the hay lately!
Copyright Eva Johansson.
Last update: 2nd of December 2005.