About Jenny Atkins Expertise If your guinea pig has stopped eating, is having fits, looks puffed up or listless, is bleeding, has lost weight suddenly or is squeaking in pain then please, do not delay in taking him/her to a vet. Preferably a specialist small animal or exotic pet vet, but don't worry if you can't find one.
If you suspect your guinea pig is pregnant, has mites, is losing hair or you have a question about diet, cages, toys, exercise etc then look at my past answers before you ask your question, as it may save you time.
Otherwise, go ahead and ask me a question! My areas of expertise are in how to choose your guinea pigs, where to get them from and what you need before you bring your new pets home. I can also help with general care and dietary questions, with treating common illnesses (especially skin complaints), pregnancy and baby guinea pigs (though I do not approve of purposeful 'at home' breeding), and how to introduce two males.
I'd recommend The Really Useful Guinea Pig Guide by Myra Mahoney and Piggy Potions by Peter Gurney to all guinea pig owners - these books will tell you everything you need to know to ensure your guinea pigs have happy and healthy lives. I practically memorised these before I was allowed my first guinea pigs as a teenager!
Experience I absolutely love guinea pigs, and I think they make brilliant pets for the right owners. They are incredibly sociable animals and should always be kept in pairs, or a larger group (females only). If you spend lots of time with your guinea pigs, they will become very tame and friendly little creatures. I am very much a pet owner, and provide answers based on my personal experiences with my pet piggies, and what I've learned from books along the way. I'm not a breeder or a vet, so I can't answer questions about breeding, breeds or complicated illnesses. I have kept both boars and sows, and have had my share of unexpected newborns in the early days. I've had a total of 11 guinea pigs over the years - all adorable in their own way - including my current two boars (Almeida and Simba) whose cage has pride of place in my living room. When you have guinea pigs you learn something new about them every day!
Education/Credentials 2:1 Honours Degree in Creative Arts with English
Guinea Pigs - Guinea Pig Ringoworm, Mites, Lice or other infection?
Expert: Jenny Atkins - 5/8/2009
Question Hi my guinea pig (2 years old) was just checked out by the vets for mites and ringworm (tested and cultured) but neither came up positive. One of my guinea pigs has a big brown spot on her back (about the size of a pea) and whenever I scratch it she squeals bloody murder! I am very worried about her as well as my other "Phoebe" she has these little black pieces of her own skin scattered throughout her rump and upper and middle back :( The vet gave her some mite medicine but could it be something more serious like cancer, and tumor or an internal parasite? The vet scraped her skin but the test came up negative for ringworm as well as mites. The 2 year old one "Daisy" also has a great big patch of white scaly stuff on her nose. The vet said not to worry about it but I think that she is wrong! What do you think? Both of them have started sneezing a lot lately (about 6 times a day)-- not normal and there is something in each of their eyes as well. The eyes are not cloudy but they seem to be irritating. Please help us! I really love my babes! They need your advice.
Thanks.
Kayla
Answer Hi Kayla,
It sounds as though you need to find a new vet, and soon!
Their skin complaints don't sound too serious to me, but Phoebe and Daisy are clearly feeling distressed because of them, and the sooner they are treated the better and quicker they will recover. As well as parasites, they could be suffering from a fungal skin complaint - which seems likely from your description, and should be treated very differently from parasitic complaints.
You should also ask a vet to listen to their breathing, as the sneezes could be an indication of the common cold, an allergy or an upper respiratory infection.
If you visit www.gorgeousguineas.com, you can use their identification page to match your girls' symptoms to a skin complaint, and order the appropriate aromatheraphy shampoos.
