Treating guinea pig mites ?

[nikki81]

Can anyone give me advice how to treat a guinea pig with mites with ivermectin ? Should I put the pig on newspaper instead of saw dust while its got mites

[pagan queen]

For a start guinea pigs should be on wood shavings not sawdust as sawdust can cause respiratory problems.
Has the pig got any sores caused by scratching? If so you need to treat the sores as well. Have you taken the pig to the vet, do you know the dosage for the pigs weight?

[nikki81]

I meant wood shavings not sawdust. I know the dose for the pig the vet gave me a chart a few years ago it has got sores. How long will it take the meds to start to work

[sa123]

Hi i breed guinea pigs for 15 years ivermectum not sure if spelt right , but dont use on skinny pigs hairless guinea pigs . I used to place a drop in the mouth then 2 weeks later another drop, never had any problems and it always worked the whole time i had them ,think they get it from the hay as i always brought it in a bale from the farm , things change some goes on back neck now.

[nikki81]

Thanks I've got the topical drops for dripping on the skin what can I treat the sore paches with ?

[sa123]

Hi I have used Dermisol cream you can buy it and read about it , on line, with out going to a vets , but once you do the treatment the sore areas should dry and heal up fast ,thats as long as it is mites .

[pagan queen]

You can buy shampoo to treat mites but it isn't very good. I would shampoo the pig to clean the the sores. Then when the pig is dry put the drops on the bald patches behind the ears. Clean out the pig and provide clean bedding. If the bedding is from the same batch as the stuff in the cage now put it in a freezer for 12 hours to kill any mites that might be in it.
How big are the sores? If they are small and scabbed over you can use Sudo creme on them. You can use it on any sores but open sores will sting and could be uncomfortable for the pig.

[nikki81]

Thanks the pig had the mites when I got it all the shavings and hay I use are put in the freezer since one of my degus got for mites . I've got some sudocrem when I've washed the pig I'll put some on

[sa123]

keep a eye on useing sudocrem, mine got in a right old mess ,it never worked for me, but their is never a right or wrong way we all have diffrent methods so might work well for you.

[tinkerbelle]

Best shampoo to use is lyclear childrens nit shampoo or alphosyl. rinse and then use nizarol shampoo which is anti fungal. both can be bought from chemist. I use beaphar spot on to treat mites (from pet stores) it contains ivermectin and doesnt cost the price of a vet visit. been using these methods for 15 years and always had good results. As long as the cage is clean, the wounds should heal very quickly but if they become infected would need to be seen by a vet.