The three most common diseases we encounter in the daily life of guinea pigs are two "gastrointestinal diseases and respiratory colds", and the last disease is skin disease. Skin diseases generally include parasites, fungal infections, and bacterial infections of wounds. Guinea pig skin disease problems are often first detected by round hair removal and crusted patches, which may have different causes depending on the affected area.
Fungal infections are the most well-known of guinea pig skin diseases, and we often call them ringworms, which are caused by the fungus Trichophyton. This infection can be transmitted by all animals to each other, which means that it may be transmitted from people or other animals in the household to guinea pigs, or it can be transmitted from guinea pigs to humans or other cats and dogs in the family. The main manifestations of guinea pig ringworm include baldness, scaly patches, usually starting from the nose, cheeks, eyes and ears of the face, bald patches may also be flaky, crusty or red crusts, and then gradually spread from the face to the back, when scratched due to itching, skin inflammation may appear.
Why does guinea pig ringworm tend to appear on the face in the first place? This indicates an important source of infection, dust from the pasture. Fungi are soil-friendly and skin-friendly, so if the grass is not very clean and there is a lot of dust inside, there may be a lot of fungi, and when the guinea pig eats grass, these fungi will attach to the head, and then infect the skin when the resistance is low.
In some cases, we can check for a ringworm infection by irradiating a UV lamp, but this is not a very accurate method, and it is more a skin test or a doctor's empirical judgment. Healthy guinea pigs with strong resistance may recover on their own, but the right treatment can speed up healing and reduce the chance of transmission to humans and other animals, including severe oral medications, light topical applications, and disinfection and cleaning of the overall environment to avoid repeated infections and autologous infections. The most important point of treatment is not how long it takes to heal, but to ensure that the medicine does not cause additional harm to the guinea pig, and cases of death of guinea pigs due to incorrect medication are often occurring.
Ringworm is highly contagious to humans and other animals. If infected guinea pigs need to be handled, they should be washed thoroughly with soap and warm water while wearing disposable gloves or after handling.
Won't fool your personal pet expert, "Pet Home Care" will help you explain in detail the knowledge of pet health maintenance or scientific breeding, track and record its physical changes every day, and help you analyze the previous diagnosis results and restore health. Click "Consult" when it opens. Beijing doctors are at your service, and you can search for the applet "Home Pet Home Care" on your mobile phone.
Parasites are another common skin disease, and mites and lice can cause a lot of damage to guinea pigs.
Severe mite infestations can cause death, some species of mites show no signs at all, some cause hair removal without affecting the skin, and some burrow into the skin and cause intense itching, hair loss and skin inflammation. The latter mite usually infects the inner thighs, shoulders, and neck, and the skin underneath the infected fur may appear dry, oily, thickened, or crusted over. Systemic manifestations may follow, resulting in weight loss, listlessness, and irritability running around in cages, which can lead to convulsions and death if left untreated.
Guinea pigs infected with lice and fleas usually have no symptoms, but severe infections can cause itching, hair loss, and inflammation of the ears and skin. You can see lice or fleas moving in the hair through a magnifying glass, and bathing is a good way to get rid of them.
Most guinea pig mite infections are when they are just bought home, or when new animals come into the house, they will also be infected by contaminated supplies, such as mattresses, nests, cages, etc., used by other animals. The treatment of mites is often treated by injection, oral or topical application, and ensures that the living area of the guinea pig is clean and hygienic, reducing the stress and tension of the guinea pig's life, and minimizing and preventing the channels of infection. Similarly, the focus of treatment is to avoid secondary harm from drug poisoning.
Won't fool your personal pet expert, "Pet Home Care" will help you explain in detail the knowledge of pet health maintenance or scientific breeding, track and record its physical changes every day, and help you analyze the previous diagnosis results and restore health. Click "Consult" when it opens. Beijing doctors are at your service, and you can search for the applet "Home Pet Home Care" on your mobile phone.
There may also be many reasons for the hair loss of guinea pigs, due to the conflict of guinea pig society, or the fight where the older guinea pig bullies the younger guinea pig to maintain the dominant position, the guinea pig raised in a group will also chew or tear their own or each other's hair, this grooming behavior can also occur in the guinea pig in a state of boredom in the individual house, often causing patchy hair loss, and the wound caused by the bite may also cause subcutaneous inflammation. A very small number of hair removal cases are also related to genetics or metabolism, especially in female guinea pigs during the breeding period. In the event of such stress or social gnawing skin damage, it can be solved by keeping the guinea pigs separately to minimize stress and tension, weaning the baby and female guinea pigs as soon as possible, and starting to eat hay.
In addition to systemic skin diseases, the meat pads on the feet of guinea pigs are also the site of frequent infections. Because some guinea pig keepers will equip the cage with a metal or plastic mesh toilet, this leads to the meat pads often due to abrasions or cuts leading to Staphylococcus aureus infection, foot matitis or foot dermatitis, and some guinea pigs are more likely to develop diseases due to obesity or poor feeding hygiene. Over time, paditis can lead to serious complications such as swollen lymph nodes, arthritis, tendonitis, and a buildup of a precipitate of amyloid in the internal organs. Severe infections require antibiotics and pain relievers, and may even require amputation to avoid more serious illness.
Guinea pig skin disease is very common, so every guinea pig owner will be advised not to use the grid toilet, put smooth and soft mats in the cage, improve hygiene, bathe the guinea pig regularly, disinfect the cage, and any new animals need to be kept in isolation to ensure health. We do not recommend the so-called regular deworming, any anthelmintic drug may have toxic side effects on guinea pigs, and each anthelmintic drug targets different parasites, so it is necessary to confirm what kind of skin disease it is, and then treat it as needed.
Common diseases and manifestations of guinea pigs7 (pneumonia, colds, bronchitis)
Daily respiratory irritation in guinea pigs, trivia for cats and dogs17
Common Diseases and Manifestations of Guinea Pigs4 (Loss of Appetite and Flatulence)
Common Diseases and Manifestations of Guinea Pigs 3 (Vitamin C Deficiency and Supplementation)