Epileptic guinea pig?

Question

We just got a new guinea pig, and one day my roomate saw her have what she described as a "seizure." It bounced all over the place, shrieking, and shook its head. It also has yellowish crusty wax in her ear that looks like dandruff buildup. There is also some red marks in her ear. Could she have ear mites? Could the "seizure" have anything to do with the fact that she was uncomfortable about the mites? Or could the two have nothing to do with each other? Any advice before I take her to the vet?

Answer 1

THE SEIZURES CAN BE FITTING CAUSED BY MITES.

An extremely common affliction of guinea pigs is sarcoptic mange or mites.They are microscopic parasites they feed off your g.p. and cause extreme pain-hence the fitting or "seizures".This is not catchy to humans but is extremely catchy to other pigs.It is not serious and can be easily treated and cured by going to a g.p. knowledgeable vet.He will perform a scraping test and confirm mites.The treatment isi  a series of small shots or Revolution( topical drops) on the back.

Answer 2

She could have just been "popcorning".

This is what guinea pigs do when their excited (usually) or happy.

If you go onto youtube and type in "guinea pig popcorning" it will come up with heaps of videos. Maybe you could show your room mate the videos and see if thats what your guinea pig looked like?

As for the crusty earwax, I dont really know-maybe she just needs a wash.

And the red marks on her ear-Im not really sure of either so I cant be of much help there sorry

Good luck

Answer 3

It is easy for an inexperienced guinea watcher to claim popcorning is a siezure - but you should take her to the vet - my guinea pig was 'popcorning' but when i watched him closely for an amount of time I decided his prancing was a bit abnormal due to shaking his head whilst he did it. A similar symptom to what you described.

It turned out he had ear irritations - and needed some ointment put in his ears. I presume your guinea pig does have ear mites, due to his symptoms - or at least she is in need of some ointment like mine. Anyway, she does need to see a vet.

Hope she feels better soon!

Answer 4

What seems to be 'seizures' in your guinea pig is actually her way of telling you she is happy. It is called popcorning by avid guinea pig lovers. I do think some of her running around and head shaking might have to do with her ear problem. I would take her to the vet and have her ears checked out. It might be really bad dried skin or irritation to the bedding. The waxy buildup in her ears is probably earwax that can be cleaned with qtips. I would get some vasoline or non-sented or pet safe lotion and begin working it in her ears. Just to be safe, take her to the vet first.

Answer 5

That does sound like an odd behaviour, and not like any popcorning that I'm used to.  Guinea pigs can certainly have seizures, and exhibit odd behaviours, due to pain from mites.

This sounds like it could be mites.  Mange mites are more common than an ear mite and quite frequently occur in guinea pigs.  Many vets will perform a skin scraping to test for them, and this test is frequently inaccurate.  Honestly, when I suspect mites I treat just to be sure.  If the medication is administered in the correct dose it is extremely safe.  However, I am not a vet just a long term pet owner comfortable with administering parasite treatments at home.

There's tons of great info on guinea pig parasites here:

http://www.guinealynx.info/parasites.htm...

If you end up treating with ivermectin at home (very easy to do if dosed correctly), then this site will give you great information:

http://www.guinealynx.info/ivermectin_tr...