My 4 Year Old Female Guinea Pig Keeps Biting At Her back And Butt Area?

Question

My female guinea pig who is 4 years old keeps biting at her back area and has left patches of missing fur.I took her to the vet before when she was just itching and they did a skin scrape and sent it off to labs.They said she did not have a skin problem but I am worried about her(Tina).Is she dying or pregnant.Please help Tina and me.I LOVE HER and do not want her to die.PLEASE.Advice.Am not shouting

Answer 1

I agree with Kirey, it sounds like mites They burrow under the skin.

Ivermectin (or a product containing Ivermectin - available in big pet stores) is the usual treatment.

Answer 2

Mabe she has skin sores or dry skin  irritated from her bedding being changed or food water/ or mabe just old age

Answer 3

Ok when my guinea Pig was scratching and had missing fur it was because of mites they live under the ground the thing you can do for Tina is buy some special mite shampoo and bath her once a week or how ever long it says my Guinea Pig is long gone now but i know how much you care about Tina and I can almost promise you Tina shouldnt die from this

Good luck! and I hope this idea helps! :)

Answer 4

it could be nothing, but above all else keep her hydrated, and make sure your not giving her anything out of her normal diet.

Answer 5

She probably has mites: http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html

Skin scrapes are notoriously inaccurate.

Is she housed with males?

Answer 6

Maybe she has fleas or a skin rash.

Answer 7

My Guinea Pig scratches a lot too and I have checked her and her scalp is clear. Have you tried doing this? Or maybe she is just itchy and needs a scratch. Good luck.

Answer 8

It definitely sounds like a parasite and my guess would be mites.  Lice or fleas would be readily apparent and the vet would have found those immediately.  Mites are harder to detect and skin scrapings are often wrong and show a false negative.

It is very important to treat for mites right away.  The treatment is a medication called ivermectin and, if dosed correctly, is very safe.  If mites are not treated they cause pain and eventually seizures and death.  The good news is that you can treat for them at home if you have a scale and are comfortable measuring small amounts of liquid.

Never use sprays, powders or shampoos available at pet stores.  The  only safe medications to use for mites are ivermectin or revolution.  Many of the other products available in stores are toxic and can seriously harm your guinea pig.

This page has tons of good info and will give you directions, and pictures, of how to treat for mites:

http://www.guinealynx.info/mites.html

Answer 9

It is probably some kind of parasite. They can get both lice and mites. They can be under the skin, or in the fur.

Ivermectin is good but only gets rid of EITHER lice or mites (depending whether you get the oral paste/injection or the topical one) to get rid of both lice or mites you should get Revolution or Advantage (this doesn't kill mange mites).

Parasites are VERY common. The hay in the UK is particularly bad. The only hay in the UK that does not have any type of parasite on seems to be Western Timothy hay. I, myself have had a huge problem trying to get rid of parasites.

Answer 10

i have guinea pigs and i am positive that she is just itching, shell be fine.

Answer 11

Its probably mites... My guinea pigs had the same problem (itchiness, hair loss, etc) and I took her to the vet.. they said it was a bacterial infection and gave me some meds.. about a week later I took her back and they successfully diagnosed her with mites.. If she does have mites they give them a shot of ivermectin about 7+ days apart..They generally do 2 injections, but it can take more it depends on the severity. For my girls it took 2 injections and they were fine.. Also if you have any other guinea pigs caged with her, they will need the treatment for mites too (if it turns out to be mites.) good luck!