Scabies In Guinea Pigs: Learn More Here!
Everything you need to know about scabies in guinea pigs
What is scabies?
Scabies is a disease caused by mites that act as parasites on the animal’s skin. They make the animal want to scratch itself until it hurts. When the mite enters your pet’s skin, it soon starts laying eggs. Later, these eggs become other mites. Thus, the same cycle is repeated several times.
The speed at which they reproduce is gigantic. Therefore , your guinea pig might end up wanting to scratch his body all the time. It happens in the blink of an eye. If you have more than one guinea pig, you will have to separate them. After all, this disease is contagious through contact with the skin or any object of the infected animal.
Causes of scabies in guinea pigs
It’s strange that scabies in guinea pigs shows up without any warning. This is usually because there is an infected animal that has come into contact with yours. Also, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a guinea pig, it can be a dog, cat, hamster or other animal.
It is also possible for a guinea pig to become infected with scabies by living in unsanitary and unhygienic conditions. However, this is unlikely if you take good care of your pet’s environmental conditions.
Scabies symptoms in guinea pigs
At first, symptoms may not be very obvious. The main one is the redness and itching of the skin. If the disease is at an early stage, your pet will start to itch. However, this may not be very obvious, as the eggs will only be in one area of the body.
As the mites proliferate to other places, the itching will spread to more areas of the body. Thus, you will begin to notice that your guinea pig is compulsively scratching itself everywhere. Over time, your pet’s fur will begin to fall out and it will be able to lose weight. This is because the malaise generated by the disease will take away the animal’s appetite.
It is possible that the animal has a type of dandruff caused by the scratches, which can happen especially at night. You may also notice the appearance of small open wounds made by the animal’s bites on its own skin.
Treatment for scabies in guinea pigs
The treatment of scabies in guinea pigs is similar to that of mange in other animals or humans. The main objective is to kill the parasite that is literally eating the animal from the inside. This is done with injections of a drug called ivermectin .
The selamectin can also be used. The veterinarian will tell you which medication is recommended. The duration of treatment, regardless of whether it is with one drug or another, is determined according to the evolution of the disease. Normally, healing in less than a fortnight never takes place.
Doses must be accurate. Also, they should never be exceeded as this could kill the animal. Therefore, always follow the veterinarian’s instructions, advice and recommendations to the letter.
Scabies is not a deadly disease, but it can make your pet suffer a lot. In addition, it can seriously damage your pet’s appearance and health. Therefore, as soon as you notice any changes in behavior that indicate the symptoms listed above, don’t hesitate to go to the vet.
