[Gpdd] <re: HEALTH: Mites/Lice?>

[petunia_loo at yahoo.com]

Hmmm... I'm not sure what the black things could be.
Lice that cavies usually get are pale-yellowish white,
and can be seen moving. Lice can be treated with
Advantage (I'll give you a link w/ dosage info in a
sec). I do not *believe* that the initial signs of
lice infestation includes hairloss. It did not with my
pigs.
You can also treat your pigs with a Pyrethrins
product, (with no more than .05% pyrethrins), but
Advantage is reportedly safer.
Mites, except for ear mites and fur mites (aka "static
lice"), can not be seen. Symptoms of mange mite
infestations (what people usually refer to when they
talk about cavy "mites") include patches of hairloss.
Fungal infestations like ringworm also cause patches
of hairloss. It is normal for a healthy cavy to shed
hair here there and all over the place - but patches
of hairloss are a reason to be concerned. Pigs in
stressful situations (like getting their nails
clipped) seem to shed more. This is normal. Mange
mites are serious and must be treated with Ivermectin,
available over the counter.
I wonder if the black things could be signs of fleas.
I think I have heard that fleas can leave debris that
looks like black specs. I don't have much info on
that. Fleas can be treated the same as cavy/"running"
lice - with Advantage. If it is fleas, you will also
need to treat your cavy's cage and home. Please note
that Advantage is NOT the same as Frontline or other
brands and using other brands could be seriously
harmful to your cavy.
Here are the links with more parasite info, pics, and
dosage information:

http://www.guinealynx.info/hairloss.html#lice

Make sure to read all of this info thoroughly.

Best of luck,
Lauren, Piglet and Pooh


I feel like I am being a neurotic mom here. Whenever
my Winks hangs out on his white blanket with me, I
notice there are a lot of little black "things" on the
blanket. Naturally I assume they are mites or
something. But, when i sit there and stare at them,
they don't move. Then ithough mabe it was just little
bits of  poop that had gotten stuck on his feet and
then spread around on the blanket. Today he got his
nails trimmed and then i saw he had some flakey
dandruff on his coat. I know the classic symptoms of
mites/lice are hair loss and scratching. He loses a
little hair here and there (similar to when we humans
brush our hair) and he occasionaly scratches. Nothing
excessive or anything but some normal scratching.
Could these little black things be some type of
parasite? Eating, pooping and drinking as always.
Melissa & Winks

=====
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