How to Rid a Guinea Pig of Mites

Occasionally, guinea pigs can catch mites. Mites are microscopic and invisible to the human eye, but if your guinea pig is scratching or biting itself excessively, mites may be the culprit--especially if the scratching is accompanied by hair loss. Left untreated, mites can be deadly for guinea pigs. And while a vet trip is recommended for most illnesses, mites are a little different.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 50 mL bottle of Ivermectin
• Syringe
• Kitchen scale

1. Know that most vets will want to do a skin scrape to check for mites, which is extremely painful to the guinea pig and not reliably accurate. You can treat mites at home without causing your pet any pain by giving them a topical dose of Ivermectin. You can find Ivermectin at feed stores and online.

2. Weigh your guinea pig using a kitchen scale. It's important to know your guinea pig's weight to determine the correct dosage of Ivermectin.

3. Use the provided chart to determine the proper dose for your guinea pig's size.

4. Attach the needle to the syringe and insert the needle into the bottle.

5. Flip the bottle over and draw up a bigger dose than you actually need. Tap the syringe with your finger to loosen the air bubbles, then push the syringe up to the correct dose line. (The actual dose will only be a couple of drops.)

6. Remove the needle from the syringe. Put one drop of Ivermectin behind each of your guinea pig's ears, and use their skin flap to rub it in. Be careful not to get it on your skin--Ivermectin isn't harmful to humans, but if your skin absorbs it, your guinea pig won't receive the full dose.

7. Repeat after 7 to 10 days. Give a total of three doses for maximum efficiency.

Tips & Warnings

• A small dose of Ivermectin won't harm your guinea pigs if they don't have mites, so if you're not sure if their scratching is normal, dosing them as a precaution won't hurt them.
• An overdose of Ivermectin can cause seizures in guinea pigs, so be sure to measure carefully and dose correctly.
• Mites are contagious, so if you have two or more guinea pigs living together and only one is displaying symptoms of mites, you may want to either separate the infested guinea pig from the rest of the herd until the mites clear up. Alternatively, you could dose the entire herd as a precaution. The mites are not contagious to humans, though.
• If your guinea pig is displaying other signs of illness, especially if it's lethargic or not eating, see a vet immediately.

Resources

• Guinea Lynx

[sparkle21997]

on 9/20/2009 my guinea pig had mites many times. we took her to the vet many times and got the injection and it never worked. recently i figured out a way that cured it. i bath her with "super pet squeaky clean" shampoo and then i spray her with "8 in 1 flea and tick spray for small animals" its easier cheaper and quicker that ivermection

[7theaven1]

on 7/21/2009 Hi i live in india. i have never had pets before. I juts got 2 guineas for my boys. Its been a week.they are a year old. they have been scratching behind their ears. thye sort of bring their paws around the scratch under their bellies, behind and so on.should i use ivermectin? Is it available everywhere? thye seem to be eating and drinking ok. pls advise. thx
shubha Narayanan

[sfung]

on 4/2/2009 Many thanks for your information. My guinea pig's fur has grown back and I also use this method to treat my newly adopted guinea pig as a precaution.

[AngelaDalecki]

on 3/9/2009 Here's the link to the dosing chart: http://www.guinealynx.info/topical_ivermectin.htmlAnd another helpful post, with pictures: http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30325You'll need to dose him at least twice, preferably three times. Each dose should be 7 to 10 days apart. Good luck! I hope the little guy feels better soon.

[AngelaDalecki]

on 3/9/2009 Here's the link to the chart: http://www.guinealynx.info/topical_ivermectin.html And a post on dosing (with pictures): http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30325.You'll need to dose him at least a couple of times, with each dose 7 to 10 days apart. Good luck, I hope the little guy feels better soon!