Why is my guinea pig itching his face with a spot under eye? Ringworm?

Fungal infections can take weeks to months to resolve. Ideally, Obey should be physically examined by your veterinarian for a definitive diagnosis. An e-collar (cone) should be placed on him to prevent scratching.

Hi there! As ringworm is a fungus, they can contract it from other guinea pigs, from humans, or from contaminated objects, such as bedding. Symptoms of ringworm in guinea pigs are usually bald spots around the ears, neck, and face that can spread along the rest of the body. They can also have crusty, flaky lesions in the middle. If you suspect that your guinea pig has ringworm, I strongly suggest taking preventative measures when handling him or her - good handwashing is essential as ringworm can be transmitted to humans. A visit to the vet is also in order - they will likely take a small sample of your GP's hair to culture for the fungus. They may also use a type of black light called a Woods lamp to examine his or her skin as the ringworm fungus usually fluoresces. If your GP does have ringworm, the vet will likely prescribe a topical or oral antifungal, or a combination of the two. There are other skin conditions that can cause bald spots as well, such as mites, that the vet can also check for. Good luck, and I hope that your piggy gets well soon!

I would recommend bringing him in for a skin scraping to identify if this is a mite or ringworm. If you personally develop circular lesions then it is more likely that it is ringworm, and not a mite. Selamectin is a great treatment for common mites and parasites.

Guinea pigs often get ringworm, so I would encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian and discuss testing and possibly treating for ringworm. In the meantime please practice good hygiene after handling him as human can be infected with ringworm too. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Mites or ring worm are still my top differentials. Sometimes when mites are dying after an injection they do seem to be a bit itchier. I assume your veterinarian has you coming back for a follow up injection? In my patients who have been similar to Minnie some have benefited from a steroid injection and some antibiotics while the mite therapy is taking affect. I do not think you can completely rule out ringworm either at this point. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi, he could have mites. I would suggest your ring your local vets to have him checked over and if anything else is excluded you could treat him with drops on the back of the neck for mites. Hope this helps !

In my experience the huge majority of skin issues in guinea pigs falls into two categories: mites and fungal. It's uncommon to see flaking skin and hair loss without it being one of these disorders. Ringworm would be a concern and is very common in guinea pigs. Instead of being a worm, it's actually a skin fungus, and doesn't always have the classic "ring" shape. The only way to diagnose ringworm in guinea pigs is doing a fungal culture where you collect hairs and put them on a culture medium. It can take 10-14 days to get a result, though most positives show up within the first week. If you don't want to do the testing then what you can do is treat those scabs with an over the counter anti fungal cream like clotrimazole. It is basically jock itch cream. Apply a thin layer 2 times a day. It won't hurt anything if it is not ringworm but if it is ringworm, it will help. If you are going to shampoo him I would use a medicated shampoo like this one: https://www.1800petmeds.com/Malaseb+Shampoo-prod10667.html Lather it on, let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then rinse. The contact time of the shampoo is very important! This shampoo has an antifungal agent in it as well as an antimicrobial agent. If you try the ringworm cream and shampoo and it doesn't help at all within 7-10 days then I would recommend you get a second opinion from another vet and find a vet that specializes in treating exotic pets as he may have skin mites. Skin mites in these pets will always cause itching, sometimes severe enough to lead to seizures. If he is itchy then skin mites are very likely. Skin mites need to be treated with Ivermectin injections spaced 10-14 days apart and need to be done by a vet. Usually 2-3 injections are needed to clear the mites. If your vet doesn't specialize in treating exotic mammals/pocket pets then I would suggest you find one that does. I found this vet in your area based on your zip code: http://www.acsevh.com/ I hope this helps. Best wishes!