Why is my guinea pig scratching, biting, and acting anti-social?

It's not likely to be fleas (not common in guinea pigs and you would usually see them) , it's more likely to be mites, which are tiny creatures that you cannot see with the naked eye. you will need to buy a treatment against mites, you can find those at pet shops and veterinary clinics.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see the area of hair loss around the neck/shoulder region on Winston. This can be caused by fungal infections, skin mites, or certain hormonal abnormalities. Fungal infections such as ringworm can be transmitted to people, so I do recommend washing your hands well with soap and water after handling Winston and/or his bedding. You should have Winston seen by a vet as soon as possible to determine what is going on, your vet may take some hair/skin samples to rule out fungal/mite infections and begin the appropriate treatment. You should also separate him from his cagemate to prevent transmission of the infection. I hope this helps!

Poor Cookie! She should be looked at by a vet as soon as possible. Hair loss and itching can be caused by skin mites or certain fungal infections in guinea pigs. Unfortunately, they are usually very itchy and can make guinea pigs feel very sick but are easily treated. Your vet can also rule out any hormonal imbalances that may be to blame. I hope this helps and that Cookie feels better soon!

What a hard situation to try to handle while you are away from Frodo! The reason for the scratching may be any of the things you mentioned - an infection caused by bacteria or fungus, parasites, allergies, or another cause. Until you get home, you can recommend to the person who is watching him for you to make sure there is nothing in the environment that he could be reacting to - pine and cedar shavings can be irritating to the skin, and should be removed if present. Otherwise, it will be supportive care until you get back and can take him in to see a vet and get treatment. His appetite and activity should be monitored closely - getting a digital gram scale (found in the kitchen section on many department stores) is a good idea so he can be weighed daily to make sure he is not losing weight. Make sure his fecal pellets (poops) also continue to be normal in size, shape, and moisture content. If anything changes about any of these parameters, he needs to go to the vet before you get home.

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 !

Congratulations on your new guinea pigs! The most common cause of itching and dried skin in a new guinea pig would be mites (more common) or lice of the skin. Unfortunately you usually will not be able to see these with the naked eye and a vet will need to check your guinea pigs over and do a skin scrape to check for the parasites. In the US we most commonly use a product called Revolution to treat these parasites, but it is prescription only and also requires the guinea pigs to be accurately weighed to determine the safe dose. For these reasons, unfortunately, I would not recommend rubbing coconut oil on their skin. It could cause further irritation and delaying treatment could result in more expense if skin lesions appear and become infected.

This is likely to be caused by a skin infection, possibly due to a bacterial or mites infestation. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!