Why does guinea pigs hair fall out

Mites are a common cause of itchiness in guinea pigs, especially around the head and neck area. With intense itchiness, the guinea pig can scratch so much that wounds appear on the skin, prompting owners to assume that their guinea pigs have been fighting.

Some guinea pigs even start fitting due to the itchiness. Mites may be seen under the microscope after skin scrapings are taken, and treatment may be topical or injected. Fleas and lice can also affect guinea pigs, and treatment is simple and effective, using sprays or baths. Itchiness and patchy hair loss in guinea pigs may be due to fungal infections. As with mites, the itchiness can be intense, leading to self-trauma.

Treatment involves medicated shampoos, or in more severe infections, antifungal medication is given. This is a common condition in female guinea pigs, leading to swelling of the abdomen, and hair loss along both sides of the body.

There is not usually any itchiness. Diagnosis may be made by palpating the enlarged ovaries, by ultrasound, or by elimination of other conditions. Treatment involves removal of the affected ovaries. Fungal infections appear as ringworms and can quickly spread among other animals in your home. They usually appear on the face, and common symptoms include hair loss, dry skin and itching. Ringworms are caused by Trichophyton Imentagrophytes, which can also affect human beings, especially children.

Besides the ringworms appearing on the head and face, you will notice your guinea pig itching but not as much as they would with mites. Also, look out for bald spots on your animal. Most vets will advise you to get a fungal cream for treatment. The most widely used fungal treatment creams for guinea pigs are Clotrimazole and miconazole.

A vet can also recommend an anti-fungal shampoo or given oral medication to treat severe fungal infections. Throughout the treatment process, as a pet owner, you should practice hygiene. Wash the animal frequently and ensure that their living space is also clean. Barbering is typical among guinea pigs when they are trying to assert their dominance over each other. Boredom, stress and itching due to infections can also cause barbering because the pigs start to fight each other.

You can start by separating older pigs from the younger ones. This is because older pigs will fight and barber their fellow pigs to show dominance. You can also make their cage more spacious to avoid stress. Have them stay in a large space where they can find hiding spots and make it easier for you to maintain hygiene. You can also try applying some lemon or other bitter juice to make their fur unpleasant for other barber guinea pigs. This is a condition that mainly affects female guinea pigs.

The disease can attack both ovaries for pigs for up to five years. You will see swelling around the abdomen, and hair loss will occur around the same area on both sides. Your guinea pig will also have more hair around the face and body. The hormonal imbalance is due to excess androgens in the body, thinning the hair and causing alopecia in the female guinea pigs. Check the bald areas for lumps, swelling, or signs of tenderness below.

Older pigs may barber themselves as a reaction to pain from arthritis or tooth problems. While these are the most common causes of hair loss in guinea pigs, other potentially serious diseases can produce similar symptoms. The Problem with No Calcium Diets. Mystery Paralysis in Guinea Pigs. You can buy from Small Pet Select anywhere in the world! To get the best service, choose the store closest to you:.

Customer Service Mites Parasites are gross, annoying, and inconvenient, but don't worry Ringworm Parasites aren't the only cause of dry, itchy skin and hair loss in guinea pigs. Ovarian Cysts Ovarian cysts plague more unspayed female guinea pigs than not after three years of age. Barbering Hair loss that isn't falling out at the root may be self-inflicted. In case of any sign of infections, the veterinarian will prescribe antibiotics and monitor the teeth growth process.

The condition is always common on guinea pigs, which are overweight, or those borne with lame conditions. A condition called bumblefoot is related to this and common in pigs housed with carpet surfaces, wet or urinated covers. This condition irritates the side of the body on which a guinea pig sleeps; hence, the cousin bacterial infection leads to hair loss.

It affects all guinea pigs associated with the dead tissues, and the secondary bacterial infection affects the borns. Hence a guinea pig struggles with the weight-bearing on the affected part; therefore, walking and standing becomes a problem to the guinea pig. This condition now leads to pododermatitis. The symptoms are redness on the feet, red skin, and swelling accompanied by a lot of pain caused by skin inflammation. The best treatment for a guinea pig with a condition is surgical; you can remove the capsule without rapture.

Abscess conditions can affect any part of a guinea pig and always be noticed by a hard abscess capsule that will form around it. If the blemish affects the top of the skin, it becomes warm and starts to swell, a capsule forms, and then after the hair on the affected region starts to fall. If you take your guinea pig to the vet on time, the vet can drain the capsule and dress it well; then, you solve the problem.

The owner also cleans the wound with disinfectants to avoid infections and feeds the guinea pig a lot of vitamin C to fight the foreign bodies from getting into the damage. For guinea pigs, grease glands come up during the puberty stage and are more prone to male guinea pigs.

Leaving the gunk to build up for long is not advisable because it can cause infection and temper with the skin, leading to hair loss. Grease gland problems are accompanied mainly by cysts, bacterial, and fungal infections, which seriously damage the skin; hence, it is advisable that when the problem persists, seek vet advice. This condition does not affect the young guinea pig because their grease glands are not yet active. This condition is more prone to dominating guinea pigs because their greasy glands are very busy.

When the guinea pair marks the territory, they end up fighting, injuring themselves, affecting the skin leading to hair loss. Treatment for this infection is by covering and practicing proper hygiene on the wounds to prevent further disease, spread all over the skin, causing hair loss. When the condition continues even after pregnancy, then the owner should seek advice from the vet.