How do guinea pigs get ringworm?
A guinea pig can get Ringworm from a variety of reasons to include age (elderly/juvenile) crowding, diet, environment, heat, humidity, infection (parasites) and stress. Also, it can be transmitted from another rodent that is a carrier. GuineaLynx is an excellent GP medical site with details on Ringworm to include prevention and treatment. GL has a page listing safe/unsafe medication, too, which you can make a printout of to have on hand because some medicine prescribed for other rodents cannot be used for cavies: http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html (fungal infections) http://www.guinealynx.info/medications.h... (medication) http://www.guinealynx.info/main.html (index) http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/ (forum) CavyCages and JackiesPiggies are other GP sites you might find of interest. CC has an active forum, too, and JP has details on sounds and behavior ("GP Care" then "GP Behavior" and "GP Sounds")that I find quite useful along further GP links under the "GP Links" link. http://www.guineapigcages.com/ http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/index.php http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/siteindex.html
Guinea pig with ring worm?
Two weeks is about average to clear up, but particularly bad cases can take up to 4 weeks or even longer. Although Biology was not my favorite subject, from what I understand since Ringworm is a fungal infection, it will no longer be contagious once it is gone. In other words, your GP can still pass the problem along to other GPs/animals/humans whilst she still has signs of it. Also, incubation period is from 7 to 14 days so it can take up to 2 weeks after exposure for signs of the infection to become evident in another being that it has passed to. As far as what you can do, besides thoroughly disinfect the cage and all accessories, certain shampoos can be soothing to your GP as well as remove debris from her fur. Toss any wood products in the cage, though, as spores can remain on them and wood is too difficult to clean in my opinion. I tried to boil the wood huts when my mice had mites, but they fell apart (the huts not the mice). I was afraid I might be exposing them to another contaminant anyway once the soggy wood was dry so just tossed them (again, the huts not the mice). GuineaLynx does a good job of discussing Ringworm treatment. You might also try their forum for advice. I have dealt with skin infections, but not Ringworm specifically so you may get ideas from people on the forum with experience: http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/
Update on guinea pig's possible ring worm?
Well today I was unable to take my guinea pig to the vet, seeing how it was several miles out of distance and work is strangely heated. Tomorrow, hopefully? I still have work at the same time but I can't get a-hold of the vet to see if he'll open earlier or call in his exotics guy earlier. It's the same vet we take our flemish giant to, but I guess he's got a guy that doesn't come in till later in the day. Anyway, here's an update photo. http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd49... Here's what it looked like a couple of days ago, it's sort of, mildly gotten worse? http://i1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd49... See how it was just hairloss looking before? But in the first photo I listed, showing his current condition, you see actual scabbing... The regular vet told us we can try using a fungus type cream? Or something when we sent him photos, but for a proper diagnosis, we'd need to bring him in. Hoping for some real answers from someone out there who's somewhat familiar with this. What do you think it is?
What makes guinea pigs cry?
Guinea pigs have a number of different behaviors and vocalizations, so I’m going to try to guess what you mean by “crying.”If you mean “shedding tears,” there are many reasons for a guinea pig having a “weepy” eye, including allergies and infections.They can have allergies just like humans, dogs, and other animals, including symptoms like itchy eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing. They might be sensitive to something in their environment like bedding or hay. If the allergic reaction is fairly mild, you can try removing a potential allergen from their cage for a few days to see if their symptoms clear up. You will also want to keep a close eye to make sure the symptoms don’t get worse.If your guinea pig has sticky, crusted material around its eyes, you should take it to your exotics vet immediately. This is the sign of an infection that must be treated quickly. If left untreated for too long, it can result in permanent damage to the eye and vision loss. While they do sometimes clear up on their own, never underestimate the training or intuition of your exotics vet. They may suspect underlying or related issues that could have caused the infection to take hold in the first place.Sometimes, just like we do, they get a little bit of something in their eye and the eye produces tears to flush the irritant out. These tears stop when the foreign object is washed away.If you mean “crying out,” guinea pigs make some incredible noises, and they have a different song for every occasion! These are just some of the most common sounds that might be interpreted as “crying”:The loud “WHEEK WHEEK WHEEK” you hear at veggie time or when you talk to your guinea pig is sheer excitement. It’s often accompanied by frenzied laps around the cage and stretching waaay up to try to be first in line for whatever is happening, no matter what it is.There is a strained, wavering “squeak” that means the guinea pig is in pain. My oldest Isis would make this sound in her litter box when relieving herself. She had chronic digestive issues (including bloat). If your guinea pig is crying when they urinate or defecate, take them to your exotics vet immediately.When guinea pigs aren’t comfortable with a situation they can make a series of rapid higher-pitched whines. They can be quite loud if the situation escalates.One of my favorite YouTube channels is Little Adventures, and they have a video about various guinea pig sounds:
Guinea Pig/Petco vets?
So, my friend got his guinea pig from Petco the other day. And it appears to have ringworm. Actually i am absolutely convinced it does. Anyways he took it back, and they said it had a yest infection and rubbed vaginal cream on the skin. And these patches are red and crusty accompanied by bald spots. Now is that even possible to do? The vet also told him it had already been treated and the spots will go away. And i also highly doubt that because years ago i got ringworm from my gerbils and i had to use the anti fungus cream until the spots were gone. Anyways my friend doesn't believe me and probably thinks i'm trying to be a cocky know it all, but my guinea pig is not going to be aloud to be around his until it's skin issues are solved.
Does our guinea pig have ringworm? Do we need a prescription?
As long as its ringworm, yes, you can treat it with any anti-fungal medication. However, let me also point out that you must keep your piggie from licking it off. If he ingests it, it could be very bad. Are you SURE its ringworm? Could he possibly have mites? Mites are microscopic & cannot be seen with the naked eye. Mites can cause sores like that. Ivermectin is the treatment of choice. Or you can use Revolution. Another thought---you said it was near his bum. Could you have neglected to clean his grease gland for a long period of time (a lot of piggie owners have no idea that this even exists) and it became infected? The grease gland is located in the exact spot where the spine ends. You can usually feel a little stump there where a tail would normally be located. If this is the case, clean it gently with an antibacterial cleanser (a drop of dish soap will do) and keep it clean. It *should* heal on its own if its not too badly infected.
Hamsters and Ringworm?
No your hamster will not die from untreated ring worm. Ring worm is a fungus, not a virus or bacteria. It would certainly not go unnoticed if they did have a case of it that would be bad enough to kill them. You say you have had it 2 weeks as well as the cat. If you have cats in your home, be very careful about bringing a new kitten / cat into your household. Cat's are the most common carriers. Is this new cat a kitten? Cats can also be asymptomatic carriers they can harbor and shed the organism without showing any signs of infection. Young cats under a year old are most often infected; most healthy adult cats have some resistance to ringworm and may never develop any symptoms. I would get your new cat checked out at the vet, it is easy to do, and he will be able to tell within a minute or so if she is a carrier.