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Mites in guinea pigs are one of the most common health conditions that a guinea pig can suffer from. At the same time, mites are also one of the more easily treatable conditions if caught early. However, if mites are left untreated they can cause serious distress and pain and can result in more serious complications and even death.
The most common ways that guinea pigs get mites are from other guinea pigs with mites, from bedding contaminated with mites, or from a poorly cleaned cage or hutch.
First, let’s take a more in-depth look at how a guinea can pig gets mites.
How do Guinea Pigs Get Mites
You may be surprised to find out that most guinea pigs will already have a small number of mites already on them, lying dormant. These dormant mites can become active under certain conditions such as a poor immune system, stress, pregnancy, or the inability to groom themselves properly.
From Other Guinea Pigs
This is perhaps the most common means of mite transference in guinea pigs. If one or more guinea pigs develop an infestation of active mites on them, other guinea pigs that share the same environment are far more likely to also develop a mite problem.
Contaminated Bedding
First and most important – mites do not lay dormant in any type of bedding for very long. Mites, whether dormant or active, require a warm host for survival.
Bedding can become contaminated with mites for a short while though. As guinea pigs share bedding it is likely that mites can be transferred this way, particularly if their cage is not cleaned regularly.
Poor Cage Cleanliness
A cage or hutch that is not kept clean is likely to see a build-up of mites. An unclean cage means an unclean guinea pig, so they are more likely to become ill which allows mites to breed more quickly.
Health Issues – Stress & Poor Immune System
Whilst even a perfectly healthy guinea pig can experience a mite infestation, prominent health issues will make the response to mites more severe.
A guinea pig that is suffering from poor immunity and stress will react to mites more urgently, scratching harder and more frequently. This will only help the mites spread and worsen the guinea pigs’ stress.
Inability to Groom
There are several reasons that will stop a guinea pig from being able to groom properly. This could be caused by being overweight, stress, depression, or any health condition that causes lethargy.
Remember – mites need to be on a warm host to survive. Proper grooming is important as it will assist in knocking off those pesky mites before they become an infestation. Insufficient grooming will allow mites to breed at a faster rate.
What do Guinea Pig Mites Look Like
Unfortunately, without a microscope, you are not going to be able to see exactly what guinea pig mites look like as they are microscopic. Though you can tell from certain indicators what type of mites are bothering your guinea pig.
I have provided pictures below showing what the two common guinea pig mites look like under a microscope.
The two most common types of guinea pig mite are:
Static Fur Mite (Chirodiscoides Caviae)
Static fur mites are the easiest type of mite to identify and pick up on early and are fairly easy to see with the naked eye.
These mites generally cause the least distress to guinea pigs and will also cause very few, if any symptoms.
How to Identify Static Fur Mites
Identifying static fur mites will be more difficult to spot as they don’t often cause obvious symptoms. These particular mites can be visibly spotted if you look carefully enough.
Static fur mites are will be mostly found on the rear end of a guinea pig. To the naked eye, static mites will look like nothing more than dust on the fur of a guinea pig.
To find out whether this is just dust or mites, try combing or blowing the ‘dust’ to see if it disperses. If this doesn’t shift it, there is a good chance that your guinea pig has static fur mites.
If the infestation left unnoticed and untreated, your guinea pig will begin to display more clear symptoms, such as:
- Excessive scratching/grooming
- Reduced fur quality
How to Treat Static Fur Mites at Home
The good news is that static fur mites are treatable at home and are fairly easy to eliminate. The most common treatments involve using shampoo, sprays, and drops that contain ivermectin – a medicine specifically designed to treat parasites.
Insecticidal Shampoo
My preferred method of treatment is to bathe our guinea pigs using insecticidal shampoo. This shampoo is a none-irritant and is made specifically to kill mites on small animals.
The insecticidal shampoo we use and recommend is Johnsons Insecticidal Shampoo that you can buy here on amazon.
One treatment is usually enough to completely eliminate static mites, but I would recommend you do a second treatment a week or two after the first to make sure.
Anti-Parasite Sprays and Drops
Anti-parasite pipette drops and sprays are another easy and effective way to treat static mites. These can be used after a guinea pig as been treated with insecticidal shampoo and will last up to four weeks.
These are again both treatments that can be done at home as kits are available to buy online. Click here to check current prices.
After treatment is given, it is important to completely and thoroughly clean out your guinea pigs cage to prevent the infestation reoccurring. These treatments in most cases should immediately eliminate the mites. If symptoms still persist, it’s time for a trip to the vet.
Sarcoptic Mange Mites (Trixacarus Caviae)
Sarcoptic mange mites are much more dangerous to the health of guinea pigs than static mites, and if left untreated can cause seizures and even be fatal.
Spotting mange mites early on is also a lot harder as they burrow into the skin, but your guinea pig will show more obvious symptoms.
How to Identify Sarcoptic Mange Mites
Sarcoptic mange mites will not be visible on a guinea pig as they burrow themselves into the skin. Once under the skin, they create small tunnels where they lay their eggs. This cycle will repeat over and over, quickly turning into a deadly infestation.
This is as painful and as horrible as it sounds for a guinea pig to experience this. It’s making me itch just writing this section.
Sarcoptic mange mites need to be treated as early on as possible. How you identify whether your guinea pig has these particular mites relies on you to monitor their behavior and health.
Symptoms to look out for are:
- Extreme excessive scratching
- Biting their own skin
- Red, crusty or raw-looking skin
- Bald patches
- Weight loss
Sarcoptic mange can be fatal! If you suspect your guinea pig has sarcoptic mange mites you should see a guinea pig specialized veterinarian immediately.
How to Treat Sarcoptic Mange Mites at Home
The first thing you should do if you suspect your guinea pig has sarcoptic mange mites is to set up an appointment with your vet.
If you are unable to get an appointment immediately, one thing you can do at home to treat sarcoptic mange is to bathe them using a shampoo containing ivermectin.
This is unlikely to completely eliminate the infestation as they live under the skin, but it may somewhat relieve symptoms for a short while.
Your vet will likely take a skin scraping to test for mange mites. If your vet confirms that your guinea pig has sarcoptic mange, they will likely prescribe an oral-dewormer, and possibly an injection, or both.
Important – these treatments are prescription-only! Do not buy these online or in-store unless recommended by your vet.
How to Prevent Mites In Guinea Pigs
Preventing mites in guinea pigs is something you can and should actively do at home. These steps I am about to list are all things you should be doing regardless, as they are all vital for the overall wellbeing of your guinea pig.
- Bathe your guinea pigs regularly using insecticidal shampoo. Do this at least once every two months. More frequent bathing is required if you keep guinea pigs outdoors.
- Thoroughly clean out their cage at least once a week. Make sure to replace all bedding and wipe everything down with a guinea pig-safe cage cleaner.
- Keep stress levels at a minimum. A happy guinea pig is less likely to fall ill.
- Ensure your guinea pigs have a balanced, healthy diet.
- Check through their fur at least once a week. Look for the symptoms described here.
- Check and bathe new guinea pigs before introducing them
Following all these steps will not completely eliminate the chance of your guinea pigs getting mites, but will go a long way to doing so.
Can Humans Get Mites From Guinea Pigs
I see this question asked quite a lot. The simple answer is no; humans cannot get mites from guinea pigs. Static fur mites and sarcoptic mange mites are species-specific, so they can only be found on guinea pigs.
However, sarcoptic mange mites have been known to cause skin problems in people who already have sensitive skin. These mites will not survive on humans for very long, but they can cause various degrees of irritation.
Karl is the founder of Guinea Pig Pals – a blog about owning and caring for guinea pigs. Karl has helped take care of many guinea pigs throughout his life as they were a family-favorite pet. He now owns two rescue guinea pigs that he and his partner have nursed back to health. Using his experience and knowledge, he has created this blog to be a helpful resource for new and experienced guinea pig owners alike.