As you are probably aware, one of the most common health issues in guinea pigs are guinea pig fungal infections. While the most common infection is ringworm, your guinea pig can also be exposed to lice or mites. In todays article, we are going to discuss how to tell the difference between ringworm and mites in guinea pigs.
Guinea pig ringworm or mites?
Ringworm
Ringworm is a fungus that usually infects your guinea pigs facial area. It usually results in hair loss, and eventually leads to your guinea pig developing a dry, patchy skin. The skin usually becomes a reddish color. Most of the time, especially in the early part of the infection, ringworm will not cause your guinea pig to be itchy.
However, once the hair is gone and the dry skin appears, your guinea pig might start scratching at it. The best way to find out if your guinea pig has ringworm is to have your vet to a fungal culture.
Mites
On the other hand, mites are small parasites that burrow themselves into your pig’s skin. Mites are extremely itchy, and will cause great irritation the second your guinea pig becomes infected. Your guinea pig will likely start scratching their skin profusely. Unfortunately, scratching makes the infection worse, as it causes the mites to spread to your guinea pigs paws and then to other parts of their body and the cage. Similar to ringworm, mites will also cause hair loss and dry, puffy skin.
Unfortunately, due to the extreme pain and irritation, mites can cause severe dehydration and starvation. This is why it is extremely important to treat mites as soon as possible.
Aside from ringworms and mites, your guinea pig might have a cyst.
Main differences between ringworm and mites in guinea pigs
Below are the main differences between ringworm and mites.
Ringworm
- Caused by a fungus
- Infection usually starts in the face area, and then moves to the rest of the body
- Causes hair to break off, not always from the root
- Doesn’t immediately start itching
- Patches of skin are usually in a round shape
- Not immediately life threatening
- Usually goes away after 4 weeks
- Highly contagious for humans
Mites
- Caused by parasites
- Infection usually starts in the back area
- Hair usually breaks off from the roots
- Is painfully itchy at the start of the infection
- Patches of skin are in different shapes (not circular)
- Life threatening if not treated
- Can lay eggs inside your guinea pigs skin which can cause the infection to linger for weeks
- Not contagious for humans
While ringworm and mites are two different infections, their prevention and treatment are pretty similar. To help your guinea pig avoid these infections, you should regularly clean your cage at least every two weeks. You should also make sure your cage is at the right temperature. Read our article on Guinea Pig Fungal Infection Treatments to learn more.