# My Guinea's ear



## Mags4eva (Jun 27, 2009)

I'm quite worried bout my Guinea Pigs ear- He's a tortoiseshell 1 month yr old. On the right side he has a brown/chestnut side of face and his ear is a kinda skin colour. At the edge of the ear its sorta red but on the inside rather than hes bleeding which is making it red. So a small section of his ear is a darker pink/reddish colour and the rest is a skin colour/bit blacker/darker colour. Is this normal or do i need 2 get it checked out?? I can't hold him yet as i've only had him a day so can't get proper look! Xx


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

There ears vary in colour mines are pinky or blackish can be solid or can be sort of mottled. If its bleeding at all or hes scratching or anything id get it checked out. Also if you have two some times they may nip each other on the ears just keep an eye on it. My male was bullied by his first friend and has bits missing on the edges of his ears. This happened before we got him.


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## Fleur (Jul 19, 2008)

My Piggies ears are different colours - often the skin 'matches' the fur colour so if he's tortoiseshell his skin could be kind of mottled.
If it's bleeding and/or he's scratching it it could be mites or an infection so I would definitely get it checked by the vet.


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## Mags4eva (Jun 27, 2009)

I got a proper look at it today and it is defo not bleeding which is good. I have noticed him and my other Guinea have started scratching quite a lot. When holding hime earlier i checked through the fur and couldn't find any signs of or any fleas. Could he maybe have an ear infection do you think? Now i've seen it does just look like a variation of skin tones. I've posted a pic of him below but forgot to take a close up of his ear.


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

Sounds like it might be a mite if they are scratching excessively. You can't see the mites at all but they do make a guinea pig really itchy and if left untreated they can lose hair and go bald and sometimes die. They usually get scabs too with all the scratching and it's very very stressful for them. If it's more than normal scratching then get some Xeno and treat them. It's a spot on that you put on the back of their neck like you do with dogs and frontline.

Xeno 450 6 Pipettes Ivermectin Spot on - £16.10

You have to weigh your piggies first before you apply it though to make sure they get the right amount.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

wow what a beautiful tri dutch guinea pig, mites can be really nasty as they live under the skin, u can get them from the bedding u use aswell as from the place u originally got him, they will be a lot more comfortable once treated for mites, and more friendly, I remember washing my guineas as a teen with special shampoo, they wernt fans of their baths and I imagine things have moved on since then, best bet is a trip to the vets for prescription meds which will work loads better than over the conter/supermarket treatments


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

One lot of my guinea pigs i got from a breeder and they had mites and lice.....They needed bath treatment for the mites with special stuff and then they gave me a spray. I then had a course of injections for a few weeks 2 jabs but spaced out for the lice. It did the trick and they cleared up in no time. You can sometimes check for lice etc if you cover the guinea pigs cage /hutch in a white cotton sheet if theres a infestation there normally be a few visable when you remove it in the morning. Thats where our first guineas got the names itcy and scratcy from.


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