QUESTION
Do guinea pigs mout, as recently my four year old guinea pig's fur has been falling out. I have not noticed this before, but I am concerned. Please help!
Jan
ANSWER
Dear Jan,
Thank you for your guinea pig question.
You may notice an increase in the amount of fur your guinea pig is shedding round about spring time and autumn as they do seem to shed more hair than usual at this time in preparation for their summer and winter coats.
Although there may be marginally more hair flying around when you either groom your guinea pig or stroke them, there should not be consistently large amounts of fur that are coming away easily, and there should be certainly no sign of any bald patches or similar as this could be in indication of mites, as these are the most common parasite when associated with bald patches, lesions or hair loss on a guinea pig.
If your guinea pig appears to be itchy or irritated or there is any sign of soreness or baldness then you definitely need to take your guinea pig to the vets.
At 4yrs old, if you have never had occasion to notice this before to this degree, then as a precaution it would make sense to take him for a check up just to rule out any potential skin problems.
I hope this answers your question.
Best Wishes Elizabeth
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