Guinea Pig Hair Loss: male guinea pig (short hair breed)? 2" x 2" area behind the ears?

He is eating and drink normaly;however he has been losing a lot of hair lately, mainly behind the ears (2" x 2" area behind each of the ears). And the smell on him is a litle bit strong and the area where he lost hair looks pinkier and dryer than the other parts of his body. He has been itching more lately; fortunately I couldn't find any open wounds on his skin. I will take him to a vet but first I want to have more research on the possible causes of his disease.

Guinea Pig Hair Loss: male guinea pig (short hair breed)? 2" x 2" area behind the ears?

It sounds like he has mites, which is a common, but painful condition. Little tiny microscopic bugs burrow underneath the skin of the guinea pig causing extreme pain and itching. Sometimes the pain is so bad that guinea pigs can have seizures. If left untreated, it can cause death as the guinea pig may stop eating completely because he is so miserable. Guinea pigs with mites also tend to scratch so much that they actually scratch through their skin causing open sores and missing hair.

Good news is that it is a very common parasite and is very cheap and easy to treat. You will want to take your pig to a vet, though, in case something else is going on. Check out the link below for more information.

Guinea Pig Hair Loss: male guinea pig (short hair breed)? 2" x 2" area behind the ears?

He could have ringworm or some other skin infection. Possibly mites of some kind. Make sure he's getting vitamin C in his diet all the time and call your vet for any advice prior to your appointment. It's most likely something only the vet can successfully treat, but he or she may reccommend some kind of anti-itch spray.Good luck.

P.S. Careful what kind of bedding you use. Cedar can be bad, and even pine chips can cause skin and breathing irritation. A paper based bedding is best.

Guinea Pig Hair Loss: male guinea pig (short hair breed)? 2" x 2" area behind the ears?

Have him checked for ringworm at the vet - it is a fungus. I work at a clinic where a number of guinea pigs have come in with it...

Guinea Pig Hair Loss: male guinea pig (short hair breed)? 2" x 2" area behind the ears?

Did you know that guinea pigs do not produce their own vitamin C. Make sure you're giving him carrots, Romain lettuce Not Ice burg(nothing but water) and Timothy hay. Also if you take him to a vet they will not be able to prescribe antibiotics for him. Most if not all will kill him.

Guinea Pig Hair Loss: male guinea pig (short hair breed)? 2" x 2" area behind the ears?

I agree with the posters, but I lean toward Vitamin C deficiency.

When one of my guinea pigs was pregnant, she lost all of her hair.

I was even supplementing with carrots. So, I added tomatoes (which are also full of vitamin C, and MOST GP's LOVE them) and her hair came back, full force.

Guinea Pig Hair Loss: male guinea pig (short hair breed)? 2" x 2" area behind the ears?

I totally agree on the person who said it was ear mites. If this is not treated soon he will get a bad infection %26amp; it could turn into hearing loss. Get some over the counter ear mite medicine or you can get it at the vet office. It is not really expencive.

Guinea Pig Hair Loss: male guinea pig (short hair breed)? 2" x 2" area behind the ears?

i want to know the same thing my guinea is having hair loss too.....im vvery worried about her but my grandma wont let me take her to a vet.

Guinea Pig Hair Loss: male guinea pig (short hair breed)? 2" x 2" area behind the ears?

My guinea pig had the same problem. Now the cause of this hair loss could be from a shampoo that you used to wash him (If you washed your guinea) Or he might not be getting enough minerals/vitamins in his feed. To help my guinea pig get over this small crises. I kept the cage extremely clean. Gave fresh cold water every day. I also fed two hand fulls of Timothy Hay a day and a Kaytee brand of guinea pig mix of food. Every day I put in fresh lettuce and apples and also carrots! With in Two weeks my guinea pig was starting to look good. See Furball was losing hair all over. Now sense your guinea pig is a male it could be going through some hormonal changes or is just stressed out. Trust me I am an experienced guinea pig owner. Furball has once almost died on me. She stopped eating and drinking her food. And I was not going to lose her so I fed lettuce and added lots of water on it. She ate that. Not only was she eating but also she was getting her water needs. Best Of Luck to you and your little Friend.