How do guinea pigs catch running lice?
The scientific name for the Guinea pig lice is Gliricola porcelli. It is important to know that lice are very host-specific. This means that the guinea pig lice can survive on a guinea pig only and not on another animal (not even another specie of rodent). Therefore, transmission is usually from one guinea pig to another. They usually come following introduction of (or contact with) an infected individual into a community. It is also possible that they would come through an infected batch of hay / food. Lice are not as common as mites in guinea pigs and you need to get vet to make a diagnosis through examination of the parasite under the microscope. This is easily done by combing the pet’s fur and spreading the result onto a slide with some liquid paraffin: the characteristic shape and size of the parasite will give the vet the answer.
