Cleaning Ears

There are two relatively common sysptoms seen in the ears of guinea pigs. One of them is parasitic infestation and the other is bacterial infection of the inner ear.

The behavioural symptoms of parasitic infestation are frantic scratching of the ear and vigorous head shaking. Upon examination of the ear there is either much wax in it, which of course attracts the parasites, or the skin is very dry and scurfy. If it is not treated, the parasites quickly extend their territory to the other ear.

Towel wrap the guinea pig and clean out as much wax as you can with a cotton bud, put a few drops of eardrops into the ear then massage at the base of the ear. Do this a couple of times a day for about three days, it seldom takes longer than that to clear the problem up. If it does, please bring your guinea pig to a vet for further check-ups and advise.

Eardrops, formulated for use upon cats and dogs but perfectly safe and effective for guinea pigs, can be used to clean guinea pigs ears.

Infections of the inner ear are indicated by the guinea pig inclining it's head to one side. When the ear is firmly palpated the guinea pig will usually flinch the closer you get the base of the ear. There may even be puss inside the ear and if there isn't, quite often there is the odour of it. There are a few prescription only antibiotic drops that can deal with these infections quite easily and it is important that it is treated as soon as possible so a visit to a vet will be necessary.

Keeping the ears clean and wax free will help to avoid ear problems. If you haven't been doing that to your guinea pigs, it would be advisable to clean the ears thoroughly a few times, as there is a tendency of accumulation of wax.

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