Mary-Jane
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Piggy scratching questionPrescott and Soames have both started scratching quite a bit. (They have a lovely solid scratching post, several tyres and wooden rails all round their enclosure - so they get plenty of relief). Should I be worried...or is this just what piggies do? Should I check them for, well....mites, bugs or anything?
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Blue Sky
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Get a long handled scrubbing brush. They love it.
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Stacey
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Check them anyway but pigs just love scratching IME
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Bodger
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Check them for lice. You'll see them on their backs as flat grey slow moving things if they have them.
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Penny Outskirts
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bodger wrote: | Check them for lice. You'll see them on their backs as flat grey slow moving things if they have them. |
Just don't mistake them for Gervase then
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Mary-Jane
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Penny wrote: | bodger wrote: | Check them for lice. You'll see them on their backs as flat grey slow moving things if they have them. |
Just don't mistake them for Gervase then |
*Snort*
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Mary-Jane
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bodger wrote: | Check them for lice. You'll see them on their backs as flat grey slow moving things if they have them. |
Size?
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Stacey
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Identifying Lice
If you suspect that your swine herd has lice, look closely at the pigs that are rubbing/scratching. The lice will be visible on the skin and each adult louse is about 1/16 inch long. The lice are grayish-brown with black edges and will most often be located in the following body areas: folds of skin around the neck, jowl, and flanks, and on the inside of the legs. The nits (eggs) may also be observed attached to individual hairs, especially in the areas mentioned above. The nits are usually found near the base of the hair where it attaches to the skin.
From here
http://www.vet.purdue.edu/swine/lice.html#id
Our frst pigs arrived with lice. We used Battles powder on them and their bedding and they were fine after that
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mochyn
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Scratch your pigs at every available opportunity. They'll love you for ever.
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Bodger
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Is anyone else scratching yet ?
We use to rub grease on the pigs backs, or even baby oil. The lice didn't like that.
On a white pig, they show up pretty easily but maybe a little trickier to spot on a coloured ones. I've been to some farm parks where the pigs have been alive with them.
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Stacey
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bodger wrote: | Is anyone else scratching yet ?
We use to rub grease on the pigs backs, or even baby oil. The lice didn't like that.
On a white pig, they show up pretty easily but maybe a little trickier to spot on a coloured ones. I've been to some farm parks where the pigs have been alive with them. |
Our first 2 tamworths came from a farm park. They were crawling in lice
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Bodger
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I'm itching
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Mary-Jane
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Thanks for all your helpful comments everyone. Once I get the opportunity to see Prescott and Soames in daylight I shall inspect them closely...
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Bodger
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Don't forget to don you bicycle clips MJ
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Mary-Jane
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bodger wrote: | Don't forget to don you bicycle clips MJ |
Good point Bodger...
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Bodger
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And yet another useful tip Lice go forwards and crabs go sideways.
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VSS
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In daylight you might not spot lice on pigs. Have a peep by torchlight at night when the pigs are sleeping - the lice are very active then.
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Mary-Jane
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VSS wrote: | In daylight you might not spot lice on pigs. Have a peep by torchlight at night when the pigs are sleeping - the lice are very active then. |
Good thinking.
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