I recently rescued a guinea pig, but now that he's settled in for a few days I began to handle and pet him. Doing so revelled some scabbing underneath his fur. Most sources on the internet seem to indicate that this usually means he has fur mites and can be treated with a prescription from a vet.
I currently have 2 free-range rabbits, should I be worried about the fur-mites potentially infecting them?
The short answer to that question is yes. The mite to worry about is the Cheyletiella parasitivorax which is most commonly found on rabbits, dogs, cats, us... however, it's not limited to that group, they can also be found on cavies. So, treating your rescue and, at the very least, keeping him away from the rabbits until the treatment is finished would be wise.
There are other mites that are basically harmless, but given evidence of some scabbing, I don't feel like it's the harmless kind. They might be, but a little caution can save some grief and expense later.
As note, please don't use off the shelf treatments for either the guinea pig or rabbits, let the vet do it. Off the shelf products are more typically aimed at larger animals and may harm your pets if used improperly.
