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+--- Thread: Bathing a guinea pig? (/Thread-Bathing-a-guinea-pig)
Bathing a guinea pig? - jowjo5 - 02-28-2013
We are new to having guinea pigs and we love having them. But we have noticed they get kind of stinky every once in awhile. Someone suggested giving them a bath.
I have never heard of this before. Do they like the water? Do they sell special soap for them?
Does anyone out there know if this is really something you can do? I am not sure yet as I wonder if it can hurt them. Or dry out their skin etc.
Maybe I should call a pet shop?
If anyone knows anything about this we would be glad to know about how to take care of these little guys.
RE: Bathing a guinea pig? - amanda509 - 02-28-2013
bathing is actually crucial to guinea pig health, specially boars because they get buildup on their scent glands by their butt. the next time i bath my pig, i'll take some pics for you, but there are tons of how to videos on youtube on how to do it.
we just use small animal (for ferrets and rabbits) shampoo or baby shampoo and put her in the sink. keep the water luke warm and get the pig soaking wet, then soap. as much as they dont like it, be sure to get their underbelly and behind areas. then you rinse (very thoroughly) towel dry, and we also blow dry. the best method for blow drying is to line a clothes basket with a towel, put the pig in, and be prepared to chase them with the dryer lol.
some pigs dont like it, some do, some learn to like it, every pig is different
good luck!
RE: Bathing a guinea pig? - Rube - 03-17-2013
Yes it is safe to give guinea pigs a bath, provided you use a very mild soap or shampoo and keep it out of their eyes. amanda509 has given some good advice and I think most guinea pigs enjoy the experience, if they like to be handled.
Owners of long haired guinea pigs regularly wash and groom them, otherwise they can collect a lot of dirt and smelly stuff when their long hair sweeps the gound. One of the disadvantages of having such short legs!
RE: Bathing a guinea pig? - sakee - 04-14-2013
I have two guinea pigs. They can get a little stinky if the bedding is wet against them for too long. Making sure their cage is big enough and has good absorbent bedding can really help with the stink factor. If they just absolutely reek, then you should have them checked for a UTI. We use a pet shampoo called EarthBath. It is super mild with not fragrance. I sometimes grab it and use it myself because my skin is sensitive. To bathe a guinea pig just get a little plastic tub and put the piggie in there with a small amount of warm water. I wouldn't do it in the sink because they will shake the water off, and you might not want it all over your mirror or toothbrushes.
Have fun!