Bathing Piggies - Should I do it?

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1sttimepiggie

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Hi
I was just wondering should I bath my Guniea Pigs?
It`s just that I saw a website that said I should do it and my book told me not to.
Just wanted to know if you guys wash yours and if so are there any tips you could give me to help me

Thanks
Annette :D :smitten: :D :smitten:
 
Tbh i wouldn't bathe my piggies unless they were REALLY dirty or had a medical problem which required them to be bathed.

One of my piggies is white and i've still only bathed her once in three years! It all seems a bit like its more for our benefit than the piggies. Although at the same time it doesn't harm them to have baths every so often its more personal choice i think.
 
I do mine every 6 wheeks in Gorgeous Guineas shampoos. They don't strip the skin of moisture like other shampoos.
 
i dont bath any more frequent than every 8 weeks. i usually just bath mine when they get dirty, but i have a long haired pig and 2 rather messy short hairs who i swear roll in their own mess and get smelly ::)

gorgeous guineas shampoos are good, much better than shop bought ones O0
 
x Mary n Midge x said:
Tbh i wouldn't bathe my piggies unless they were REALLY dirty or had a medical problem which required them to be bathed.

One of my piggies is white and i've still only bathed her once in three years! It all seems a bit like its more for our benefit than the piggies. Although at the same time it doesn't harm them to have baths every so often its more personal choice i think.
ditto
only bathe if you have too
those that sh*w wash to get best condition
otherwise for your run of the mill totally squeezable guinea pig leave it bee!
 
I have always left mine to clean themselves but I always bathed them at about 6 months so they get a sense of what Will happen if I really have to bath them. for health or any other reason. The only reason I do that now is I had an oldie come to me who had never been bathed and he came with every skin disease the vet could imagine. I was advised to bath him and he was totally stressed out.

That's only my personal experience though
 
Nearly every guinea I get into rescue is fungal, sometimes just mildly fungal sometimes grossly fungal. They are avid groomers and this spreads the fungal spores should they become fungal, a 6 weekly bath in GG shampoo helps reduce the risk of them getting fungal spores on the skin, its certainly not for my benefit as far as I'm concerned- I don't have time for cosmetic shampoos but will go out of my way to do what I call maintenance shampoos :)

Interesting story Tracey, sounds like Mr Melt seen here on The Pig Issue ::) He was never bathed and kept on shavings, he came in with mites and fungal problems.

Personal choice though :)
 
I just think when people ask should I or shouldn't I they should get all situations Mr Melt looks in far better shape than Jasper was! I got Fudge when he was about 2ish + and he has never looked too bad to be honest he doesn't smell. l He has never been bathed as I don't want to stress him out, but all my others have just so they know what a bath is just in case.

I have never tried GG shampoos or really read the benefits that is my next step.

Link please O0

Thought a link mite be good on a bathing post.
 
Gorgeous Guineas They make shampoos especially for guineas, tested on Humans first, if they're OK they're trialled and finely tuned on rescue pigs (they've saved rescues lots of money over the years and the treatment is much kinder), then they go on sale :) Why not join their newsletter which has general piggy tips too :)

Poor Jasper he sounds bad! Mr Melt was rescued by the RSPCA, I don't get many dramatic cases here, usually just unwanted pets.
 
I got jasper from the vets he was just left there that was about 7 yrs ago. I took my dog for a routine jab and they knew i had kept piggies in the past. They were going to PTS he was in such a state. He was my only piggie at the time and I don't really talk about him I didn't get another 1 for 2 yrs after he went. The next one came from a bad home too he was thrown a carrot every day and lived with a rabbit....That was fudge and he got me totally hooked again.
Will definately look up on the pros and cons of bathing regularly.
 
i jsut bath mine when there a dirty or for medical reasons all mine hate having a bath part fom my amber she likes her bath
 
Just made my first order at Gorgeous Guineas!

Some of mine get bathed (the long hairs do need it, and need to be kept clean especially in summer in case of fly strike - prevention better than cure etc!), some of them don't need to be. Also some object more than others. A breeder told me that older pigs can get so stressed by the bathing that they die - which seems a bit extreme! Not sure how much truth is in that. Mine have always been ok, they don't like it much but they get wrapped in a towel afterwards and make sure they are properly dry before they go back out in their hutch.

Sophie
 
If a pig is fungal and then 'just bathed' (this is an extremely fungal pig!) then yes they can fit and die. They need medication before bathing. A pig in good health should not 'die'. Most of my rescue pigs have not been bathed when they arrive and nearly all are fungal to a degree, I've yet to have one die on me, though I often don't know their ages. ::)

What have you ordered :)
 
I've ordered the Paw cream, Soothe Gel, Lice shampoo and trial sizes of Lavender (I think!) shampoo - can't wait to get them! Spring baths all round!

Mind you I like the smell of guineas anyway - that lovely hay smell!

Sophie
 
Yes although the Texels scream blue murder whenever they are bathed, groomed, nails cut - I'm gentle with them but they just hate it all and get very indignant and vocal about it. I do wonder what my neighbours think......

Someone suggested a baby bath inside a normal bath, which I thougt was a good idea so you've got somewhere to put them - just got to get a baby bath now!

Is it ok to use a hair-dryer on a pig if it's not too hot?

Sophie
 
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