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cleaning ears..

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biscandmatt

biscandmatt

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i checked chesneys ears today and he has a block of wax in his right ear. how do i clean it safely?

also, this is probably a stupid question, but in their ears, they have the main opening in the ear, and then above it like another opening, i can't explain really. but the wax is in the top part, like the fold of the ear.

erm, i don't think i've explained very well but can't think how else to describe it! lol...

thanks.
 
Hello. I use a warm damp flannel and my finger tip. My piggies have been known to shake their heads at the wrong moment and I always worry about anything small like a cotton bud going into the ear. A warm wet flannel is the closest I can get to a tongue as well (like their mummy cleaning them)
 
I use Otodex Veterinary Ear Drops for dogs and cats - two or three drops in each ear, close the ear and massage well. 24 hours later I use a cotton bud to clean it out (or a flannel, if the pig is particularly unhappy about having their ears cleaned), and repeat the process again if the ears are particularly mucky.

Never push anything inside the ear, but you do have quite a wide area you can clean without actually going very far into the ear. Dirty and waxy ears are an invitation for ear mites!
 
i just tried to clean them with a flannel and it wasn't very successful. his ears are really waxy. i think i will have to order some ear drops to loosen the wax and then try again. he was very good when i was doing it so i might try using a cotton bud gently.

i'm surprised he can actually hear, they're really waxy compared to maisies. she has one ear very clean, and the other a bit waxy. chesneys are filthy. i feel awful now.

how often should they be cleaned? he had them done at the vets when he went when we first got him. she said his ears seemed quite waxy then aswell so he must get mucky ears more than maisie. some get quite waxy ears regularly don't they?
 
Yep, I have had a few of mine who have needed 6 cotton buds before the ears are clean - and that is only a month after their last clean!

It's generally easiest to clean their ears at the same time as you bath them, but if you don't bath them frequently (once every 1-3 months) then just try to remember to check the ears once a month.
 
i am going to bath them every 6 weeks i think, as maisie seems quite naturally flaky and itchy. also, ches has started to smell a bit since the last bath! they are having their last mite treatment on sunday and then i'm going to bath them the week after that.

i ordered some of the ear drops before so i'll clean his ears when it gets here and maybe do them more regularly, like once a month, or when they need doing.

you know when they have baths, and you use some of the foam from the shampoo to wash their faces and ears etc? can you use a tiny bit of that to wash the ears. not deep down obv, i mean just the main part? i think the shampoo says you can, but i've read don't put shampoo near the insides of the ears aswell so i don't know.
 
i've got the drops now so do i put the drops in the main part of the ear, and then when you fold it down that will clean the wax that's on that upper part of the ear, like where there's a fold? does that make sense? :{ or could i put a drop on that part aswell, and then a drop or two inside the ear?
 
I do the latter method you described - a drop on the upper fold, and 1-2 drops at the bottom of the ear. Then fold the ear over and massage it until you can see the drops have spread. This loosens the wax nicely for you to actually clean the ear the next day.

I missed your other post on this thread about the shampoo. You can use the foam to wash the face and ears, yes. Since it's not concentrated amounts of shampoo, just the light foam, it can be massaged into the face and ears well and wiped off with a damp flannel. I tend to only put the foam on the underside of the ear flap though, as opposed to actually inside the ear.
 
CCC4 said:
I do the latter method you described - a drop on the upper fold, and 1-2 drops at the bottom of the ear. Then fold the ear over and massage it until you can see the drops have spread. This loosens the wax nicely for you to actually clean the ear the next day.

I missed your other post on this thread about the shampoo. You can use the foam to wash the face and ears, yes. Since it's not concentrated amounts of shampoo, just the light foam, it can be massaged into the face and ears well and wiped off with a damp flannel. I tend to only put the foam on the underside of the ear flap though, as opposed to actually inside the ear.
Click to expand...

brilliant, thank you. :)
 
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