Do guinea pigs need baths?

[Lottiemeow]

I have two guinea pigs bobby and crispy and the other week I read something about bathing them. I know that long hair guinea pigs need bathing regularly, but this one was about short hair too
(which my piggies are). Is this essential?
Thank you

 

[sport_billy]

Hello, I wouldn't say that bathing is essential at all.. We sometimes do bum baths if they get messy around there. But we never bathed 2 of our girls and one has only been bathed because of a fungal problem at one point.

 

[Lottiemeow]

Oh ok and thank you for your advice

 

[Rodentopia]

Its not essential but its good practice as allows you to check them over for any lumps or bumps. Mine get done as and when they need it, I mainly have long haired piggies and being boys they tend to need a little more bathing then girls. My short haired ones get done less but I probably bath them once or twice a year

 

[Jess]

My Maple has been prescribed a fortnightly bath with medicated shampoo. Bathing to much can upset the natural balance of their skin.

 

[Dusty_bugs]

I used to bathe Leeland because she had an impaired tongue and would dribble green and brown food strains on her chest and flanks which caused the hair to stick together, crisp up and fall off. We bathed Vincent as well so they would smell similar during the time of their bonding worked a treat.

Otherwise I have never needed to bathe my pigs. I have always found the action of petting them with clean hands to help remove excess grease over the bum end, .. but then all my pigs have had smooth short hair :/

 

[Miyavi]

I don´t bath my pigs.

And the most others owners in germany too, exept if a pig has diarrhea.

My longhair, i cut the fur right down to 3-4 centimeters

 

[klee]

I only tend to bath my one girl, Rosie. She is now 7 years old and gets very messy at times around the bum end. She actually had a bath today, she is a swiss-cross (we think and her hair can get quite tatty round her bum even with regular brushing so it is often less stressful to give her a quick bath and then work the tangles out that way.
My other girls, all short-haired have each been bathed once since we got them last May, mainly because they were all a bit itchy so were treated for mites and then had a bath after the course of treatment to soothe their skin.