Do you bathe your piggies?

[GeorgesHuman]

This is something i've been meaning to ask for ages because when I first got George I read in a book that pigs weren't supposed to have a bath, that they clean themselves, but i've since read on here, and seen lots of scrummy photos of pigs that they do indeed have baths. Is George too old at age 5 to start now? I'm going to start bathing my 2 little boars to get them used to it, but what shampoo should I use? I was going to get some of Morrison's own brand baby shampoo but it has alcohol in it and I don't want to put any nasties on my pigs skin. Is Johnson's baby shampoo ok? It seems milder than the rest of the baby shampoos out there, ingredients wise. I don't have the money to fork out on an expensive vet shampoo really.

It also got me thinking that my dog used to hate having a bath or shower but afterwards he was sooo happy and his vitality shone through and he was always running around like a puppy again after he was clean!

 

[Glynis]

with our boys we didn't bathe them until they had a skin problem............
there's so many ideas about this, have you read the stickie that Laura wrote ? up the top of the section?

the reason i butt bath my girls is cause of my long haired girl......she really does get so manky it's rather revolting, she gets dreadlocks of the butt :p not really girlie at all! i do a good wash of their butt area and brush them regularly this helps too

p.s our dog Bella hates that bath at the time.......but then seems so happy too! hey anything for some love and attention eh!

 

[jeanette]

Hi

Its said that you should be bathing them every 4 weeks

You do need to check the hair skin very carefully to determin what type of shampoo to use

If they have Mites use an Anti Mite shampoo every week for 4 weeks untill the Mites and their eggs have been cleared

If they have skin problems then use the appropriate shampoo for the skin problem type, for example Antifungal.

If they are all nice and clean and problem free then a mild baby shampoo is all thats needed.

Jeanette

 

[Wiebke]

I would think that bathing every 4 weeks is too often for a normal, healthy guinea pig! It is mainly propagated by American websites, who have a much stricter concept in terms of cleanliness and bug eradication. German forums will jump at you for even thinking of bathing, except for medical reasons!

Every time you bathe, you destroy the protective layer of oil on the skin. If you can afford it, use Gorgeous Guineas shampoos - they are specially formulated for a guinea pig ph. Youngsters should not be bathed until they 16 weeks, unless it is part of a medical treatment prescribed by a vet.

I only bathe if there is a medical reason for it or about every half year; with my longhairs, about every 3 months - keeping them cut short at the bum end removes most of the problem. Boars may profit from the occasional bum bath.

Laura has written a good thread about bathing, including how often:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=47314

 

[Beautifulmess]

I bath mine if they are very dirty or have skin conditions, otherwise they clean themselves. Corly pees on his stomach alot so his stomach gets washed quite a bit.

 

[BellasMummy]

My girls are 18 months old and have had a bath just once. They are fairly short haired and really don't get that dirty and clean themselves very well. I only bathed them that once because they had got particularly smelly.
I'm sure I've heard that only long haired piggies need to be bathed more regularly but don't hold me to that.