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greasy guineas!

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nicola1989

nicola1989

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Thought I would post this in here, it was in the care/behaviour section but no one was answering, hope that's ok :) tell me off if it isn't!

1) Can guinea pigs/rabbits have chinchilla sand? My dwarf hamsters love it, they roll in it all the time, and I've noticed my guinea pigs are really greasy, but obviously I don't want to keep bathing them.

2) If they can't have chinchilla sand, how often can I bathe them? And will it make the grease worse if I keep bathing them? What is the best way to de-grease them basically!

3) I read in one of my books (Guineapiglopedia possibly) that too much space is BAD for piggies and they will get scared. Surely this isn't true?! But if it is, how much is too much?

4) on the pet food bag it advises to give 30-50g of food per guinea pig, but I've read on here they should have unlimited pellets. I've also noticed that they always leave at least half of their pellets. When I got them they were on muesli but I slowly moved them onto pellets because I HATE animal muesli I don't feel like it benefits them because they just selectively feed. So should I a) carry on weighting their food? b) give them unlimited food, or c) start giving them muesli again.
They each weigh just under 2lbs so I don't think they are under- or overweight

Thank you! x
 
we've recently been looking after a very greasy senior boar. essentially he has v rarely been bathed, and it has taken a number of really intensive deep shampoos ( a few weeks apart) after a radical short back and sides from Hels to get him to he stage that you don't have sticky hands after cuddling him. :)>>>
He was so greasy that we all thought he was a dark golden/brown piggy. 4 deep cleans later it appears he is actually cream with black flecks:x
His owners are now (hopefully) allowing us to give him a good deep shampoo every month.

it does take time - don't expect miracles after one wash.
i wonder if this may be a better way forward than the chin sand.
Becca

p.s. a local rescue ,may be able to help you. i see you are on tyneside - have you thougth about a day trip to gretna or penrith for a becklen pamper session www.becklenguineapigrescue.co.uk
 
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boozyfruits said:
we've recently been looking after a very greasy senior boar. essentially he has v rarely been bathed, and it has taken a number of really intensive deep shampoos ( a few weeks apart) after a radical short back and sides from Hels to get him to he stage that you don't have sticky hands after cuddling him. :)>>>
He was so greasy that we all thought he was a dark golden/brown piggy. 4 deep cleans later it appears he is actually cream with black flecks:x
His owners are now (hopefully) allowing us to give him a good deep shampoo every month.

it does take time - don't expect miracles after one wash.
i wonder if this may be a better way forward than the chin sand.
Becca

p.s. a local rescue ,may be able to help you. i see you are on tyneside - have you thougth about a day trip to gretna or penrith for a becklen pamper session www.becklenguineapigrescue.co.uk
Click to expand...

sounds like a similar situation to these two guys i just rehomed. I bathed them twice because they STUNK of second hand smoke when I got them, and the smell has pretty much gone. the white one is much brighter, and ginger markings have appeared on the black one. I am ordering some gorgeous guineas shampoo, and I'll try using it once a month, I would hate to dry their poor little skin out :(
 
I think too much open space is bad personally. If you think about it, guinea pigs in the wild live in long grass. If they're in the open they will get killed by predators.

I think if they have lots of hidey houses and tunnels though, then that's fine. And if they can do laps around them, but know there is somewhere to hide, then they'll be happier. That's just what I've noticed with mine anyway. Lots of space is good, but with places to hide too . . .

They can get used to open space, but I know if you put a nervous piggie in the middle of a room it will get really scared.

And some people think they have very bad vision so get scared when they can't see what's around them.
 
yeah that's what i prefer to give them, lots of space but plenty of places to hide :)

i dont have a car so i might struggle to get there, but i know there is a piggie rescue centre in north or south shields, do you think they would do the same kind of thing?
 
just used gorgeous guineas shampoo on my piggies, was very impressed :) it smells lovely. every time i wash them though the awful smell of the house they used to live in comes back :( but they are nice and clean now havent felt to see if they're any less greasy yet!
 
When I first adopted Stripes his fur quickly became very greasy. I think it was a combination of stress and having a cyst so he was generally feeling a little sorry for himself. It took a few months of shampooing every 3-4 weeks but his coat is now gorgeous and shiny. Gorgeous Guineas shampoos are very good I can highly recommend them.
 
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