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Guinea Pigs Swimming?

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Malice

Malice

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So someone posted up a video of some guinea pigs going for a swim in a garden pool (it's probably a couple of feet deep). It looks pretty cute, watching them swoosh around, but I was wondering if it's actually safe? I've never really heard of guinea pigs swimming before (I know they can, but I've never heard of owners letting their piggies go for a swim), and they don't appear to be in distress. Other than obviously not having any way for them to get out of the water themselves, is there actually anything wrong with this, or is it actually perfectly acceptable (with proper supervision) to let your furry ones go for a paddle?
 
Feeling wet is unnatural for piggies, whenever they are in water it should be comfortable luke warm just a few cm deep.
I wouldn't advise you to put a piggy in a deep swimming pool. It's not often a piggy will swim for fun :)
 
Malice said:
So someone posted up a video of some guinea pigs going for a swim in a garden pool (it's probably a couple of feet deep). It looks pretty cute, watching them swoosh around, but I was wondering if it's actually safe? I've never really heard of guinea pigs swimming before (I know they can, but I've never heard of owners letting their piggies go for a swim), and they don't appear to be in distress. Other than obviously not having any way for them to get out of the water themselves, is there actually anything wrong with this, or is it actually perfectly acceptable (with proper supervision) to let your furry ones go for a paddle?
Click to expand...

It is very upsetting that that awful video is STILL making the rounds and inspiring other people to force their piggies to swim for their life and call it "cute". So far, any complaints about cruelty and abuse have sadly not been successful - and there have been plenty!

While a VERY few guinea pigs like bathing and even swimming in SHALLOW water they can stand in and can't drown, the vast majority absolutely hates getting wet!
 
It's good that you ask, and are questioning whether or not this is a good thing. Some videos can look very cute, until you realise that the animals are not enjoying themselves...

I have not seen this video, but I am assuming that it didn't show the guinea pigs willingly choosing to enter the water themselves? More like they were placed in. Most animals have a swim reflex, but some would avoid water if they could.
It's very likely that these guinea pigs were very stressed out and frightened at the time of being in the water, and quite possibly traumatised afterwards. I believe that guinea pigs have longer memories than most people think....
Apart from not even liking to swim or even to paddle, imagine, on top of this, being placed in water that you couldn't get out of? Imagine the feeling that you may have to swim until you could swim no longer, and then what? Panic!

Sometimes, some guinea pigs will require a bath. Some react better than others to the water, but they should always be able to stand in it with only their legs covered, nothing more. They should never have to feel like it's an effort to keep their bodies and heads out of the water. For normal cleaning a damp cloth is often best.
 
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=677412902391369

This is the video to which I refer; so, no, they don't enter willingly. It's also fairly deep (what if the poor piggies couldn't float?!) and they have no way of entering/exiting themselves, all of which raised my concern. I did want to question it though because although it looked really unfair to me (particularly the depth), maybe guinea pigs really love swimming and I didn't know! I didn't want to criticise someone unnecessarily.

That said, I didn't think piggies would appreciate it. Whenever I've bathed piggies in the past they either actively despise it and try to escape (meaning I'm the one who ends up bathing!) or they sort of passively endure it. I think I've had one guinea pig that genuinely seemed to enjoy being washed, and that was only in a washing up bowl with maybe a centimetre of water. Hence, with this is mind, I questioned it.

So thank you all for your responses.

(Also, as someone who can neither swim nor even float in water, I understand how large bodies of water can induce panic and be a really horrifying experience! Poor piggies. =()
 
Your thinking is logical, and you're right, it wouldn't be fair to slate something or someone if that animal was actually having fun.

That wasn't pleasant to watch though, and I'm concerned that the video has so many 'likes'. Loos to me like they were swimming in a panic - fast paddle from side to side looking for an exit is what it looked like to me.
 
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They look panicked and stressed to me searching in circles for a way out themselves. Who can blame them for not trusting their owner and returning to them to be scooped out. That owner needs to have his piggies taken away to a loving family not one that makes them do circus tricks in water for a you tube video. :evil: :vom: :box:
 
Makes me sad and agree. He is not doing that for the pigs but for his own amusement. The tag line under the video says "Cooling down for the pigs" if they were that worried about the pigs being hot, put them in the shade or in a cool room with an ice pod and some fresh water you **** :cen:
 
Guinea pigs originate from the Andes. Rocky sub terrain.

This means no water. When piggies are put in water they are scared... Thus they are swimming for their lives, another reason why you always see them swimming out to the sides..natural instinct to try to get out! Else they would swim around in circles and water bob like rats do. They naturally swim etc.

It's cruel to put pigs in pools etc plus chlorine can't be good for them. It makes our eyes and skin sore and dry!

I wish people would realise and stop this :(
 
Most animals CAN swim... whether they like to swim is another matter! From my experience, my pigs dislike even getting a bath in tummy-deep lukewarm water in a tiny doll bathtub, so I would never attempt to make them swim! They are related to the capybara, a large south american rodent that actually is semi-aquatic and has webbed toes and swims voluntary, but obviously they are two very different species!
 
That is just so wrong! :(
Our Chas had an unfortunate meeting with our pond a while ago when he legged it out of my arms towards the pond, he was petrified! Came straight back to me when he realised that was a bad move. How anyone can force their own piggies to do that is beyond me! These d!ckeads need an education! :cen:
Edit: I didn't watch the footage but had to leave a comment...
 
My friend messaged me about this today asking if guinea pigs enjoy water. She had seen the video and was going to do it with her piggie. Thankfully she knew to ask me and I advised her not to.

She's instead going to build a city out of cardboard for her piggie to trash as her piggie likes destroying things. A much better option IMO.
 
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