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How to bath piggies?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lixies_mum
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Lixies_mum

Hi everyone, Hope this is the right section for this...
I am a new piggie owner, and not that confident with what to do or how to handle them properly (like bathing, trimming claws etc)
so thought I'd ask on here if there was a particular technique to use when bathing them? I don't think they've ever had a bath before, so I know it will be something I have to handle carefully, but is there particular things I should or should not do when bathing them? and how do I dry them after? would they be ok with a hair dryer? or do I just keep them huddled in a towel until they are dry? and is a generic small pet shampoo sufficient enough?

Any help and advice much appreciated! Pictures to illustrate would be great too!
Thank you in advance!
X
 
Bathing piggies is so much fun... :). I just bathed mine today so have lots of pictures. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=46116

As you can see I did it in the sink, you have to be careful for mini Kangaroo's. I pour water over them using a jug luke warm water and just massage water into there face, be careful of the eys and nose.

I used Johnsens small animal shampoo for mites, lice and Flea's as the piggies kept scratching but wouldn't normally use that.

If you google gorgeous guineas they have a great range of shampoo's. The first time is always daunting but it is really easy.

I towel dry the pigs after there bath and then blow dry, low heat and far away you don't want to burn them :).

As for claws I tend to support the against my back and take each claw one by one be careful of the quick, if I'm not sure were it is I just take the very ends off.. I hope this makes sense :).
 
JoanneG111 said:
Bathing piggies is so much fun... :). I just bathed mine today so have lots of pictures. http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=46116

As you can see I did it in the sink, you have to be careful for mini Kangaroo's. I pour water over them using a jug luke warm water and just massage water into there face, be careful of the eys and nose.

I used Johnsens small animal shampoo for mites, lice and Flea's as the piggies kept scratching but wouldn't normally use that.

If you google gorgeous guineas they have a great range of shampoo's. The first time is always daunting but it is really easy.

I towel dry the pigs after there bath and then blow dry, low heat and far away you don't want to burn them :).

As for claws I tend to support the against my back and take each claw one by one be careful of the quick, if I'm not sure were it is I just take the very ends off.. I hope this makes sense :).
Click to expand...

Thats great thank you :) Hope my piggies are well behaved lol, I have a feeling that Biscuit won't move much as he still isn't sure on me, when on my lap he just stays very still, but Patch is a little explorer lol he likes to get around hehe. I'll try to take pics when I do bath them, but think I'm going to wait a few more days to have a look around for a nice shampoo for them :) and hopefully Biscuit will warm to me more aswell.

Loved the piccies :) they are soo cute!
thanks again
xx
 
Sorry to post this question on your thread but thought i'd ask as it's related to bathing piggies....
What age can you start bathing piggies from using the 'normal' piggie shampoo that is just meant to clean and make them smell nice? And also do they have to be a certain age if using the shampoo that is for mites, lice etc?
Many thanks :)
 
You could bath them after 3 months, I don't normally use mite shampoo, Xeno is good for mites.

Xeno 450 for piggies over 800grams, there is another Xeno for piggies less than 800 grams can't remember the name though.

The Shampoo I used was for lice,mites and fleas.
 
Hi - posting here rather than starting a new thread as it's to do with bathing :) Have just watched a very detailed video on you tube on how to bath a piggy - she made it look so easy! I too have never bathed my two before and they are just over three months now and am trying to pluck up the courage.

I am scared that they will not like it and they will become even more frightened of me. They are indoor piggy's and I am with them quite a lot - they are handled everyday but they hate being picked up so I end up having to try getting them quickly which I hate doing as I think they are getting stressed out but I don't want to not get them out as I need them to get used to being handled and only seem to settle on me if they are on a blanket therefore this makes me very nervous bathing them :...

Would you say that it could help you bond with piggy's by bathing them?

Love your photo's by the way :(|)
 
I just bathed my two in the sink, ok, they didn't like it much, and they did shake poor things, but I gave them a leaf of chicory as a treat afterwards when I was drying them, they seemed to like the drying part :) all that rubbing hehe, Even Biscuit looked like he enjoyed the good rub down :D. Poor things had never been bathed before so were scared, and I won't know if it has made them hate me more or less until tomorrow now, as I have put them back in their cage for tonight with extra fleecey blankets in there house so they stay extra warm tonight :) (I didn't want to try the hair dryer encase I scared them tooo much!)
But it was easy to bath them, especially in the sink, as they haven't got anywhere to run lol, I held them at all time to be sure they didn't jump out, then wrapped the towel around them and huddled them close for body warmth. They seemed ok considering I thought they'd try to escape and run or bite me, but they didn't :)

have you got the link to the you tube video?
 
We like to include a nice swim when bathing the girls.
We fill the bath around 4/5 inches deep with warm water and place a couple of house bricks in the middle as an 'island'. The girls love it, they swim for a few minutes, have a breather and then go for a few minutes more, and so on. When they're tired we take them out, towel dry and then blow dry them on a warm heat while they usually doze off. :)
 
I washed 6 of mine in the sink and they all had very different reactions. Some seemed to really enjoy it and relaxed while taking in the scenery. One however screamed as if she was being murdered and wriggled the whole time. I ended up soaking wet and out of breath.
 
When bathing, you need to make sure that the water is only handwarm, like with a baby (elbow test). Most piggies do not like it, but some strange souls seem to! A very few are freaking out completely, despite the best efforts.

in case of lice, you best use lice'n'easy shampoo from gorgeous guines.
For mites, you need to treat with ivermectin, either get it from your vet or buy xeno450 (xeno50 for youngsters under 800g). I only treat when I have a problem.
 
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