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Washing your piggies

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AnimalNikki89

AnimalNikki89

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I wash my guinea pigs, mainly because one has cysts and they are not as bad if I wash her regularly. They absolutely hate it though! I get scratched so much. They fidget, wriggle and try to escape all the time. One little piggy just stays still in the water, I can tell she hates it and is plotting her escape!

Does anyone else wash their guineas?
 

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All of mine get bathed, I put a small hand towel in the bottom of sink so that their feet grip onto it and they dont panic. I have a couple of scratchers but most dont seem to mind too much :)
 
cool. mine hate having the water on their backs, i wash them in a plastic washing-up bowl then dry them with a towel.
I find the piggie shampoo really hard to get out of their fur though, its quite annoying.
 
I hold the piggie in one hand (under front legs if you know what I mean) so that their back feet are on the towel and they are kind of in a standing up position. When I'm rinsing off the shampoo I just pour water down their backs and run my hand down them after it and shampoo comes out quite easily ;)
 
Bathing a guinea pig

how ofton should you bath a guinea pig.I got my 2 girls in december and have never bathed them.i keep them in the house.
 
It's not essential to bathe frequently but the general view is that it can be beneficial. The recommended is once every 2-3 months. I've found the condition of my pigs' skin improving greatly after bathing them routinely, I do have a couple of pigs with problem skin though and it soothes them wonderfully.

Bathing more frequently than once a month can have a negative effect though, drying the skin out.

What shampoo do you use Nikki? The shampoo shouldn't be hard to get out. www.gorgeousguineas.com sell one that is *super* easy to rinse out, the range of EasiRinse shampoos.
 
Mine are done every couple of months with Gorgeous Guineas shampoo. One of my boars has bad skin so he gets done with Manuka & Neem and the long haired ones get Posh 'n' Go. Just keeps their coats nice :)
 
I wash my piggies on my arm, holding them under the gently flowing tap while talking to them constantly. That way, I avoid any panic and jumping. Just lifting the front paws didn't work with Llewelyn.

And I go and have my own shower and complete change of dress afterwards...
 
i use some pets at home guinea pig & rabbit shampoo.

i have to completely change my clothes after washing my guineas, i get soaked!

i always wash mine on a warm day, that way vigorous drying isnt needed lol
 
Hhm, mine don't take bathes at all. I'm afraid to frighten them as they are absolutely not used to water. I don't know if they ever had a bath in their lifes (they have been living with me only for three months now). Can't they catch a cold when getting wet? To those who dry them: How do you do that, especially in winter times with less sun?

I only heard about therapeutic bathes when piggies suffer from mycosis or stuff like that.
I once bathed my mouse (sadly already dead, not because of the bath, but because of her age :))). After coming out she really looked like a water rat. 8)
 
They can catch a chill when wet, hence the need to keep them warm until they are totally dry. Turn up the heating, give them a nicely warm bath and get them dry before they go anywhere cooler than the room they have been bathed in. If they're washed and dried fairly quickly, they're generally fine with it all. Some piggies love being bathed, others can't stand it.

Drying is with a good cuddle and rub down with a towel and then, to make sure they're 100% dry, finish off with a hairdryer. The hairdryer isn't essential, but it's recommended in winter when you do want to get them dry and warm quickly.
 
before you bath them put some hay,straw or what ever you use for their bedding in a box such as a cardboard box (or carry case that you would take them to the vets in) and place it on the radiator. this warms up the hay and keeps the guinea pigs warm once you put them in there.
hay works best as it is an insulator for the heat.when the guineas are in the box it should be placed near the radiator/heat source.
 
Our pigs are bathed in the bath. There is no possibility of them falling anywhere/running off anywhere.
I put two bowls of warm water (actually they are small plastic ‘boxes’ rather than bowls) about 15 inches apart in the bath. In the middle I put a small folded towel and the pig sits on that - so that it doesn’t slip about.
I use a large plastic jug to scoop water onto the pig until it is wet enough to make the shampoo lather. To rinse it, I scoop more water out of the bowls. As a ‘final rinse’, when I have just about run out of water in the bowls I sit the pig in last the couple of inches of water.
I towel dry and then use the hair dryer
Unless the pig has had some sort of medicated bath where the coat needs to dry naturally, I wouldn’t dream of leaving the pig without drying it completely with the hair dryer.
 
i was looking on youbute the other day and found videos of guinea pigs swimming in pools!

ive never seen this before, does anyone else know of any guineas that swim?

most of the comments on the videos are saying how cruel this is, what are peoples views on this?

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRGVVKg0Gw4&feature=PlayList&p=67D3D543CE14EFF6&index=11&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRGVVKg0Gw4&feature=PlayList&p=67D3D543CE14EFF6&index=11&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL[/ame]

just type guinea pig swimming into youtube
 
Cruel, if he really wants to escape and finds no way out. Poor piggie. If bathing, then holding them in your hands, not just letting them "swim". I fear that cute little thing might be very frightened. :o
 
AnimalNikki89 said:
before you bath them put some hay,straw or what ever you use for their bedding in a box such as a cardboard box (or carry case that you would take them to the vets in) and place it on the radiator. this warms up the hay and keeps the guinea pigs warm once you put them in there.
hay works best as it is an insulator for the heat.when the guineas are in the box it should be placed near the radiator/heat source.
Click to expand...

would it be alright to put piggies near radiator i have read you should not put them near them
 
AnimalNikki89 said:
i was looking on youbute the other day and found videos of guinea pigs swimming in pools!

ive never seen this before, does anyone else know of any guineas that swim?

most of the comments on the videos are saying how cruel this is, what are peoples views on this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRGVVKg0Gw4&feature=PlayList&p=67D3D543CE14EFF6&index=11&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL

just type guinea pig swimming into youtube
Click to expand...
i dont think its cute he looks frightened and looks like he wants to get out but got no choice as they keep putting him back in
 
AnimalNikki89 said:
before you bath them put some hay,straw or what ever you use for their bedding in a box such as a cardboard box (or carry case that you would take them to the vets in) and place it on the radiator. this warms up the hay and keeps the guinea pigs warm once you put them in there.
hay works best as it is an insulator for the heat.when the guineas are in the box it should be placed near the radiator/heat source.
Click to expand...

just a little hint,guinea pigs cannot have straw for bedding food or any other reason.It can cause injury to the body/eyes as its to rough,hay is best used rather than straw xxxxx
 
KingBoris&HisFollowers said:
just a little hint,guinea pigs cannot have straw for bedding food or any other reason.It can cause injury to the body/eyes as its to rough,hay is best used rather than straw xxxxx
Click to expand...

straw can be used for bedding if hay is given for them to eat,then they just sleep in the hay
 
AnimalNikki89 said:
straw can be used for bedding if hay is given for them to eat,then they just sleep in the hay
Click to expand...

sorry to burst your bubble and not trying to be rude but if you post asking if other people wash there piggies which is just plain common sense to prevent skin conditions etc then why would you know anything about this?
Post a thread and see how many people agree with using straw x
 
The only straw truly safe for guinea pigs is soft chopped straw. This is small, soft, thick strands of straw that hold none of the danger of poke injuries.
 
well we use straw at college and none of the guinea pigs have ever had any respiratory problems. or skin problems.
 
Straw has nothing to do with skin and respiratory problems - that is sawdust and woodshavings. The explanation of why sawdust/woodshavings are not great beddings is very logical.

Straw is stalky and sharp, not soft like hay, so when piggies forage in the straw it is asking for a poke injury. It's not comfy. Giving extra hay is more beneficial and safer overall.
 
hay can cause problems too.

one of my guineas didnt chew a piece properly and it scratched her rectum on its way out.
she lost so much blood and almost died.
in a way nothing is 100% safe for guinea pigs, but some is better then others
 
-getting a little bit back on topic here-

At what age is it safe to give babies a first bath? The girls are 2 weeks old (though very big, dare I say HUGE for their age) and they like to wee in their cozy and then of course they sleep and play in it. Though we change it out daily and give them a clean one, they have gotten a bit of odor themselves. I'd like to give them a bath before they go to their new home in about 3 weeks, just wondering if it is safe. ;)
 
lindsecm said:
-getting a little bit back on topic here-

At what age is it safe to give babies a first bath? The girls are 2 weeks old (though very big, dare I say HUGE for their age) and they like to wee in their cozy and then of course they sleep and play in it. Though we change it out daily and give them a clean one, they have gotten a bit of odor themselves. I'd like to give them a bath before they go to their new home in about 3 weeks, just wondering if it is safe. ;)
Click to expand...

i personally would wait until 8-10 weeks old unless there is a medical reason to wash sooner,if you really want you could wipe them down with a flannel x
 
KingBoris&HisFollowers said:
i personally would wait until 8-10 weeks old unless there is a medical reason to wash sooner,if you really want you could wipe them down with a flannel x
Click to expand...


How do you wipe them down with a flannel? :{ :)) If they didn't have an odor, I wouldn't bother, but it's definitely them!
 
like a um hand towel,what people use on babies in the bath,basically a micro mini human towel lol,make it damp and wipe the piggies down,especially there bits as thats probably the smellier area,you could use some diluted (lavender oil)to make them smell nice,don't quote me on that one but i know there are safe scents you can use on piggies an individual thread is your best bet x
 
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