What Happens If You Get Water In Your Guineapigs Ears ?

[LavaGuineaPig]

before anyone jumps to conclusions NO GUINEAPIG GOT WATER IN THERE EARS
i just couldnt find any information on what happens if it does
because i was told by my cousin that water in there ear instantly kills them
so since my cousin knows Someone who has like 10+ guineapigs and they gave them the information
i wanted to know what would happen and if bathing them is something i should do or do they clean themselves. Thank you for your time!

(just worried about giving them baths now )

 

[Betsy]

When I bath mine I don't do the heads unless they have mite and I steer clear of the ears. I not heard of water in ears killing piggies before. I just don't think it would be very nice for them! Someone may know different though.

 

[sridevirb]

Yes, water entering a Guinea pig's ear can be very dangerous and also fatal. Sometimes the water from the bottle keeps dripping inside the cage and the piggies tend to wet their ears while drinking it. This is not something you need to worry about, as long as water is falling only on the outer ear. But if water tends to reach your piggie's middle ear and further, I'd say it is something you need to really worry about. Even during bath or cleaning time, it is generally advised to keep the piggie's upper body dry (neck and above).

 

[Elwickcavies]

I've certainly not heard anything about water in a guinea pig's ear being a problem other than discomfort. They have an ear drum, just like us, so unless there is a problem with that, water shouldn't be able to enter the middle or inner ear. I don't tend to try to clean right inside of the ear at bathtime, but sometime wax etc. can collect in the folds of the outer ear, so I give them a bit of a wipe.

 

[Wiebke]

Just use the soap suds and a gentle wipe with a damp, but not wet rag on guinea pig ears and do not drench in water!

We generally recommend to not give a full bath except for medical reasons or if a guinea pig is very dirty or greasy from an overactive grease gland. In most cases, a bum bath with hand warm water will do the trick; in combination with some judicious hair cutting around the worst areas in long-haired guinea pigs it is perfectly adequate.

 

[Freela]

It's not a situation that ever has come up because even when bathing, I try to keep their head dry. That said, their ear anatomy is not that different from any other mammal and, although it can cause irritation or infection to have fluid in the ear, I don't see any scientific reason why getting water in the ear would be deadly. If there is a reason that anyone knows that makes it particularly dangerous for them, I'm all ears! (Pardon the terrible pun!)