This might be a stupid question, but my father/son guinea pigs need a bath as it has been months and they're getting a bit stinky. However, I am worried that they are used to each other's scents and that if I wash it away they may fight when I put them back in their cage.
Will bathing my male cage mates remove their scent and make them fight?
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Claire W
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If you bath them together, they will smell the same as each other so no, bathing them won’t cause them to fight although you can just give them a quick bum bath if they are a bit yucky rather than a full bath
How old are they? Healthy, young piggies, piggies don’t need to be routinely bathed, nor should they be as it isn’t good for their skin - they should be completely able to keep themselves clean. It’s only recommended to bathe them if there is a medical need to or if they are elderly and are not able to clean themselves properly.
Hi!
Unless they are absolutely messy or there is a medical reason, a simple bum bath with baby-warm plain water will do.
Bathing can occasionally upset a teenage boar pair whose relationship is already under strain.
Every bath seriously upsets the natural skin microbiome, which is an important defence mechanism of the body. Dry skin issues are typically a problem of over-bathed piggies.
Most piggies will deal with minor issues themselves via piggy cleaning within a couple of days.
Here are our boar care tips, including how to do a bum bath or deal with an overactive grease gland: Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths