guinnea pig baths

Can I give my guinnea pig a bath?? i heard somewhere that its legs will dissinigrate...

You can bath a guinea pig. I have been bathing mine sience he was a baby and his feet are heathy.

i have been bathing my guineapigs for years but you should only do so if it is absalutly nesary, a bath can cause stress but still it is fine to bathe them, just make sure you give them a good rub down afterwards so they dont catch a cold.
From
Lauren Gillanders.

if my short haired pig is shedding should i give her a bath? if so how? in the sink, or bowl. in warm water? i have never given one a bath but she is shedding alot, since it is almost fall.
thanks.

You should give your pig a regular baths. If can dry out their skin and cause irritations.

The only reason you'd ever need to bathe your pig is if she was dirty from urine or poops. As long as you keep her bedding clean bathing isn't neccesary.

If you ever have the need to bathe your pig using the proper shampoo that is pH balanced for pigs. You can use a sink with a couple inches of water, just enough to cover the legs. Be careful not to get water on their face or in their ears. After the bath make certain that your pig is COMPLETELY dry. If you put your pig back wet or damp it can cause a URI which can be deadly.

Also since you mentioned shedding. Has your pig ever been treated for mites?

thanks for answering. i wasn't sure if anyone came here any more sincethe last post was last year... i'm not sure about the mites. i just got her about 1month ago, from someone who worked with my mother. i'll see if she was checked, she is about 8 monthes old. would she have to go to the vet to check for mites?or do you check at home? also do cut your pigs nails at home or take them to the vvet or a groomer???

about 5 years ago i had another piggy but she never had any problems and lived almost 5 happy years. we always took her to the vet to cut her nails, but she was my only piggy,now i have 3 pigs , 2 boys and a girl, and i wanted to know what to do about their nails since i have 3 and vet charges about $20 to cut nails thats $60 per visit. i wanted to know if i could do it at home.

thanks for the other answers about baths for my pigs.

You can go to the vet for mite treatment or if you feel comfortable you can treat her at home. For directions for treating pigs for mites at home can be found here: guinealynx.info/ivermectin.html. All it takes is 3 treatments 7-10 days apart. If you don't feel comfortable treating the pig yourself go to a vet. You can harm the pig if you overdose.

If you do go to a vet just get the mite treatment. They may try to do a skin scrapping but I would advise against that. They are painful and inconclusive. Most of the time even if they don't find mites they'll still treat anyways. Treating a pig without mites won't hurt the pig. It's better to treat the pig as a precautionary measurement because mites are painful and can be deadly left untreated.

You can trim your pigs nail, there really isn't a reason to go to the vet. If you are unable to hold the pig still and safely trim the nails then the vet would be your best bet. You wouldn't want to accidentally trim too much and hurt your pig.

You also consider registering at www.guinealynx.info/forums/ - there are many knowledgeable people on this site. If you need help with anything someone there will definitely be able to assist you. Just a warning, the people on that site are mostly adults and care about animals before people. The users may seem harsh at times but they are your best bet for quality and correct guinea pig advice and information.