What are you opinions on dying a guinea pig's fur?

[Kieri]

This morning I stumbled upon a guinea pig owner who dyed her pig pink.


Somebody asked her:
"You dye the hair of your guinea pig? thats not dangerous?"

She replied:
"Oh em gee! Shut up, it was non toxic fudge dye and It didn’t touch it’s skin.
So actually it’s not dangerous"

My opinion is, whether the dye is "non toxic" or not, it shouldn't be used. It serves no purpose other than the owner getting selfish satisfaction out of it. Guinea pig's have sensitive skin and respiratory systems (should there be any fumes), it isn't worth the risk, in my opinion.

She dyed around the pig's face as well.

Also, couldn't there dangerous ingredients in food dyes that could harm a guinea pig if they ingest it (by grooming)? It only makes sense, because guinea pigs have such sensitive digestive systems.

[Wildcavy]

I can't imagine why anyone would want to dye any animal any color. But beyond that, I could see a piggy being far more sensitive to dyes than a human. Not just because of proportions, but my understanding is that piggies were bred to be hyper-sensitive to certain things, because of their use as lab animals? Maybe someone here can confirm that?

I know that my relatives' animals, both dogs and cats, can't eat certain dyes (particularly red) or they get sick. So they get special diets.

[Liknvi]

From her blog, it's obvious she's incredibly immature. I can't tell if she honestly believes it's safe or if she just wants to get a rise out of people.

Any kind of food dyes labelled as 'non-toxic' really mean 'non-toxic to humans'.

I know a dog groomer who dyes dogs with food dye. It's absolutely ridiculous. There's really no point. It's needlessly risky (I'm not sure just how bad food dye is for animals, but it certainly can't be beneficial!), and just ugh.

I guess to some people, animals are just toys to play with however they wish.

[MissJean]

That is just incredibly stupid. I don't trust that artificial dyes are for-sure safe for humans, and they're not tested for guinea pig safety regardless. It looks like the dye got very close to the pig's eyes.Ugh. I wonder if the ordeal stressed the poor piggie out. I feel so sorry for him.

I rather people never dye their pet's fur or paint nails. Your destroying the natural beauty of the animal.

[scruffytufty]

it looks like photoshop, look at her hands they are pink slightly, bad photoshop job to trick people in my opinion.

[Liknvi]

I don't think it's a photoshop. The last time I made icing with blue food dye, my hands were stained blue for almost a week. Food dye can be very, very strong and will stain for quite a while.

[scruffytufty]

yes but in the second picture she has circles of pink, i just think deffinatl the second one is photoshopped to look bighter or whatever

[madelineelaine]

guys, this girl is seriously rude. I sent her a message from my tumblr just saying that it probably wasn't a good idea etc. and she commented on my weight, called me disgusting etc. (and that's because of my blog theme). She probably did it to get a rise out of people.

[madelineelaine]

I'm actually in tears now. I hope the guinea pig is okay.

[Kieri]

@scruffytufty

She admits to dying it. "i have researched and asked actual veterinarians if this dye was okay to put on my pig."

I don't know what knowledgeable, responsible vet would condone dying a guinea pig.

The second picture does look a bit brighter though. Perhaps she did brighten it.

@madelineelaine

I saw what she wrote. I sent her an ask and got onto her for body shaming.

[Wildcavy]

I don't know how much it's worth arguing about whether she did, but it looks to me like she did. The first photo shows darker stains around her fingernails, knuckles, and palm, the way one would expect. The pig's coloration in the first photo in particularly makes it look like she tried to paint him with the dye solution, which would be why the legs aren't quite so pink. The pig also looks like his hair is flat and damp.

I think she is taking a low-quality photo and the pix bleed out in the 2nd photo.

If for some reason it's a hoax, it is still a loathesome thing to do and it is another reason why I resent at times being identified with the human race.

[MissJean]

Using a filter to make it brighter isn't Photoshop =)

Though I wish teens would stop abusing that effect and deeming themselves photographers.

[Roo99]

She put up another picture of the pig in question, this time showing where she put the dye:



Even if the dye didn't do anything else, applying it would have been stressful for him or her. I know that my guinea pigs hate to be wet; especially the smell would have been strong for the pig.

The owner also says that she asked veterinarians if it was safe; they certainly couldn't have been cavy savvy or even have common sense if they really told her that it was okay.

[MissJean]

guys, this girl is seriously rude. I sent her a message from my tumblr just saying that it probably wasn't a good idea etc. and she commented on my weight, called me disgusting etc. (and that's because of my blog theme). She probably did it to get a rise out of people.

She's an idiot. Don't take offense to such lowly scum, as you are better than they are.

[madelineelaine]

Kieri, thank you <3 and yeah, I don't understand, what purpose does dying the guinea pig serve anyways?!

[Roo99]

Also, she said that the dye never touched the pig's skin. After working the dye into its fur, it would've been all over her hands. It would be near impossible for her to keep the dye on her hands from touching its skin.

People like this make me so angry. Personally, I feel if they aren't going to take the time to recognize clearly and politely articulated arguments, then I shouldn't waste my time with them. This person clearly has no idea what they are doing in regards to how dyes effect pigs, and they need to realize that just because it might be 'cute', it could also be dangerous. Pigs aren't throwaway pets that you can just disregard at the drop of a hat. Pigs are for life.

[Roo99]

Here is a direct quote from her Tumblr:

'Haha it wasn’t food dye. I know it will be fine so this is all a waste of time for you people, i don’t see why my guinea pig has become the concern of so many people. If he passes I’ll be sure to invite y’all to the funeral. But his death will surely not be because of this dye I put on his fur'

Clearly she doesn't care whether or not her pig will live if she can toss the subject of its death around so nonchalantly. This is making me sick.

[Kieri]

I sent her the link to this forum, but she told me, "thanks but no thanks." It's hard telling if she will read it or not, but I really hope she does and I hope she doesn't continue dying her pig's fur.

[Liknvi]

She said that it was 'fudge dye'. I've never heard of anything called 'fudge dye' except hair dye, so if that's what she's using, well, it smells quite awful from what I recall, as all hair dye does.

[Roo99]

She said that it was 'fudge dye'. I've never heard of anything called 'fudge dye' except hair dye, so if that's what she's using, well, it smells quite awful from what I recall, as all hair dye does.

When she says 'fudge dye', I think that she is referring to the drops that you add to melting chocolate to turn it different colors. It is food grade, but smells awful in my opinion.