Shampoo

[Piglet]

Hello my fellow brits!

I was wondering what shampoo you use to bathe your guinea pigs. Any ideas?

[Treen]

My favourite one was a lemon-tree shampoo made by Pet Health Direct - I used to get it from Galen's Garden but they stopped selling direct and I can't find anywhere else that sells it. It's really mild, and has a nice fresh smell instead of the more medicated smelling ones you can get. My last bottle is about to run out too - boo hoo!

I know a few people who use the Johnson's small animal shampoo and say that's fine.

[Piglet]

Hmm... I might give the johnsons shampoo a go. Aw, sorry about your shampoo!

[suzannbc]

Hello,

I rang the Cambridge Cavy trust and they have suggested Nizorol. It is a human shampoo for dandruff but works great on the piggies. It doesnt have a strong smell which you have to consider because piggies noses are very sensitive. I have used it on mine twice now and it seems to work well.

Hope this helps

Suzann

[Treen]

It's a medicated shampoo though, so is quite potent - I certainly wouldn't use anything that strong if the piggy was healthy as everything leaves a residue they will then ingest, and if they're healthy it's completely unnecessary (and this is regardless of my opinions on using human shampoos on small animals).

Shampoos made for small animals are made with their grooming behaviour in mind, and you should always use as mild an animal shampoo as you can unless your vet suggests a skin condition would benefit from a medicated shampoo. Guinea pigs shouldn't need to be bathed more than a couple of times a year (if that) and it's best not to interfere with the balance of natural oils in their coat any more than is necessary.