Grooming Do GPs enjoy a dry dust bath?

I think the dust would be bad for them. Even dusty paper bedding makes my girls sneeze. They have sensitive respiratory systems.

No, dust baths are not for guinea pigs. They wouldn't know what to do with it, in the first place, and it would likely irritate their respiratory tract, in the second.

Were you wanting to solve some problem with them by giving them a dust bath?

Not a good idea.

The purpose of a dust bath is to dry the skin and fur by pulling oils out of chinchilla fur that otherwise stays trapped because of the density of their coat. Guinea pigs can't roll the way a chinchilla can to get their fur saturated with dust, nor does a pig have any natural desire or inclination to do so.

It would also be very drying and irritating to their skin.

Basically I picture the poor pig being doused with dust and not understanding why, so, no, I'd not do it.

Paula said:

Basically I picture the poor pig being doused with dust and not understanding why, so, no, I'd not do it.

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Lol I don't know why picturing this made me laugh. I just imagine my piggy sitting in dust with a "why me?!" look on her face.
I understand that chinchillas need it for the oils in their skin but I just can't imagine rolling in dust as being fun. Just the thought of it makes me want to reach for my inhaler

I had the same visualization as @allisonj30 when I read your comment @Paula I just wiped my boys down when they were looking a little dingy as bathing them kind of scares me.

The only animals that can have a dust bath are chinchillas and gerbils

allisonj30 said:

I understand that chinchillas need it for the oils in their skin but I just can't imagine rolling in dust as being fun. Just the thought of it makes me want to reach for my inhaler

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There are very few things as heartwarming as watching a chinnie take a dust bath. They enjoy it more than just about anything you can imagine.

Svenandolaf said:

The only animals that can have a dust bath are chinchillas and gerbils

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No, this isn't accurate. Degus and chickens also enjoy dust baths, to name a couple, and really, any animal CAN have a dust bath, but there are only a few who need/enjoy one.

Paula said:

There are very few things as heartwarming as watching a chinnie take a dust bath. They enjoy it more than just about anything you can imagine.

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Thats cute maybe I'll have to watch a chinchilla dust bath video on YouTube later.

bpatters said:

No, dust baths are not for guinea pigs. They wouldn't know what to do with it, in the first place, and it would likely irritate their respiratory tract, in the second.

Were you wanting to solve some problem with them by giving them a dust bath?

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No, just happened to see it while browsing Petsmart's "All Living Things" line online, thank you for asking.

I have softened water and a small square sink in my bathroom, I use a shallow warm wade in the sink with a facecloth, gently soaking them all over, (faces last, avoid ears), talking quietly the whole time. They relax, and the BEST part isn't cleaning their smelly bits, it's the bonding afterwards, when, instead of using a hairdryer at all, I towel-dry in my lap, taking care to keep them covered and avoiding drafts. It takes about two hours to be SURE they are dry, and at least a dozen towels! Not the fastest method, but I love it, and judging by their contented whee-ee-ee-eek-ing, so do they.

found a chinchilla dust bath video, it made me want to reach for my eye drops!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dGWP3MxdI4

Ha, ha, ha. I don't think I'd be taking them out for lap time after that!