Bathing What do you bathe your piggies with?

[Krelean]

Just wanted to find out what you bathe your piggies with and how often? I cannot use anything with lavender or tea tree oil...suggestions?

 

[trexgorawrrrrr]

You should only bathe your piggy every 3 months or as needed. When I say as needed I mean after the 3 month mark. If you like you can always damp a cloth and whipe them down, but bathing to often can lead to skin issues.

When I give my piggies a bath I use burts bees shampoo.

 

[bpatters]

They don't need baths every three months -- some pigs go for a year or more without baths. They're very good at keeping themselves clean. Some hate baths, others don't seem to mind, and a few (mine included) actually like them.

But their butts can get dirty, and the fur matted. So you can do just a butt bath, or bathe the whole pig. You need to use a very mild shampoo, such as one made for kittens or for pocket pets.

I'm not so sure the bathing itself causes skin problems -- it's more likely that they're not getting rinsed well enough and the soap residue is the culprit.

 

[Hhbean]

The one time I gave my boys a bath I used the kitten shampoo and it didn't bother them at all. I only gave them a buddy bath to help them bond. I wouldn't give them a bath again unless they were smelly. That being said, I do have to clean their boy bits and check for stuck hay in their perinal sack. I use mineral oil and soft cloth or cotton swab.

 

[trexgorawrrrrr]

I don't recall saying they needed one every three months, reread what I said. I added in the as needed. I was just saying that the safe mark is after every 3 months...

& I never said what caused the issue, but if we want to go there.. Bathing too often can lead to dry skin. So, yes the water can have harmful effects also, it just depends.

They don't need baths every three months -- some pigs go for a year or more without baths. They're very good at keeping themselves clean. Some hate baths, others don't seem to mind, and a few (mine included) actually like them.

But their butts can get dirty, and the fur matted. So you can do just a butt bath, or bathe the whole pig. You need to use a very mild shampoo, such as one made for kittens or for pocket pets.

I'm not so sure the bathing itself causes skin problems -- it's more likely that they're not getting rinsed well enough and the soap residue is the culprit.

 

[bpatters]

Sorry, Trex. I read "You should only bathe your piggy every 3 months or as needed" as meaning that they needed one at least every three months or oftener if needed.

I stand by my statement about bathing, though. For all the posts I've seen warning about pigs getting dry skin from bathing, I don't think I've ever seen a single one where someone posted about pigs having dry skin and the cause was bathing them too often. There may be a few such posts out there, but given all the other posts about pig problems, it's a very rare issue. I know one owner who bathes her three pigs every week and has no problem with dry skin on any of them.

Some ideas just get picked up and repeated so often that everyone knows they're "true." They may well be, but they may not be, either.

 

[Thumper27]

I used to do once a month, and use baby shampoo. Rossie would squeal her way through it, I'd wrap her up real good and she would rest with me. Then of course, because she got mad, she would pee on me... never fail lol. But I never had dry skin issues, and the baby shampoo is really mellow. I used it on Curley as well, he tried to escape, and usually ended up giving me a bath too! lol.

 

[Travelingirl916]

Gorgeous Guineas shampoo is what I use. You can Google it to find their website. I personally use the lavendar shampoo, but there are other scents available, and also an unscented option. They are all natural and specifically formulated just for Guinea pigs, so their skin will not dry out.

Guinea pigs only need baths once a year, they clean themselves several times every day.

 

[Thumper27]

I'm so looking up that site, because I can love the idea of a shampoo made for piggies.

 

[Travelingirl916]

I believe it is just GorgeousGuineas.com but I'm not certain. They are great products.

 

[Thumper27]

Awesome thanks, in this area it's hard to find anybody outside of petsmart or walmart that have anything guinea pig.

 

[Krelean]

Thanks so much everyone. I have been told I can use Dawn dishsoap, but felt that would be a bit to harsh. I use a childrens shampoo still for my daughter, the type that won't sting the eyes and has conditioner built in. I may just use this. I will look again at gorgeous site, but I never say an unscented.

 

[bpatters]

Please do NOT use Dawn dish soap. Guinea pigs who have really gunky grease glands can have a drop or so of Dawn applied to cut through the grease and clean their hair in that area, but they should NEVER be bathed with it.

Children's shampoo is also not appropriate for piggies -- it's too harsh. You need something like a kitten shampoo, available at Walmart or your local pet store, or online. Or one for exotic animals.

They really don't need many baths, unless their bottoms get really wet and nasty from long hair in their pee and poop. Does yours particularly need a bath, or were you just thinking it's a routine thing that ought to be done?

 

[Pretty Piggies]

Hi!

When I bathe my piggies, (they hate it but it makes their fur super soft) I use baby shampoo and never get it near their face. You don't need to bathe them often.

 

[Thumper27]

That's what I done with mine, I never washed their face, other then with a clean damp cloth.

 

[Krelean]

I've treated them for lice, 2 doses and I sorta want to make sure all the medication is off them. I purchased Burts Bees baby shampoo that unscented and tea free....can I use this?

Please do NOT use Dawn dish soap. Guinea pigs who have really gunky grease glands can have a drop or so of Dawn applied to cut through the grease and clean their hair in that area, but they should NEVER be bathed with it.

Children's shampoo is also not appropriate for piggies -- it's too harsh. You need something like a kitten shampoo, available at Walmart or your local pet store, or online. Or one for exotic animals.

They really don't need many baths, unless their bottoms get really wet and nasty from long hair in their pee and poop. Does yours particularly need a bath, or were you just thinking it's a routine thing that ought to be done?

 

[bpatters]

Kitten shampoo, available from any pet store, Walmart, Target, maybe even your grocery store, is perfectly acceptable for guinea pigs. Also, there are shampoos made specifically for small furry pets. Gorgeous Guineas makes wonderful products for guinea pigs.

Please do not use baby shampoo, whether made by Burts Bees, Johnson & Johnson, or anybody else.

 

[Krelean]

have you heard of the pig shampoo called squeeky clean?

 

[bpatters]

I use Squeaky Clean for mine.