Bathtime!

[CavySpirit]

Why spend $30 for something I can do at home for 5$ and is just as safe and effective.

While I agree it may be as effective, it is definitely not as safe. You are coating their fur, which they lick, with a poison. That's what makes the pyrethrin work.

I soap them up for a few seconds, . . .

The directions for effectiveness on the shampoo require you to keep the shampoo on the animal for 7-10 minutes as I recall. Not sure why you aren't following the directions for the effectiveness of the product.

The person we bought the pigs fom says her pigs don't have lice

Well, I'd take that with a big grain of salt. In fact, if it were me, I'd assume they DID have lice, regardless of what she says. That's just my experience speaking.

Please DO STOP shampooing them weekly. If they are lice free, they are lice free. Period. You really will be causing damage if you continue down that path. Stop taking them outdoors if they are going to be class pets.

Guinea pigs should RARELY be bathed and only when they need it.

The class pet thing is a topic for another thread.

 

[BaysideBandGeek]

No where on the shampoo bottle does it say how long you keep the shampoo on. Obviously it's working though if the pigs no longer have lice.

If it's not safe for them, how come we can use it on dogs and cats and they lick their fur and not get sick?? I have been bathing them once a week for the past month, and they seem fine. In fact, happier since the lice has been gone.

As for the person I bought my pigs from, you're right, I'm not 100% sure if her pigs do or don't have lice, but since she said her's don't, thats what I have to work with.

And why can I not take the pigs outside if they are class pets? It is planned for them to go out side with the children during recess, but they are to stay in a safety pen under supervision by the teacher (my mother). I thought this site encouraged us to let our pigs have some outside time....

I may reduce how much I bathe my pigs (every 2 weeks or so), other wise plans will still remain the same

 

[CavySpirit]

Tell me how you justify the supposed logic of applying poison to their coats and drying out their skin as a preventative measure?

If it's not safe for them, how come we can use it on dogs and cats and they lick their fur and not get sick??

I'm rather amazed at the question. You are applying the same dosage, if you will, of an insecticide to the fur of an animal that is a fraction of the weight and size of the intended use. AND you are repeating the dosage above and beyond the intended use, just because you think you need to.

And as I mentioned, if you want to start a discussion about cavies as classroom pets, please start another thread.

I personally do not encourage outdoor time for cavies except under very specific circumstances. Again, a good topic for another thread.

 

[Katie]

With the advantage: My pigs are 2 months old and you have to sort of "measure" it out per pound. My pigs are not even one pound yet, thats pretty hard to measure by without hurting them or overdosing.

That is when you use a WHOLE BOTTLE!
With guinea pigs 1 -3 drops behind each ear works great and isn't harmful. It's also very hard to overdose a cavy with advantage and I have never heard or have seen anyone do it.

I would never trust anything else. I have been using advantage for lice for the past 4 years.

 

[mncavylover]

I may reduce how much I bathe my pigs (every 2 weeks or so), other wise plans will still remain the same

Bathing should only be done rarely, and only when it's needed. You do not have to keep bathing them just because they had lice. They're gone now, so they won't be a problem. All the bathing dries out their skin, even with the gentlest of shampoos. Please, your pigs shouldn't be bathed more than, say, two or three times a year or if they are going through parasite treatment (when it's recommended by a vet).

 

[BaysideBandGeek]

I don't know all that much about Advantage, but isn't that doing the same thing? Even if you use the cat size, isn't a cat still much larger than a guinea pig? I'm only putting a drop or two of shampoo per pig, I'm not marinating them in it, and I'm not keeping it on for 10 minutes, enough to lather a few moments, and rinse.

If I see that their skin is dried out, or there is change in their appearance/health, I'll stop immediatly. I do however plan to bathe them, and will most likely reduce how much I bathe them.

As the other topics, I don't plan to start new threads about them, because I see them both perfectly fine.

 

[Treen]

I don't know all that much about Advantage, but isn't that doing the same thing? Even if you use the cat size, isn't a cat still much larger than a guinea pig? I'm only putting a drop or two of shampoo per pig, I'm not marinating them in it, and I'm not keeping it on for 10 minutes, enough to lather a few moments, and rinse.

For starters, something that you can put a couple of drops behind their ears of, is far less likely to be ingested. They can't lick there and are far less to ingest much from when they rub behind their ears with their paw, than if something is all over every single hair in their coat.

Think about the shampoos we use and how they leave our hair smelling all fruity or whatever. That's because however well you rinse, any shampoo leaves a residue and these ones are specifically designed to leave behind a substance that will kill insects. Guinea pigs spend a lot of time grooming so anything that's on their coat will have a regular passport in to their stomachs and intestines where it will be absorbed. Treating them weekly with anything like this when they don't need to be is madness from a health perspective. They're not just smaller than cats and dogs, but they have far more delicate digestive systems. Antibiotics which will cure infections in cats and dogs, will upset the gut flora in guinea pigs and kill them. You can't compare treatments between different species.

Also, the reason parasites get resistant to treaments is because people use them when they don't need to allowing the bugs to develop resistance. So when they haven't even got lice, it's something that is potentially quite dangerous to them, and it will probably contribute to resistance in the long-run, I really can't see any justification. Guinea pigs don't like being bathed either - that's a really important factor as well as them not needing it. Their cage being kept clean is what's important, they can keep themselves clean.

I've seen vets who have seemed great with guinea pigs, nursed them through certain illnesses and known so much about them, but have let me down on certain problems that cropped up. Listening to people on forums over taking the word of a vet has saved the lives of more than one of my pigs before.

 

[ChadWPB]

I've never used Advantage, but the application of it seems like topical ivermectin, which is blazingly easy.

I've only fully bathed piggies once, for a "buddy bath" introduction. Shorter haired pigs like Abbys and Americans should almost never need a bath, especially if proper care is given. Guinea pigs do a good job of keeping themselves clean when happy and healthy. Even my Peruvian only needs a butt bath since we keep her surroundings clean (the back end will always get a bit dirty, no matter how much you keep after them).