Bathtime

[FoolOnTheHill]

I was wondering if I could bath my pigs with plain warm water? They're not dirty, just I thought they might like a freshening-up because I've never bathed them (except to clean their "grease gland") Is there any point washing them without shampoo? I don't know what shampoo to use anyway. Is there any suitable I can buy in an english pet shop? One of my guinea pig books says to use Head And Shoulders 2 in 1, but according to the members here it would be too harsh.
Of course if there's no need for them to be bathed I won't do it.
Thanks in advance

 

[TipiDancer]

The only good human shampoo I would reccommend to use on a guinea pig is only a tiny bit of baby shampoo. But make sure not to get it anywhere near their faces. Fill a sink or tub or anything else you have with about 2/3 of an inch of mild warm water.

But like you said, they aren't dirty, so I wouldn't give them a bath. If you bathe your guinea pig too much, it can dry out their skin, and that's not very good...

 

[piggly wiggly]

If you use just water it should be okay, some piggies like to play in water. Just don't use shampoo, because that will dry their skin.

 

[Percy's Mom]

Actually, you don't want to use any human shampoos on your pigs at all, including baby shampoos. If you can't find a small animal, rabbit, or non-medicated kitten shampoo, I know many of the UK forum members use a brand called Gorgeous Guineas that can be ordered online. (broken link removed)

 

[FoolOnTheHill]

Ok, thanks everyone! I might bath them with just water. I don't know though, seeing as they aren't stinky.

 

[pamziaw]

I bathed mine in water, got them non smelly but they didn't appreciate it. Fudge shook himself all over me and he was malting at the time. I got guinea fur up my nose.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

If they aren't dirty, don't bathe them.

 

[peppererwin]

My pig loves the water, but I don't let him play in it very often because it will dry out his skin if I were to let him as much as he wanted. Also there are specail guinea pig shampoo that is at most pet stores, don't use human shampoo because that will dry out their skin even more than piggy shampoo. Also just another bath time tip is to put a towel down on the bottom of the tub or sink so the piggys will have anice footing.

 

[cavyinhawaii]

I use kitten shampoo. I have white piggies that like to lay in pee.
They don't seem to mind the bath.

 

[smileyface cavy]

One of the best brands of shampoo for guinea pigs is Bunny Bath from Four Paws. It comes in a skinny pink bottle.

 

[JBarton]

My Marilyn has long, cream-colored hair and her bottom gets yucky after a while. About once a wheek, my daughter uses warm water and baby shampoo just on that area. She rinses her well and dries her with a blow dryer with a diffuser at low heat and low fan. Since only that small area is wet, it doesn't take long for her to dry and back she goes with the other two girls in the pen. Marilyn is our only long-hair so the others don't get baths. Sometimes she minds it and sometimes she doesn't. Depends on her mood I guess!

 

[cavygma]

If you decide to bath them, make sure you do not do it at night time and that you do it in the early afternoon so that they can dry completely before the temp drops at night. I hold my little girls in a dry warm towel (not the one right after bathing) until they are almost completely dry.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

About once a wheek, my daughter uses warm water and baby shampoo just on that area.

You really need to invest in a small animal shampoo and nix the baby shampoo. It's drying out the skin on their rumps. You may not be able to tell it now, but it will dry the skin out badly as it's not formulated for their skin.

Also why not just trim the bum area really short and keep it trimmed then you can do away with the weekly bum baths. That's what most of us do who have long haired pigs.

 

[CBrewton5]

The only place around here to get any kind of animal shampoo is at the (I hate to even say this word for fear of public draw and quarter) pet store in Ripley....other than that it's drive all the way to Jackson or Memphis and for me that's just not a possibility. Hubby and I hand make our own lye soap professionally so it has no detergents or surfactants or anything like that at all...just food grade oils and sodium hydroxide which gets completely saponified.....would that work?

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Sorry, no public draw and quarter this time!

I actually bought my Bunny Bath from PetNotSoSmart. You can see if your petstore carries it or order it online.

Not sure how well a homemade soap would do and whether it would dry out the skin or not. I do know it's much better to use a shampoo formulated for a small animals delicate skin.

 

[FoolOnTheHill]

Hi, sorry for "bumping" this but it's related.
My pigs are chattering and rumblestrutting a bit lately, with Dylan (the younger one) chasing Spike round right behind him by his butt! Would bathing them together help settle down a bit? They're not seriously fighting, just sort of bickering. Also, what I found strange is, that they'll be chasing round and rumbling...and then they'll popcorn! Are they "play fighting"?!

 

[Percy's Mom]

I'd leave them alone. Dylan is trying to be dominant. If they aren't hurting each other, just let them do their thing. You may notice this every so often forever if one of the pigs decides to take his turn being dominant.