Bathing Dawn for grease gland cleanings?

[SesshyBooBoo]

Hey guys! So I have a question about grease glands that I'm hoping someone can answer for me.
I usually clean my guinea pigs' grease glands once a month (sometimes less if it doesn't look too grungy). I used to just rub all natural coconut oil on it with a cutip let it sit and rinse it off with warm water. I ran out of coconut oil last time I went to clean it so I used regular Dawn detergent. I put a bit on the gland, tried to get as much grease off as I could and rinsed his bum. I did the same thing today (a month later). Is it bad to use the Dawn once a month? His gland was looking pretty gross so I didn't want to let it stay that way much longer. I just read the Dawn can be drying if used too much so I just wanted to make sure doing it once last month and once this month was ok. All the nasty grease is of, it just felt a little dry to me after rinsing (not sure if this is normal and he'all self regulate the grease again). Thanks!!!

 

[CavyTV]

Detergent is meant to clean clothes, not human or piggie skin. Guinea pig skin is especially very sensitive, which is why you MUST use shampoo specifically made for guinea pigs. Kitten shampoo can sometimes work, but it's recommended to use something for small animals. I use All Living Things Small Pet Shampoo. It's gentle and it leaves my boys smelling great Some people like to use Gorgeous Guineas Shampoo as well. There are many shampoos you can find, just DON'T use the detergent. Absolutely not. Even if it's an "emergency" and his grease gland is "really gross", it's best to just wait until you get the right shampoo. He won't die from a dirty grease gland. The detergent is what will do the damage.

 

[bpatters]

Actually, a drop of Dawn on the grease gland won't hurt the pig, and will do a good job of degreasing it. But the coconut oil approach is better, and it would have been fine to wait until you got some more coconut oil to tackle cleaning.

But unless a gland is really active, it may not need cleaning. I've never had to clean one of mine, but full disclosure, I've always had sows. However, I have friends with boars, and few of them have had to clean them either.

 

[SesshyBooBoo]

Well I already used it. And I have used it before in the past. So what can I really do now? I've used shampoo and it doesn't get the grease off. Guinea lynx states that it's ok to use Dawn. Just not often. That's why I was asking.

 

[SesshyBooBoo]

Actually, a drop of Dawn on the grease gland won't hurt the pig, and will do a good job of degreasing it. But the coconut oil approach is better, and it would have been fine to wait until you got some more coconut oil to tackle cleaning.

But unless a gland is really active, it may not need cleaning. I've never had to clean one of mine, but full disclosure, I've always had sows. However, I have friends with boars, and few of them have had to clean them either.

Thank you for the response. Will it hurt my pig since I cleaned it twice the past two months with the Dawn? The only reason I cleaned it was because it was pretty much black with grease and his gets pretty bad easily with a ton of build up. Obviously there's no grease on it now since I just cleaned it with the Dawn but it does feel a little dry. Should I be worried?

 

[jaycriae]

No need to be worried as long as no soap is left on your pig, just try not to use it so close together again since it is drying. Dawn is used to clean greased-up animals pretty often by rehabilitators, but it is typically a last resort because it gets rid of all the oils, not just the bad ones, so you can get chapped skin. Your pig will be fine, worst-case scenario is that he's slightly uncomfortable until his skin rehydrates.

 

[bpatters]

No, it won't hurt him. But in two months, you should have been able to get some more coconut oil. You should put that on the grocery list.

 

[SesshyBooBoo]

Honestly, it looked so grungy that I wanted to clean it ASAP. Getting it tonight at the store ��