Can you give guinea pigs a bath? Guinny pigs are extremely clean animals who groom themselves often, so the need to bathe them arises only rarely. Bathe your guinea pig only when necessary, like if they are sick. They might get scared in water, which can lead to them harming you or getting injured themselves. Choosing the correct time and day to bathe your guinea pig is important. You need to be fully prepared with all the things when bathing it.
How Often Should You Bathe a Guinea Pig?
You should give a bath to your guinea pig, not more than once every few months. This is because they are clean animals who usually do not smell bad. If they suddenly start smelling bad, that is generally a sign of them being sick as some illnesses cause them to be smellier. In that situation, you should immediately take them to a vet. A healthy ginny pig that lives in a clean bedding environment rarely needs to be bathed.
What You Need for Bathing Guinea Pigs?
- Towels: One to keep below the bucket or sink so the little pet doesn’t slip or slide, and one to towel dry them.
- Sink or Big bowl: Fill the bowl with about 2-3 cm of water to bathe your guinea pig.
- Shampoo for guinea pigs: A specific shampoo that is safe for their fur and body. It is supposed to be mild.
- Blow Dryer: To dry it thoroughly, keep the blow dryer at the relaxed setting and the lowest speed.
- Guinea Pig Brush: A soft-bristled brushes for guinea pigs area available you can just grab one.
How to Bathe Guinea Pigs? – A Step-By-Step Guide
- Make sure your guinea pig is calm. Baths can stress them out, so be gentle and patient.
- Place the towel below the sink or bucket you are using to prevent your guinea pig from slipping.
- Fill up the bucket/sink with warm water around 1 inch (2-3 cm). Let it get used to the water by just dipping its toes first.
- After it gets used to the water, lower it into the shallow water.
- Now you may wonder how to wash guinea pig? Just gently pour the water over its back till it is thoroughly wet, and make sure to avoid the head and ears. You can use your fingers to wet the head lightly.
- Massage the shampoo on its body and use a gentle finger for the head. Keep the shampoo away from the eyes.
- Rinse it with very lightly flowing water 2-3 times to ensure all the shampoo is out. Wrap it in a dry towel immediately as you’re done.
- Keep it wrapped in the towel till it’s ready to be thoroughly dried by the blow dryer. Then, keep the blow dryer on its lowest setting and coolest temperature and dry it off.
- Once completely dry, use a soft-bristled brush to brush through its fur. This step is to remove tangles and avoid matting. This is also probably the step your pet enjoys the most, so make sure to take your time.
Things to Keep in Mind While Bathing Guinea Pigs
- Bathe your guinea pig only when necessary.
- Do consider the day’s weather before starting the process. Make sure it is not humid, and the little animal can get dry quickly.
- Ensure that your guinea pig is calm before the bath, or they can cause damage.
- If you have to bathe more than one guinea pig, do it one at a time to avoid adding distress and them harming each other.
- If you have more than one ginny pig, make sure you bathe them all on the same day. They depend primarily on their sense of smell to recognize each other. The changed scent of one of the others might scare them. By bathing them on the same day, you will change all their scents at once, which will help in this situation.
- Make sure to keep the water just slightly warm and flowing very slowly from the faucet.
- The shampoo must be mild and not harmful for the guinea pigs. It is best if you use a specific shampoo made for them.
- Keep the water away from their face and ears at all times.
- Make sure your hairdryer is on the cool setting and at the lowest speed. You do not use the warm temperature.
- If the towel wrapped around the guinea pig gets wet, change it for a dry one.
- Keep it wrapped in a dry towel till it stops shivering.
FAQs
There are a couple of situations when you should refrain from bathing your guinea pig at all. If it is pregnant, or it is under six months old, If it has a cold or any other respiratory infection.
2-3 times a year, only when it is particularly stinky or muddy. If your pig is suddenly smelly, make sure to check out for other symptoms as it could be ill, in which case you need to take them to a veterinarian immediately.
A non-irritable shampoo is suitable for their fur and has a good smell. Do not use human or dog shampoo as they are harsh for the guinea pigs. You can use any small animal shampoo but make sure it is suitable for guinea pigs.
Yes, you can bathe it with just water. It is okay not to use shampoo sometimes.
No, all human shampoos (including baby shampoo) are harsh for the skin of the little animal and will strip its fur off the healthy oils as well.
Wrap a towel around it and pat dry gently. Shivering is expected, make sure to keep it wrapped up till it stops shivering. Then, use a blow dryer on its mildest setting to dry it off completely.
Conclusion
Being a first-time guinea pig parent can be a little confusing, but if you wish to keep the little animals, you need to be very careful and observant. Bathing a guinea pig is a task of patience. One rash move can stress your pet out and make them violent. Therefore, it is good that ginny pigs do not need baths that often, or it would have been tough to keep up with the job. So, take care of your tiny furry pet and enjoy these rare baths. Hope you find this how to wash guinea pig guide helpful to clear all your doubts.