bathing a guniea pig?

Question

have just got a guniea pig which is a bit smelly and would love to know what is the best way to bath him.poor little fella..

Answer 1

Bathing is quite stressful for guinea pigs, and most guinea pigs rarely need bathing, if ever. While experts differ in opinion on the necessity of bathing guinea pigs, they all agree a clean, parasite-free coat is essential to overall health. If you choose to bathe your pet, a few simple steps can make bath time a less stressful experience. With practice, bath time can become an enjoyable treat for both piggy and parent.

THINGS YOU'LL NEED
Old towels
Small plastic tub
Bathtub
Plastic cup
Pet shampoo
Hair dryer

-Spread out two old towels. Place one on the floor, next to the bathtub, and the other on the bathroom counter or closed toilet lid.

-Place a hair dryer near the second towel. Ensure it is safely away from water and that an electrical outlet is available nearby.

-Fill a small plastic tub slightly larger than your piggy with two inches of warm (not hot!) water. Add a small hand towel or wash cloth to the bottom of the tub. It provides traction so a frightened piggy is less likely to slip and harm himself.

-Place the plastic tub into an empty bathtub. If your pet panics, she cannot harm herself in a long fall off a counter top.

-Get mellow. Spend some time petting and talking to your piggy. Guinea pigs are skittish by nature, so a calm, relaxed owner makes them feel more secure about bath time.

-Bath water should never be higher than your pet's shoulders

-Hold your guinea pig firmly (but gently) and lower him into the plastic tub. Speak to him in soothing tones, and pet him gently if you are able. After two minutes, if he or she is still in a panic, remove the guinea pig from the water and skip to step five. If he calms down, proceed with step two.

-Use the cup to gather some water. Slowly pour it over your piggy's back, avoiding the face and ears. Speak soothingly in a reassuring tone and pet often.

-Pour a small amount of pet shampoo onto her back, and lather well. Remember to avoid her face and ears. Work the shampoo into the fur on her underside. Carefully scrub the grease gland, which is located where a tail might grow if guinea pigs had such things. If allowed, gently lather legs and feet.

-Fill the cup with clean water from the tap. Rinse your piggy while speaking in a quiet voice. Remember his underside, and repeat as needed until rinsed well.

-Lift your piggy out of the plastic tub and place her atop the towel on the floor. Wrap the guinea pig loosely with the towel, ruffling the fur to wick off excess water. Hold your guinea pig close to your body, and speak softly.

-Remove the wet towel and place on the second, dry towel. Again, cover the body to keep warm. Turn on the blow dryer. If he tolerates the noise, skip to step seven. If he panics, turn the hair dryer off and finish drying by ruffling with a warm, dry towel. This will take some time. Unless the weather is very hot, you must be certain he is dry before returning him to his cage.

-Exposing one body part at a time, and constantly monitoring the heat upon the skin, use the blow dryer to gently dry the fur.

Answer 2

Get some small animal shampoo at the pet store.

Make sure the water is warm and have a towel standing by. Also make sure the house is warm with no draughts in the room.

Bathe your guinea pig, but don't take too long or it may become chilled.

Towel dry then get your hairdryer set to warm NOT hot and dry your pig! Don't let it's skin become hot though!

When your guinea pig is dry you can place it back into it's home, but it's best to keep it indoors for a while just to make sure it's fully dry.

Guinea pigs are susceptible to chills and can end up with urinary infections if their kidneys get too cold.

Answer 3

i've never had a guinea pig that smells. Are you sure there is nothing wrong with him? my guinea's don't mind having baths, but i only put a small amount of water in the sink and use a mild pet shampoo. I don't bath them often, but i do wash their bums frequently as their fur gets a bit knotted.

Answer 4

A dry bath that is a powder form is a good idea, pet stores carry this product, also you might what to call the vet and their opinion on this. There's also wipe cloths for a mini bath something else you might want to consider.

Answer 5

when i had a guinea pig....i filled the sink with water and put the guinea pig there and he started swimming......he enjoyed it.....but remember not to put any soap....or anything harmful..also guinea pigs like to swim better in a bath....but also remember not to fill it soooo high....it should be about the gunea pigs chest....also but little bits of food to float in the bath so the guinea pigs could eat while they swim.....

Answer 6

you can bath a guiniea pig but they dont really enjoy it very much and may very well try to bite and can brush them after with an old tooth brush

Answer 7

you dont. guineapigs dont like being bathed, and usually dont need bathing. if you are fnding him smelly, either get a "dry foam shampoo" which you add to the creature without adding water, or get a small pet deoderant. but your guineapig will not thank you for bathing him with water.

i have had guinea pigs for years and have never had to bath one yet. the fact that this one has a smell tells me that he might have had lettuce or cucumber in his diet. these are very high in water and therefore can cause the pets feaces to become softer almost like diarohea therefore causeing them to smell more

Answer 8

Why is he smelly? If he's ill, get him treated. If he's not, his smell is normal and he will be most unhappy at being bathed and at not smelling 'right'. Do what's right for him, not you.

Answer 9

i have dry foam shampoo for mine but they still kick up a fuss about it.
even if they wee and get all the tummy and bum yellow (sounds icky), they still manage to get it clean by themselves reasonably quickly. which goes to show they dont necessarily need our help. just give them a brush and they're fine. they enjoy that too.

Answer 10

Guinea pigs should be bathed as little as possible. They have oils in their fur that keep their skin healthy. Please look at this website, it will tell you everything you need to know: http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/bathingyourguineapig.html