Bathing Piggies: Yes or No?
Guinea pigs in general shouldn't require baths. However there are some exceptions:
1/ Your piggy is a boar. Your guinea pig being male won't automatically mean it needs bathing, however males tend to have greasier scent glands than females. These may sometimes need cleaning depending on the individual (you can judge whether your pigs rear end is getting greasier than normal). Remember to use warm water and some form of soap to clean grease glands as they are oily - which is hard to remove!
2/ Your piggy is long haired. Long haired breeds, such as texels or coronets, may also require baths and even a haircut! It is easy for the longer haired breeds to soak up urine which can attract flies and parasites. A grease gland on a boar (as in no. 1) can lead to matted or tangeled fur. A bath afew times a year will keep coats healthy and clean!
3/ Your piggy has mites. If your guinea is unlucky enough to have some form of mites or other parasites, an insecticidal shampoo (avalible online/in most pet shops) is a good way of prevention and cure. It will kill any parasite in your piggys fur, keeping them healthy and happy!
Generally however, there is no need to bath your fury friend. Guinea pigs produce a 'soap-like' liquid in the corner of their eyes and use this to wash themselves.
If you do choose to wash your guinea pig, remember:
Put a towel in the bath/sink to stop them slipping;
Use a small pet shampoo or baby shampoo and;
Make sure they dry competely in a warm room before going back into their hutch/run.
I hope this was helpful! See you next Sunday. X
