Bathing my piggies

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Miss Magpie

Miss Magpie

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I think my girls need a bath soon as they like to lie where they've wee'd. They have some lovely shampoo from pampered piggies all ready for them. Any tips on bathing technique and how to keep it as least stressful as possible. Thanks guys x
;D
 
I put the plug in on the bath and fill the sink up with warm water. I use a large jug and wet pig that way. Bath fills up and doesn't stress pig out. I find this works for the ones I have bathed. I'm hoping to bath all Smooth haired pigs soon. I haven't bathed them yet but they don't smell but think awww they need a dip! Fleur will kill me! >:D
 
I haven't bathed my girls yet but when I had my rabbit, we put him in a dry bath tub and then would use the shower head to bath him. I can honestly say that it didn't fase him and once he got use to it, he just sat there :smitten:
 
i bath my piggies in the kitchen sink, i fold a tea towel up and put it in the sink for them to stand on, fill a bowl with warm water and use a small jug to pour the water over them. The majority of my piggies seem to like a bath and speedy my old girl absolutely loves having a bath she always goes to sleep when i wrap her in the towel and start to dry her. The main things are to make sure the shampoo is washed out completly, keep them warm and if they live outside keep them in untill they are dry. My piggies that live in the shed are only bathed in the summer and kept in overnight when they are bathed.
 
Thank you for your advice everyone! I just hope they dont go in a mood with me afterwards....very stroppy girls are they when they dont like something ;D teehee silly piggys! x
 
Can i just ask... :)

We had guinea pigs a few years back and never bathed them... They never had mites or any skin complaints and always used to smell normal...

They had free range 8ft x 6ft shed to roam in and a run also... Is the amoutn of space they have condusive to whether they ar bathed or not? What i mean is if they are in smaller space with less room to go and lie somewhere else etc are they more likeyl to need bathing because they are in close proximity to their wee and poo?

or am i just being stupid... :o ;D
 


Aah bathing! I have that joyous task rapidly approaching! I've had a friends 2 King Charles dogs for the past week, so the poor boys have been confined to their cage! Talk about soggy fur :(

My experience is bath them in the bath! An inch or so of water, not too hot or cold & put the boys (well, mine are boys!) in! The use water from a jug to wet their fur & rinse off shampoo. Once you've finished bathing them wrap them up in a towel - well, the chances are they will bury in the towel! ;D Some people use a hairdryer to dry them off, although personally I will towel dry them & then turn up the heating so they don't get cold. Also, a clean cage with some lovely fresh hay is essential - so they can bury & hide from you!

I have bathed mine in the sink before but this isn't the most sensible plan.
  • they can climb out of a sink!
  • Or, worse still, they can jump out of the sink and cling to your t-shirt with a cast iron grip ensuring that you get almost as wet as they are! This is a true story! Yet sometimes I don't seem to learn from it....... :o

The other thing is that I have never had a guinea who has pooed (& possibly peed!) in their bath!


I have recently found a website called Gorgeous Guineas, who make natural shampoos, lotions & conditions for cavies! I shall be trying them for the first time at the bathing session! The service is excellent & hopefully my piggies will be truly even more gorgeous afterwards!


Hope your pigs enjoy their bath!x
 
I have bathed mine in the sink before but this isn't the most sensible plan.

they can climb out of a sink!
Or, worse still, they can jump out of the sink and cling to your t-shirt with a cast iron grip ensuring that you get almost as wet as they are! This is a true story! Yet sometimes I don't seem to learn from it.......
Click to expand...

Ohh So true ! ;D AND to add to that, there is no warning of this about to happen, one minute they are sitting there 'happily' and the next minute they can leap upwards and out of the sink before you can say 'wet slippery guiinea'
 
Not only do you get no warning - they manage to soak you through to the skin!

That said, it is very funny - unless is't the third pig in a row....
 
Thanks everyone! I think I shall be washing them in the bath :) The sink sounds like a good soaking teehee!

jane28 said:
They never had mites or any skin complaints and always used to smell normal...

They had free range 8ft x 6ft shed to roam in and a run also... Is the amoutn of space they have condusive to whether they ar bathed or not? What i mean is if they are in smaller space with less room to go and lie somewhere else etc are they more likeyl to need bathing because they are in close proximity to their wee and poo?

or am i just being stupid... :o ;D
Click to expand...

Mine pee everywhere! they never stick to one place, i think they're just messy piggies! They pee in their little house, their paper bag and well most places really. They dont smell at all though! They smell like a normal piggie smell but their back ends have gone from white to a little off whiteish.

I dont know if space would be an issue, it could or it couldnt? :-\ Greta always seems to have a wet bum, she even likes to sit under the water bottle for the drips so maybe she just goes out of her way to get wet. I'd love to have all that space you had for yours though, i bet they loved it!
x
 
I didnt mean you didnt have enough space! :o

I hope you dont think i did! I just kind of wondered about the bathing... I am soon having a white piggy who is extremely scared of everything and i am hoping vet bed will stop her bum turnig a shade of yellow! As i dont think she will take kindly to being bathed...

My guinea pigs will be in a two tier 4x2 hutch with access to a run now so just wondering whether space does play a part in guinea pigs bathing... And i am going to try and see if i can litter train them but yes... Mine do pee everywhere as well... ::) ;D
 
Some people for show purposes bath their piggies regularly.
I personally haven't bathed my piggies at all and they smell Ok. You just have to make sure after you've bathed them that they are really dry before you send them outside again.
 
i dont bath my short haired piggies, i only bath archie because he's a coronet and his fur gets a bit grubby now and then and when he's due a hair cut i find it easier when his fur is wet.

i do archie in the bath fill it up a few inches, i dont wet his head i only do up to just below his shoulders so not to get water in his ears or anything take him out to shampoo in the sink then back in the bath to rinse off, i dry him with the hairdryer on a cool gentle setting, he seems to really like it!
 
jane28 said:
I didnt mean you didnt have enough space! :o

I hope you dont think i did! I just kind of wondered about the bathing... I am soon having a white piggy who is extremely scared of everything and i am hoping vet bed will stop her bum turnig a shade of yellow! As i dont think she will take kindly to being bathed...

My guinea pigs will be in a two tier 4x2 hutch with access to a run now so just wondering whether space does play a part in guinea pigs bathing... And i am going to try and see if i can litter train them but yes... Mine do pee everywhere as well... ::) ;D
Click to expand...

No not at all! No worries!

They have an indoor cage so it wont be as cold after as it would outside. ill dry them as much as i can with the hairdryer then leave them run around for about 2 hours in my make-shift run on the landing, then put them back into a clean, fresh cage.

mackpossum said:
Some people for show purposes bath their piggies regularly.
I personally haven't bathed my piggies at all and they smell Ok. You just have to make sure after you've bathed them that they are really dry before you send them outside again.
Click to expand...
Greta is getting really yellow now, i picked her up this morning and she was soaking on her bum! I think she just pees while lying down and cant be bothered to get up lazy pig 98) The only reason I'm bathing them really is because i dont want them to get and infections down there.


Thanks for your advice everyone! x
 
Good luck with the bathing ;)
Watch when drying with a hair dryer - as they have very sensitive skin and can get too hot :-\ It is best to keep the hairdryer moving and keep your hand between the piggie and hair dryer! Also have someone else to hold the piggy for you... ;D

Carrie
 


let us know how the first bath goes! :)

Mine are getting their cage scrubbed this weekend & that means they are too will be having a bath! O, joy & splashing & wet me! ;D

if yours don't like the hairdryer, then make sure the house isn't cold. Mine need the heating turned right up so they don't start shivering! Then they go & sit under the radiator & slowly dry out! What a tough life they have... :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
Yes, I find the bathtub filled with some water is best so the pigs can run away they feel better about it. Running water isn't good because the noise scares them. I use a cup to just scoop some of the bath water to rinse them. Try to stand them up a bit to rinse close to their heads and prevent the water from going in their eyes. Some guinea pigs like to swim.
 

I have never seen a pig swimming! but I would love to! :D

My boys just try & run out of the bath & up the sides, which is incredibly funny! They hate the water & would do anything to get out of in in record time! 2funny
 
My boys no longer try to get out of the bathtub. They just do the normal run in circles. If I fill it up a little extra they will swim. My other pigs never did this. I think one pig picked it up from the other since they are housed together and I always bathe them together. Howevere, I have heard a few other people say they will swim. I wouldn't advise putting them in a pool though. LOL
 

My boys don't even run in the water!

They tend to huddle together & its the only time they they snuggle & don't fight! :-*

They do sometimes try & climb out of the bath & then slide back down again! It's always a very entertaining time! ;D

Talking of which - its bathtime tomorrow.... :smitten:
 
Sorry for a late reply guys. It went really well! ;D Iris...who i was really worried about was really good about it! Greta on the other hand wasnt too pleased. all i had was noise of protests and a little soaking of her trying to dive on me out of the sink, shes such a drama queen! I towel dried them and then gave them a few short bursts with the hair dryer over an hour and turned the heating up. They were all nice and clean and happy but greta is dirty again :( She just loves lying in her own wee! silly piggy! Thanks for your advice everyone, it went well ;D
 
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