Hops_in_Heaven
Junior Guinea Pig
Hello, everyone! I'm still very new to the forum and owning piggies in general. But in my guinea pig care research, I've come across some bathing guinea pigs tips, and read that it should be done infrequently. I would like more details regarding this 'infrequently' bit.
My adult piggies, Bliss, Cuddles and Frolic are pretty clean. They always groom, and always smell nice. They never seem to need baths. When I got Frolic, she smelled bad, but her previous owner preferred wood shavings bedding, and it didn't look like this person changed the bedding as often as she should. Plus there were way too many pigs for her tiny cage. I figured sitting in soiled bedding for too long would cause Frolic to smell bad, and that being in my much larger and much cleaner cage would fix that. I left her alone, and now she smells nice.
The other day, the piggies managed to dig under the fleece. Bliss peed and then sat in her urine, causing her white (with a brown spot) rump to become yellow. I wondered if I should clean her rump, but when I checked a few hours later, she was clean.
So it seems to me like my pigs can pretty much take care of their cleanliness themselves. Should I forego baths altogether? Or would it be beneficial for them to be bathed even when they don't seem to need it? But it is really stressful... What do you guys think/know about this?
Here's a bonus question! Frolic's daughter, Tickles, who was born on May 30, is finally using the bathroom on her own. I've noticed her stash of super small poops. Since she has a white body, I can see that she has yellow fur from her urine. It's been like that for at least two days. Maybe she doesn't know how to clean herself there? Should I do it for her? But if I do will that stop her from learning herself? If I leave her alone, will she imitate the others and clean herself?
My adult piggies, Bliss, Cuddles and Frolic are pretty clean. They always groom, and always smell nice. They never seem to need baths. When I got Frolic, she smelled bad, but her previous owner preferred wood shavings bedding, and it didn't look like this person changed the bedding as often as she should. Plus there were way too many pigs for her tiny cage. I figured sitting in soiled bedding for too long would cause Frolic to smell bad, and that being in my much larger and much cleaner cage would fix that. I left her alone, and now she smells nice.
The other day, the piggies managed to dig under the fleece. Bliss peed and then sat in her urine, causing her white (with a brown spot) rump to become yellow. I wondered if I should clean her rump, but when I checked a few hours later, she was clean.
So it seems to me like my pigs can pretty much take care of their cleanliness themselves. Should I forego baths altogether? Or would it be beneficial for them to be bathed even when they don't seem to need it? But it is really stressful... What do you guys think/know about this?
Here's a bonus question! Frolic's daughter, Tickles, who was born on May 30, is finally using the bathroom on her own. I've noticed her stash of super small poops. Since she has a white body, I can see that she has yellow fur from her urine. It's been like that for at least two days. Maybe she doesn't know how to clean herself there? Should I do it for her? But if I do will that stop her from learning herself? If I leave her alone, will she imitate the others and clean herself?
