Guinea pig shower

[Tony9302]

Hi I have two guinea pigs and I’m not sure if I can or should shower them yet. Please let me know. Image of them is attached above. Please let me know also how to shower them.

 

[My Piggies]

Guinea pigs don't need to be bathed often, if ever. They clean themselves

 

[PipandOreo]

Hi, guinea pigs clean themselves pretty well, so it’s not really necessary to bathe them. Guinea pigs have sensitive skin so bathing isn‘t recommended to do unless they‘re very dirty. Long haired guinea pigs can be bathed sometimes but from the picture your pigs seem to have hair on the shorter side so it isn’t necessary to bathe them. My long haired pig is 6 years old and has only ever had 4 baths as she cleans herself pretty well. Hope this helps

 

[Wiebke]

View attachment 187826Hi I have two guinea pigs and I’m not sure if I can or should shower them yet. Please let me know. Image of them is attached above. Please let me know also how to shower them.

Hi!

Please do not bathe your piggies unless medically necessary. In most cases, a gentle bum bath with plain baby warm water (test with elbow - the water should be warm but not hot) in a basin on the floor of a shower or bathtub (prevents accidents from panicky freak jumps or escapes) is all that is needed if the rear end around the anus is messy or very smelly. A judicious haircut in long-haired piggies helps to minimise stinking and matting up around the back legs and genitalia.

The skin microbiome is every time disturbed or distroyed when you bathe a piggy and instead of helping them, you lower one of the important natural defence mechanisms of the body. Guinea pig skin is very tender and has a different ph to human skin, so you shouldn't use human products if at all possible.

Guinea pigs clean themselves several days by spreading saliva over their coat, which has antiseptic properties and protects the skin. They also have a grease gland to keep the skin oiled and to prevent any drying out. Dry skin problems typically happen in over-bathed piggies but are very rare in those that are left be. The more you then correct that with rehydrating products, the more you mess up the skin entirely needlessly.
There has been quite a major shift in approaching this issue in recent years.

 

[Freela]

No need to wash normal, healthy piggies! Unless there is a reason (i.e. messy undercarriage) it does more harm than good. I've honestly never given a piggie a full bath in many years of piggie ownership... the only pig to get regular 'bum baths' was an elderly pig with bladder issues who would sometimes leak and get wet underneath. Otherwise, they are self-cleaning as far as baths go.