Handwashing question

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Pat Shields

Pat Shields

Adult Guinea Pig
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Especially when my rescued piggy was still covered in dried urine I washed my hands well every time after handling him. Now that he's cleaned, I still wash my hands well every time after handling him, even if I am going to handle nothing important such as food afterward. My question is,

Is all this handwashing necessary? Or can it be like when I pet my dogs or cats and I don't wash my hands after every encounter. Of course I do before I prepare food or meet someone with whom I must shake hands, that sort of thing. I guess I mainly want to know, must I be so meticulous? I'm not lazy, it is just that my hands are getting raw from the constant washing.
 
Well, I don't know about everyone else but I don't after EVERY time before food and whatnot of course but I have dogs and to me a piggy is just as clean as them.
 
I'm a minger that dont wash my hands after touching the animals, I would if one was ill to prevent cross infection but other then that I dont. The way I look at it is I dont hand wash after touching the kids, and my lot are bound to be more germy then any animal, especially demonic toddler lol. (I feel I must point out before I worry anyone, I do hand wash before prepping food etc)
 
maybe you need to be cautious until you've been to see the exotic vet and he's clear from fungal or ringworm (which you'd have asked about if he's displayed any signs - itching, hairloss, bald patches, soreness to the gentle touch, etc).

Other than that, you're fine to follow your usual routine.
 
i agree.

I do not wash my hands after every time i touch my pigs or dogs unless I'm going to be handling food, but if i touch stuff in their cage i do.
 
I always wash my hands after handling my piggys, for hygiene reason but also because otherwise my hands smell of well, my piggys. I dont wash my hands if I handle theyre food, but anything to do with them I do.
 
I do, but a) I'm in early days of piggy ownership and I may well get bored in the future and b) I'm slightly allergic to them and I find that handwashing reduces my symptoms.
 
I don't, only if I'm handling food after, but then I always wash my hands before food anyway... So I guess he answers no. Obviously if I needed to for cross infection purposes I would. (I also kiss them a lot, sometimes on the piggy lips {:| )
 
(I just reread my post - I meant bored of washing hands, not bored of handling piggies - I could never get bored of that x) )
 
I usually wash my hands after handling piggies, especially if that involved grooming or medicating, and I always wash them before handling food. I use hand cream for my hands.
 
To be honest, I only really wash my hands after touching the piggies if I'm going to be handling food. I also wash them after sweeping them out.
 
doglovinpiggylover said:
i agree.

I do not wash my hands after every time i touch my pigs or dogs unless I'm going to be handling food, but if i touch stuff in their cage i do.
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I'm the same as you, Karina. I don't bother washing my hands every time after touching the piggies, unless I am going to be handling food. But I always do if I touch their litter tray, and obviously if I clean their cage out.

I wash my piggies every 3-4 weeks so on the whole they are generally quite clean. I think my hands would be red raw if I washed them every time I picked them up, and they are already bad from handwashing constantly at work.
 
I'd have no hands left if I washed them every time I touched one of my pets :)) Like everyone else, I wash my hands when I prepare food, or after I've cleaned the piggies out etc. I really don't see a need unless one of the animals is sick, germs can be a good thing too!xox
 
I only really bother washing my hands if I've been holding them for a while; the smell follows me and I just smell guinea pig everywhere! Fine for a while but when you're just concentrating on the smell, it has to go!

Obviously also before eating/handling food too!
 
have you thought about using hand sanitizer? i have a big bottle with a pump on the top that i keep by the guineas cages, so much easier than keep going into the kitchen and washing my hands all the time (i do wash my hands throughout the day this is just quicker :)
 
Keep the answers coming

I am grateful for the responses to my post.
supermum said:
especially demonic toddler lol
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How funny! Having had one many years ago, I can imagine. . . .

RubberDuck said:
I meant bored of washing hands, not bored of handling piggies
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Of course we knew! ♥

Pigmad said:
have you thought about using hand sanitizer?
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No, and I will consider it. When I was an emergency medical technician we would use it before and after handling patients in the ambulance, so I am familiar.

I did not know about gp's and ringworm, but I am familiar with that condition also as cats carry it and I get it once in a while, so I will be on the lookout for it in the guinea pig.
 
Pigmad said:
have you thought about using hand sanitizer? i have a big bottle with a pump on the top that i keep by the guineas cages, so much easier than keep going into the kitchen and washing my hands all the time (i do wash my hands throughout the day this is just quicker :)
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You're so lucky that your hands tolerate that stuff! It gave me dermatitis...to the point where my hands would bleed, same with alot of other nurses I know. The high alcohol content means that most skin becomes really sore if you use it alot. I just wash with soapy water and moisturise now, it's much more gentle and is more effective.
 
You could buy yourself a little anti-bacterial hand gel bottle to use instead of washing your hands?

My girlfriend has a house full of various different species of pets and most of them rodents and ferrets so she has to keep her hands clean from urine smell and their own body odor to not 'upset' any of the other animals or make them ill. She uses a hand gel instead of washing her hands each time because of this. It's nice to get a moistorising one so it's keeping the skin healthy :)
 
2280CLAIRE said:
You're so lucky that your hands tolerate that stuff! It gave me dermatitis...to the point where my hands would bleed, same with alot of other nurses I know. The high alcohol content means that most skin becomes really sore if you use it alot. I just wash with soapy water and moisturise now, it's much more gentle and is more effective.
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the one i have is dettol, it has chamomile in it, so its not too bad, i suffer from dry skin on my hands and it seems to be helping it :)
 
Pigmad said:
the one i have is dettol, it has chamomile in it, so its not too bad, i suffer from dry skin on my hands and it seems to be helping it :)
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I bought some Carrex stuff for myself to clip on my uniform when they were insisting that we carried it with us, and it was alot better than what they provided...but still, far too drying for my liking! Anything that is made from 80% alcohol is never going to be anything but bad for skin-particularly as although alot of it does evaporate, some is absorbed by the skin, and then not washed off until you decide to wash your hands. They've stopped making us use them now, as other than it being ineffective for preventing the bugs that cause d&v-such as norovirus, so many people ended up in occupational health complaining of dermatitis! We still have bottles scattered around, but no-one is really forced like before to have it with them.

I'm definitely an advocate for good old soap and water :) another option might be keeping baby wipes next to the cage? would save people touching all the door handles etc with germy hands until they are able to get to a sink. I'm lucky in that my piggies cage is kept right next to a sink, so easy for me to just wash them, but I can imagine the yuck factor if a piggy pees on you, or you've just cleaned the cage and then have to walk through the house, touching everything, to get to a sink!
 
and actually, if they pee on you, it's no good either, as alcohol gel is only good for visibly (to the naked eye) clean hands.
 
If I'm going in for a cuddle I was my hands in case they smell food and decide to eat me. And always wash after handling them and their food. Just a habit with me I'm afraid.
 
I'm not the best person to be an example, because I wash my hands a lot :p. I always wash them after touching the pigs, their food or their hutch/run and now we've got a cat its a bit of a nightmare :{ But my Dad doesn't always wash his hands, so I guess he's a better example? He'll usually wash them after he's been helping me put them all to bed, but if he's just had a quick cuddle while watching telly then he doesn't bother.
 
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