Urgent! Bathing & lice?

[Jadessa1]

I usually use normal baby Johnson for my piggys.

But, SOOTHING VAPOR Johnson baby soap?

I have medicine for guinea pig lice but could I also use soothing vapor Johnson soap as an alternative?

 

[Freela]

Baby shampoo isn't going to kill lice, it's not medicated in any way. I would worry that the strong eucalyptus scent might irritate their respiratory tracts- they're a lot more sensitive to scent than humans are. I would stick with the medication the vet has given you if they're confirmed to have lice.

 

[Jadessa1]

Baby shampoo isn't going to kill lice, it's not medicated in any way. I would worry that the strong eucalyptus scent might irritate their respiratory tracts- they're a lot more sensitive to scent than humans are. I would stick with the medication the vet has given you if they're confirmed to have lice.

Yes I know. I was just wondering.

I knew Vick rub is somewhat bad for guinea pigs.

Normal Johnson Johnson is usually recommended for normal baths but I wasn’t sure if the smoothing vapor Johnson would be the same as using Vick rub.

 

[Freela]

Yes I know. I was just wondering.

I knew Vick rub is somewhat bad for guinea pigs.

Normal Johnson Johnson is usually recommended for normal baths but I wasn’t sure if the smoothing vapor Johnson would be the same as using Vick rub.

I would avoid it, the scent is pretty similar to Vicks. I can see it potentially being an irritant. Hope this helps.

 

[Lady Kelly]

Yes I know. I was just wondering.

I knew Vick rub is somewhat bad for guinea pigs.

Normal Johnson Johnson is usually recommended for normal baths but I wasn’t sure if the smoothing vapor Johnson would be the same as using Vick rub.

"Normal baths" are not recommended. Piggies should only be bathed if there is a medical reason

 

[Jadessa1]

"Normal baths" are not recommended. Piggies should only be bathed if there is a medical reason

I only bathed my piggys once/twice a year (This is fine), Depending on how they look/smell.

As for my show piggys, I only water spray them.

But yes, guinea pigs SHOULDN’T be bathed constantly.

 

[Swissgreys]

I only bathed my piggys once/twice a year (This is fine), Depending on how they look/smell.

As for my show piggys, I only water spray them.

But yes, guinea pigs SHOULDN’T be bathed constantly.

Please be aware that when you signed up to the Forum you agreed to our terms and conditions, and we do not support breeding or showing guinea pigs.

And bathing at any time for medical reasons is fine, but most healthy guinea pigs kept in an appropriate and clean cage should not need bathing, even once or twice a year.
The main exception would be for longer haired piggies possibly needing an occasional bum bath, but in this instance we would suggest trimming the hair around their back end to keep it short and reduce the need for baths.
I have guinea pigs who have never needed a bath, and they keep themselves perfectly clean.

 

[Jadessa1]

Please be aware that when you signed up to the Forum you agreed to our terms and conditions, and we do not support breeding or showing guinea pigs.

And bathing at any time for medical reasons is fine, but most healthy guinea pigs kept in an appropriate and clean cage should not need bathing, even once or twice a year.
The main exception would be for longer haired piggies possibly needing an occasional bum bath, but in this instance we would suggest trimming the hair around their back end to keep it short and reduce the need for baths.
I have guinea pigs who have never needed a bath, and they keep themselves perfectly clean.

Yes I am aware. I don’t breed. I was only explaining when I take my pet piggy & show piggys a bath.

Yes. All my guinea pigs are long haired, expect for 3. I would trimmed their hair but won’t due to the fact there hair needs to be long (in my case.)

 

[VickiA]

@Jadessa1 you have missed the point made by @Swissgreys. It isn’t solely breeding that may not be discussed on this forum. It is showing, too. The forum does not allow showing or talk of showing. Please do have a read of the rules and please don’t make any further reference to your show piggies or anything you do for showing.

 

[Swissgreys]

@Jadessa1 you may find this thread offers further clarification as to why we don't allow discussions about (or support) showing here:

Why Are Guinea Shows Looked Down Upon On Here?

 

[Jadessa1]

@Jadessa1 you have missed the point made by @Swissgreys. It isn’t solely breeding that may not be discussed on this forum. It is showing, too. The forum does not allow showing or talk of showing. Please do have a read of the rules and please don’t make any further reference to your show piggies or anything you do for showing.

I only simply stated how and when I took my piggys a bath due to a comment.

I understood that “it isn’t solely breeding that may not be discussed on this forum. It is showing, too.” As I said before, that I am aware of the rules, I don’t breed but I would of been lying if I said I don’t show, therefore I briefly explained why & when I took my pet piggy & show piggys a bath.

Regardless of that, In case you forgotten, the main point of this post was if “using smoothing vapor Johnson soap was safe, since normal Johnson soap is safe”

 

[Siikibam]

As said above, you shouldn’t use it or the baby Johnson’s for that matter. You should get them to a vet for a check if you’re worried they have a parasite. Best and only treatment should be vet prescribed.

 

[Free Ranger]

Vet treatment for lice and mites - we get a skin spot-on solution (ivermectin at an appropriate concentration for their body-weight) which is really effective. All pigs are treated at the same time, then again two weeks later, then again two weeks after that (because it kills the live critters but not eggs so you have to wait for them to hatch!) Eggs/lice can be passed from one pig to another by handling so I don't take any chances even with cage neighbours.

We can get something called 'Gorgeous Guineas' over here... a range of super-gentle shampoos and creams made especially for piggies. Saying that, I don't bathe. Bum rinses if someone has a UTI and is peeing blood, or medical baths but that's it. I once lost an old girl after a bath (for fungal skin infection) as she inhaled a droplet of water and immediately developed pneumonia, so I regard them as something of a risk. And I like the furry smell of my pigs - even my musky old boar ☺

I'm not a fan of Johnson's baby anything - I didn't even use it for my babies. When I was a baby my mum used it for me but that was in the 1970s and she reckons the formulation was different then. Like many 'brands' it uses different ingredients now under the same name, and is more chemically and much harsher. We live in a hard water area and the baby health people round here know that the incidence of eczema and other skin conditions is higher because of this, so they recommend just warm water and no soaps/shampoos at all on babies because they all compromise the integrity of the skin. But each of us can make our own choices and we all love our piggies so I'm sure you monitor their skin carefully and I'm sure they're all happy beauties!

 

[Lady Kelly]

I only simply stated how and when I took my piggys a bath due to a comment.

I understood that “it isn’t solely breeding that may not be discussed on this forum. It is showing, too.” As I said before, that I am aware of the rules, I don’t breed but I would of been lying if I said I don’t show, therefore I briefly explained why & when I took my pet piggy & show piggys a bath.

Regardless of that, In case you forgotten, the main point of this post was if “using smoothing vapor Johnson soap was safe, since normal Johnson soap is safe”

Yes let's stick with the main point of the thread. Mentioning your show piggies and differentiating between pet piggies and show piggies added nothing to your initial query so there really was no need to mention it.

 

[VickiA]

Yes let's stick with the main point of the thread. Mentioning your show piggies and differentiating between pet piggies and show piggies added nothing to your initial query so there really was no need to mention it.

And I find the OP’s response quite rude and confrontational. So I shall step away.

 

[Swissgreys]

Yes I am aware. I don’t breed. I was only explaining when I take my pet piggy & show piggys a bath.

Yes. All my guinea pigs are long haired, expect for 3. I would trimmed their hair but won’t due to the fact there hair needs to be long (in my case.)

Basically this post summarises all of the reasons we do not support showing.
Piggies who are kept in a clean and appropriately sized enclosure do not need to have baths.
But if you have to keep their hair long (for the purpose of showing) they are subjected to spraying and bathing simply for the purpose of showing.
This offers no benefit to the piggie themselves, when if their hair was able to be kept short they would not need to be washed/sprayed.
But their hair can't be trimmed to a practical length because of showing.