Bathing piggies

[indiana]

Hi guys!
Long time no talk

I was just curious as to whether you bath your piggies?

I gave my Henry a bath today. I can't say if he liked it but I don't think he hated it!

He bites me when I cut his nails and brush him but he didn't bite when I bathed him so he can't have hated it that much!

Indiana x

Attachments:

[jolovespiggies]

I would bath my piggies if they really needed it but I have heard that you shouldn't bath piggies unless you really have to. They are gorgeous by the way love.

Hugs
JO xx

[3piggles]

I only bathe them if they really need it, which they rarely do. Often a quick foot or butt dunk does the job. Like cats, pigs clean themselves unless they are ill or injured, and can't. It doesn't sound ad if he hated it.

I had a swimmer pig. Momma loved to swim in the bathtub, and would purposely swim under the faucet filling the tub. She would just swim laps around the tub and gave a great time All my others sct ad if they are being tortured. I put them in the kitchen sink with just enough water to kerp their footing slippery, when I clip their nails.

[indiana]

Thanks guys, it's nice to hear other people's opinions.
He has a bath once or twice a year if he needs it.
He was a bit smelly and had dirt in his fur, I tried brushing it out and it wouldn't come out so it was into the bath for him!

I've not put it deep enough to see if he can swim! I just full it so it's half way up him and pour it on him avoiding his face.

I don't like to fill the bath when he's in it because I imagine it would be terrifying for him because he doesn't know when it's going to stop filling! That's how I'd look at it if some giant put me in a tub I couldn't see the top of and then started filing it with water lol I don't know if they would think like that!

How did you find out your pig could swim 3piggles?

Indiana x

[Bean]

I think some pigs tolerate it more quietly than you'd expect because they're quite frightened of losing control in the water. Keeping their heads above water is their main focus. I've never had a pig that liked being in water and would choose to go in it if a dry area were available.

I rarely bathe either - only if there's a particular problem or treatment that needs it. I've had my current boys well over a year and they've never had a bath. Josh had a bum dunk when he had a problem with his man bits but I kept as much of him dry as possible.

Henry certainly is gorgeous! Hope he is doing well on his own. It's nice to see you again too - how are things?

[indiana]

Thanks Treen!
He's coping brilliantly! I think he prefers it to be honest. He wheeks more and comes to the front of the cage to greet me when I enter the room and he's stopped biting as much as before so it's looking good

All is good for me too!
I've got a new job which I'm really happy with so life is good!

Hope thinks are good for you too!

Indiana x

[Bean]

Glad Henry is doing well on his own and congrats on your new job!

Everything is good here too thanks - we've all been looking forward to half term for a while (just for a good old relax and a few lie ins) and it's here, so hooray!

[3piggles]

I posted this before but it's gone ? I put the pigs on a folded towel in the bathtub to let them splash around to cool down, if they wanted. As soon as there was enough water, Momma jumped in and started swimming laps around the island. She purposely went under the water from the faucet. She loved it The other two huddled miserably on the island, watching her as if she were nuts It became one of her favorite things to do

[SiLamb]

So glad Henry is doing well!

Now I have a question about bathing piggies. I came across a piggie owner of 30 years experience who bathed his piggies once a month with no ill effects. I'm starting to wonder if the don't bath piggies rule is an urban legend. Has anyone had any negative experience with bathing piggies on a 1-3 month basis?

[3piggles]

It's not an urban myth. Pigs clean themselves the way cats do, getting dirt out of the hair, and distributing natural oils to protect their skin, and keep their hair manageable. Pigs have hair very similar to human hair, which can easily be overly processed. It's best to only bathe pigs when they get really dirty for some reason. Otherwise, they know what they need to do and when. Bathing them interferes with that process.

I know a person who "rescues" cats, keeps them in cages and bathes the poor things regularly. If she weren't in the Philippines, I would report her to the authorities. She swears by bathing get cats, and nothing the experts say can change her mind

Also, except for a cottage company in the UK called Gorgeous Guineas, no company makes shampoos Ph balanced for guinea pigs, or without chemical perfumes added. Everything GG makes is Ph balanced for guinea pigs, and has all natural ingredients.

It's usually totally unnecessary, but if you have to bathe them, talk to Chrissie Slade at GG, and get the right product for that application. She's really nice snd really helpful. She won't try ti sell you what you don't need

[indiana]

3piggles that sounds awesome! I bet it looked really cute

I don't bath Henry on a regular basis like monthly or anything, it's more like yearly for him. Usually when I'm bringing him in for the winter but he hasn't been out this year because we've had a fox family move in to our neighbourhood!

Indiana x

[jolovespiggies]

I would love to have seen that 3piggles love, there is always the exception to the rule.

Hugs
JO xx

[irina13]

I don't thing we should bade them that often especialy winter time,you don't wanna be too carefull,i agree just the booty and the legs .Gosh, especialy if your guinea is peruvian it is like drying my own hair hihihih

[Bean]

That's another good point about drying them. I've seen pictures of horrible burns on pigs inflicted by hairdryers. A guinea pig's skin is so sensitive to heat and the people didn't realise until after they had it too hot.

And if you leave them damp when it's cold, that can cause their body temperature to drop which isn't good for their health. Of course there are ways of drying them sensibly and safely and keep them at the right temperature until they're fully dry, but many people don't get it quite right and it just seems like a needless risk to do it regularly.

Oct 31, 2014 3:27:11 GMT SiLamb said:

I came across a piggie owner of 30 years experience who bathed his piggies once a month with no ill effects. I'm starting to wonder if the don't bath piggies rule is an urban legend. Has anyone had any negative experience with bathing piggies on a 1-3 month basis?

Over the years I've seen quite a few people mention their pigs had problem with dry flaky skin and it's turned out they were being bathed regularly or too harsh products used.

I know some people who bathe them more than they need to be bathed because the owners enjoy it - their pigs clearly don't in the photos.... But it doesn't always cause problems, it just makes them more likely, and as something the pigs don't usually enjoy, I can't see the motivation for doing it. I think that's my main problem with over-bathing rather than potential skin issues.

[3piggles]

I rarely bathe pigs, but I let Momma swim, and soak their undercarriages when needed. If it's cold, I wrap them on dry towels until they stop dripping, and make sure they have warm places to snuggle in their condos.

[irina13]

You have to be very carefull,i wrap them i like a milion towels/blanket, but sometimes they stil shake ,no matter how many things i put,dry them with a hairdryer but from a far ,or worm the towel and wrap them up .

It makes me angry :@ burn guinea pigs with hairdryers ,i mean come on.It all comes down that people who aren't ready to comit shouldn't buy or take care of a pig.

[3piggles]

I use pieces of fleece, as shown in these old pictures. The fleece is piled in the cage, over the entrance to a tube, etc. The pigs snuggle in and play under the fleece. When they are totally dry and too warm for the fleece, they stop going under, and I remove the fleece from the cage.

I also use the fleece pieces to block the cold in winter, if the overnight heat setting isn't going to be warm enough. I drape the fleece over the whole living area, so they only have to go into the kitchen areas and back. I often find the pellet bowl moved under the fleece in the living area, in the morning. Fleece is a great warming medium for wet piggies, and it's a great play item, with the pigs playing under it and jumping on it. Pigloos entrances can be put under the fleece, as long as the air holes in the roof let the air escape and circulate. Anything used to cover pigs should have an opening for air circulation.

Blow drying pigs was considered the norm for a while, but because of the stress it caused to the pigs, the amount of time it took to really dry them without burning them, and the number of burning incidents, it was scrapped by everyone but people who show their pigs professionally. Using coverings, increasing the heat near the pigs until they dry, etc., are now the preferred ways to dry pigs, but bathing has also been discouraged as much as possible, so pigs don't get stressed, chilled, burned or have their skin become dry from chemical processing.

[chelsealynn1994]

When I've bathed my piggies I've always used baby shampoo. It's about the most gently shampoo you can find out there without all the crap regular shampoo comes to offer. Our marshmallow is all white with long hair so she gets more butt baths then anyone else! Haha

[3piggles]

Baby shampoo has a lot of perfume in it, which can bother the pigs, though as you said, it's better than any of the pet shampoos available at the pet stores. A natural shampoo is 1 Tbs. of baking soda in 1 C of water. A conditioner is 1 Tbs. of apple cider vinegar in 1 C of water. Costs pennies, all natural smells, and can be made up at the moment, nice and warm.

There is also a cottage industry in the UK: www.gorgeousguineas.com, that sells shampoos and conditions made to the proper Ph for guinea pigs. Chrissie Slade is the owner, and she is great at answering questions. She doesn't try to sell you what you don't need.

[chelsealynn1994]

Definitely willing to try that! I work in a salon that carries pureology and thats an all natural line so i might try that for my conditioner and they usually only get their little butts washed