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Bath Time!

 

So after a few months of caring for your guinea  pig, taming them, and just all around having fun, you might start to notice a stench coming from the cage. Upon cleaning, its still there. Guess what? Your piggies need a bath!

 

To start off, you need  GUINEA PIG SHAMPOO . This is REALLY important! They can't use baby shampoo, nor dog and cat because of their sensitive skin. You can pick up a bottle at your local pet store.

 

You will need a few things to begin for the bath:

 

~A place to bathe. Popular choices are sinks and bath tubs. NEVER let your guinea pig swim in the water, they can drown!

~Shampoo made for guinea pigs

~Clean towels and a washcloth

~Treats to reward your cavy afterwards.

~A hair dryer (optional!)

~Sometimes some help!

 

Step 1: Get the bathing place ready. I use my bathtub, and my pull down shower head on the lowest setting. The water should be lukewarm, and always check the water throughout the bath to make sure it will be fine.

 

Step 2: Grab your guinea pig from their cage. Talk soothingly and feed them lettuce or hay to get them used to being held before they go into the bath. This will also calm them down quickly.

 

Step 3: Set your guinea pig in the bathtub or sink and start the water, letting it run down his/her fur. AVOID EYES AND EARS! After you get his back wet, go ahead and get his belly and bum.

 

Step 4: Now, grab the shampoo and put a tiny bit in your hand. If your guinea pig wasn't happy during the wetting phase, he sure might be happy once you start working the shampoo through his fur, since it feels like petting or scratching.

 

Step 5: Make sure you clean their bum and belly! These can be the messiest of anything, since sometimes they lay in their poop!

 

Step 6: Go ahead and rinse, while talking to the cavy. This will make them more calm. Be careful, as they try to jump from the sink!

 

Step 7: Lay the washcloth down and wet it down, then set your guinea pig on it while you keep rinsing. This will help clean their feet, as well!

 

Step 8: After all of the soap is from their fur, go ahead and turn the water off and wrap them in the clean towel. Try to dry as best as you can.

 

Step 9: Now, sit with your guinea pig wrapped in the towel for at least an hour. Give him/her a treat right after you wrap them up.

 

Step 10: If after an hour, your cavy is still wet, you can use the hair dryer on the lowest speed and  on cold. Be super careful for this. It can hurt their ears and sometimes even their skin!

 

Step 11: Now would be a good time to clip their nails. But, that will be in another guide! Before you put your cavy in their cage, MAKE SURE THE CAGE IS CLEAN! Imagine what it would be like to just be clean, then put back into a filthy cage!

 

Step 12: Feed your guinea pig another treat for being such a good sport, then leave them alone for a little bit!

 

That is basically it for bathes. Male's probably need a little more baths, because of their sweat gland produces more than females typically. Guinea pigs usually only need baths every few months, or when you start seeing their fur get dirty or they start to stink!

 

Note: ONLY BATHE ONE GUINEA PIG AT A TIME. This seems more time consuming, but for their safety, you need to bathe only one at a time.

 

 

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