Bathing your guinea pig

Guinea pigs are clean animals and can generally look after their own personal hygiene. However, if they are ill or as they get older, they may require a bath; therefore, it’s a good idea to know how to do this.

Most guinea pigs find being in water stressful and they are not known for their swimming abilities. Bathing too frequently can dry the skin out too, especially if harsh shampoos are used. For these reasons it is best to only bathe your guinea pig when absolutely necessary.

We have already ascertained that regular bathing of guinea pigs is unnecessary, but it is sometimes needed. Occasions when they may need a bath include:

• Long-haired or thick-coated breeds may require more bathing as they are often more prone to soiling themselves.
• Elderly and/or arthritic guinea pigs who cannot clean themselves well, if they are not cleaned they are at risk of flystrike, sore skin and infections from urine scalding.
• Older male guinea pigs may suffer from anal impaction and may require occasional bathing every now and then.

Guinea pigs who are ill and aren’t cleaning themselves, may require bathing, however this is likely to stress them out so care must be taken.

Use a small washing up bowl or something that isn’t too deep. Place a maximum of 5 cm of lukewarm water in the bowl to ensure the guinea pig can stand in the water and still keep their head above the water line. Carefully lower the guinea pig in the water until their feet touch the bottom of the bowl. If the guinea pig only needs their bottom washing, then only lower their back end into the bowl and hold their front end out of the water.

If the guinea pig panics or seems overly stressed, then stop immediately and take them out of the water. If the guinea pig is accepting of the bath, hold them carefully with one hand and with your other gently wet the required area down to the skin using something like a small cup. Once wet, use a gentle shampoo that’s only designed for use in guinea pigs. Take care not to get water and especially shampoo into the guinea pig’s eyes. Rinse the shampoo off completely and remove the guinea pig from the bath.

Never lay the guinea pig on their back whilst in the bath, always ensure that their head stays out of the water and don’t use a shower or running tap on them as this may be too stressful and the temperature can rapidly change.

Guinea pigs can rapidly lose heat and it is important to keep them warm and get them dry as soon as possible. Gently rub the guinea pig with a warm towel to remove the excess water.

You can use a hairdryer on the lowest setting and hold it around 1 foot away from the guinea pig, keeping it constantly moving to prevent overheating one area. If your guinea pig is stressed by the sound of the hairdryer then continue to towel dry and keep them in a warm environment. If your guinea pig lives outside don’t return them to their housing until they’re fully dried.