Bathing - You should bath your guinea pigs every 4 to 6 weeks to keep their coats clean & healthy & prevent fungal skin problems & mite infestation. You shouldn't bath any more or less often (unless your pig has a skin problem & requires treatment by bathing). Bathing too much could result in causing skin problems like irritation. Bathing less often could mean your boys run the higher risk of getting a fungal problem.

The monthly Bath day is a good time to clean the boars grease gland, clean ears, trim claws & coats (on long haired pigs). It is also a convenient time to weigh your guinea pigs, which helps you monitor their health & growth. But first for the bath itself

The first question when it comes to bathing is where to bath. And that depends on what is best for you & what works with your pigs. Bathing in the bath reduces water splashed around the room by piggy's but perhaps the high sides will make them feel a little dauntedas well as being tough on your back.

Grease gland clean:

Lets sort out that grease gland (the area where the tail would be if guinea pigs had one where a dark colored grease that resembles ear wax builds up).

To clean this massage a small amount Swafega into the area for a few minutes. This should break down the grease. Rinse off.

Above: A dirty grease-gland is very obvious!

• Wet your boar well.
• Shampoo his coat with an anti dandruff shampoo such as Vosene or Pantene to remove grease & dead skin.
• Work into a lather & use the foam to carefully wash his face, being careful to avoid eyes & mouth

Now its time to wash your boar with an anti fungal shampoo. Gorgeous guineas essential oil shampoo is the best around as it was created especially for guinea pigs & for this purpose! It does a great job & smells divine. It also seems to have a calming effect on the guinea pigs (the aroma from the oils) which helps to ease the stress of bath time. The bottle lasts a long time so its well worth investing in some!

• Put a strip of this Shampoo down your guinea pigs back, and massage in well.
• Wash the the ears and face again too in the same way as before.
• Leave on for 4 to 5 minutes and then rinse well.

If you have a long haired, or Rex boar or one with very dry hair & skin you will need to use a little Gorgeous Guineas Shea Butter Conditioner too.

• Rinse thoroughly ensuring all the shampoo is out & towel-dry your guinea to remove excess water.

Dry. Please don't put wet guineas back in their quarters! Especially if your have outdoor piggy's or even indoor ones & it is a cold day.

Left: You can even use a hairdryer on a low heat to speed the drying process up.

**If you have fungal problems to start with use Alphosyl or Nizoral shampoo & gorgeous guineas oil soaks to treat as shampooing as above is for prevention of problems occurring rather than treatment of such problems**

See our Bathing TIPS in the left hand nav bar

Brushing & Coat Trims

Gently brush your pigs coat in the direction of hair growth with a fine toothed comb. Their are special combs designed for this purpose available. (Purchase online now at £1.50 each). If you have rex boars you will need to brush in the OPPOSITE direction to the lay of the hair on a smooth coated pig.

Long haired pigs coats will need daily attention to keep the hair knot free. Please ensure you have the time & patience to keep up to a long haired breeds coat before you get a long haired pig. It is cruel to leave their coats to get tangled & put them through the pain of getting out the knots & unfair to cut off their coats.

Long haired pigs will also need a trim, especially around the areas that get dirtied from the animals 'waste' products. Always cup a boars testicles when trimming anywhere near his rump to avoid inadvertently injuring the poor little guy! Pigs for showing need to be trimmed carefully in keeping with the standards of the particular breed. Pet pigs however can be trimmed for the comfort & convenience of the pig!

Monthly Weigh In

You should weigh your pigs regularly as thins is a good way to keep an eye on their general health. A good time would be before the monthly bath, That way you don't forget to keep up with the weighing. Make a note of your pigs weight each month & compare. Younger , growing pigs should be monitored more often , weekly is best.

Above: Five month old Hugo has reached 2lbs. He has been gaining an average of 2oz per week for the last few months.

Claw Clipping- Guinea pigs claws constantly grow & do not wear themselves down. Guinea pigs also have extremely delicate toes so a snag on a long nail can easily result in broken toe! So it is best to keep nails nice & trim. If you are unsure how to do this you could always ask a friend who does to show you or even take your piggy along & ask the vet to show you how.

Guide to Claw clips -Claw clipping is painless, just like clipping our nails or cutting our hair.

Bath time is the best time to clip nails not just because you will easily remember when you did them if you do them along with the bath but also because the nails will be clean & the quick will be more visible due to the warmth of the bath water.

You will need some clippers. Large Human nail clippers are great as you can see what you are doing... or you can buy small animal nail clippers. Its easiest if you have someone to help hold the guinea while you clip his nails if possible. But it can be done as easily on your own with a little practise. It is a case of trial and error with position, a)what you find easiest & b) what the guinea feels comfortable with! A good position is holding the pig in one hand . His back resting on your tummy and legs sticking out. You can still use a finger to hook up a foot to help you hold it steady. Ensure he is held firmly as you don't want them to wriggle when you are trying to cut.

You will easily notice the quick on just bathed pink pawed guineas as it is the pink bit. Where the pink part ends & the nail is clear this is where there is no blood or nerves & it is safe to cut. Cut slightly below this as cutting too close to the quick pinches it & the guineas don't like it. If you have a piggy with dark colored nails then cutting only the pointy part ensures you will not harm him.

Squeaze the nail very slowly. If the pig pulls its foot away you are too close to the wick. If there is not movement your fine and not causing any pain. If you squeaze slowly you will go through the nail and the jobs done. With practice and experience you will learn how far up to cut. If you do cut the quick & the piggy bleeds bathing the paw in salt water will stop the bleeding.