Can guinea pigs be bathed and how to do it correctly?

A guinea pig is a pet, for the acquisition of which every second child begs their parents. And often adults do not persist for a long time: not the most troublesome animal, small, cute, and there is no need to walk. But when a guinea pig appears in the family, the first dispute regarding the pet is whether it needs to be bathed. This is where the controversy begins: a pig is not the cleanest animal, it is obvious that you need to bathe often! Marine - where does it take long without water. Both arguments do not hold water.

The animal was named a pig because of the shape of its muzzle, which was somewhat reminiscent of a pig's stigma. And the general outline of the body fit into the image of a pig, only very small. And "sea" is what remains of the adjective "overseas", as the animal was originally called. So it is impossible to consider a pet as either muddy or a beast from the open spaces of the sea.

The rodent is considered a clean animal. Normally, he puts himself in order, and the guinea pig does not need to be washed additionally. In the natural environment, of course, no one arranges water procedures for an animal.

If the animal is healthy, if the conditions that you have organized for him are favorable, you should not bathe him. For a rodent, water procedures will be stressful: and children, who most often insist on a bath for a pig, should be explained immediately after purchase.

But there are arguments suggesting that sometimes you still need to wash your guinea pig.

Consider in what situations the animal should be washed.

• If tangles, lumps, pollution formed for various reasons are visible on his fur with the naked eye. This can happen to a mumps if she “runs away for a walk” or walks in an outdoor enclosure during the warm season.
• If you see that the pet's fur has faded, if you cannot call it shiny and lively, perhaps the pig cannot wash itself. This also happens. In this situation, she needs help.
• If the next day is an important exhibition where you are going to show your pet in all its glory, the pig needs a bath as a spa. In order for the fur to shine, the animal will have to endure water procedures.
• If the pig begins to smell unpleasant, it should definitely be washed as carefully as possible.
• Pay attention to the state of the sebaceous gland in the mumps. Where the animal has a tail, there is an organ responsible for the production of sebum. And to be more precise, a special secret is produced from the gland, which, like pheromones, act on representatives of the opposite sex. The sebaceous gland is an oily area that looks like a small bald patch. And if you find crusts in this place, the guinea pig definitely needs to be bathed.

As you can see, among the reasons for bathing there are no "curiosity", "idle interest" and reasons like "I think she wants to swim." Therefore, once again do not expose the animal to stress: and water for him is a frightening situation.

This is not to say that pigs are enthusiastic about the idea of ​​\ u200b \ u200b bathing. Yes, the animals have a swimming skill - in natural conditions they are able to overcome water obstacles (streams, for example). If you bathe the animal, you will not cause much harm to it, but bathing will not cause pleasant sensations either.

If, having immersed the animal in water, you see panic, aggression, high anxiety of the pet, do not train him, do not teach him to be patient - get the animal out of the water... If it seems to you that it is dirty, just wipe the foot, fur with wet wipes without perfume. You can simply moisten a piece of cloth in warm soapy water and wipe the animal - in most cases, this is enough.

And although most guinea pigs try to avoid bathing, there are among their brethren specimens who take a bath with pleasure. If the owners treat them kindly, if the water is comfortable for the animal, the eyes do not pinch anything, it is relaxed and calm, the animal will take bathing well. It may even purr and whistle with pleasure.

A reasonable question is how many times a month you can bathe your pig. If you have a long-haired pet, it seems that all he does is smear himself, gathering dust, overgrowing with lumps of dirt, and so on.

Regular washing is not considered at all - for a pig this is an unnatural procedure, therefore there is no schedule... If in summer it is very hot, stuffy, and it seems to you that the pig itself wants to take a bath, then a maximum of once a month for a short time you can give her a light shower. At other times, bathe your mumps every 3 months, not more often.

A person can also catch a cold after a bath, and even a small animal, unaccustomed to natural habitat conditions, is under direct threat. Therefore, it is often strictly forbidden to bathe a rodent.

There are at least 5 more "no" regarding bathing a guinea pig.

1. You can not bathe the cubs - only adults tolerate bath procedures relatively calmly. A small guinea pig is threatened from all sides, and it may not survive water stress. And young fur does not need washing.
2. You can't bathe your pet in the first days at home.... It seems to many owners that the first thing to do is to bathe the pig so that it is "clean and fluffy" to take root better. On the contrary, such stress only interferes with the adaptation of the animal. Let him calmly settle down, for him everything is new, everything is scary, everything is alien.
3. Do not bathe your pet in winter. As mentioned, a cold can be fatal to a rodent. Pigs are extremely sensitive to temperature extremes and drafts.
4. Do not place pregnant females in the water: bathing is a huge stress for them with serious risks.
5. Do not bathe a sick rodent.

Never break these rules - one case of neglect is enough to cause irreparable harm to the animal.

The animal is afraid of any surprise. He perceives this as a threat, begins to panic, scream, and wrestle out of his hands. In this situation, it is impossible to continue bathing. Therefore, the pet needs to be prepared for the procedure. 3-5 days before the scheduled bathing, you should take the rodent in your arms, go into the bathroom. If he was already scared at this stage, calm the animal, stroke it, you can treat it with your favorite delicacy.

You can comb the pig's fur in the bathroom: most pets love this, so the rodent will associate the new environment with pleasant sensations.

When you realize that the pig is comfortable in the bathroom, you can put it in the sink or in the basin (where you are going to bathe the animal in the future). Let it get used to the dry surface, so that later it does not react negatively to the same place, only with water.

The next stage of safe addiction is to turn on the water. Let the water flow in a thin stream (no strong pressure), do not direct the water at the pig's fur, even in jest. The animal needs to feel the water with its paws, then it will cease to be afraid of the noise of the water.

Do not rush to swim if you see that the adaptation did not go well. Only when the pig has ceased to be afraid of the bath, when it is not afraid of the water flowing from the tap, the animal can be bathed. The procedure begins on land. About 20 minutes before bathing, the sebaceous glands of the animal need to be lubricated with cosmetic oil (any will work). This will loosen the crusts and allow them to fall off faster and easier in the water.

Be sure to wear gloves before washing. It is possible that the pig will still get scared, start kicking and biting - you need to protect yourself.

Bathing your guinea pig involves several activities.

1. It is more convenient to bathe the animal in the sink. Doing this in a bath or in a basin is not very correct: the pig will see the sides and may try to jump out of the container. And in a soapy solution, the animal is very slippery, so you don't have to rely on your own dexterity. You need to be very careful in the water - if the pig breaks loose and falls, it can seriously injure itself, there is also a threat of mortal danger.
2. Close the drain in the sink, draw in enough water so that it evenly touches the belly of the pig. It is wise to put a small cotton napkin at the bottom of the shell so that the animal can grab it with its paws - so the animal will be calmer.
3. Dip the pig into the water, stroke it, talk calmly and affectionately.
4. Use your hands to gently dampen the fur. If you have a long-haired pig, you can take a small bucket or glass, pour water from the bucket with a thin stream of water. But do not raise the container very high: the pig will get scared.
5. When the coat is sufficiently moisturized, literally apply a drop of shampoo to your hand (no more). Take a baby shampoo, neutral, if there is nothing else. But it is better, of course, to purchase a special product at a pet store. Shampoos for rabbits and cats are fine, but do not take products for dogs - they are very aggressive towards pigs.Try not to wash your pet with simple soap, there are a lot of acids in it, which will make the fur brittle and tough.
6. Lather the shampoo in the usual way in your hands, apply it to the animal's fur. The foam should not fall on the head, go no further than the neck. Gently, with maximum delicacy, rinse the sebaceous gland area. Remove the crusts - they are already soft, they come off well.
7. Start washing the fur, do it slowly, without sudden movements. Use a bucket to water the animal at the same time. Moisture should not get into the ears and eyes of the pig. This is fraught with otitis media, conjunctivitis, which will add to the elementary fright.
8. Owners often complicate the washing process for long-haired pigs with the additional use of balm. There is no great need for this, unless, of course, you are preparing an animal for an exhibition. True, after the balm, combing the fur is not so difficult. Let it sit on the wool for a minute, rinse it off. But do not get carried away - every time you do not need to wash your pet.

There is nothing complicated in the rules, if you do not ignore any of the prescriptions, then occasionally, if necessary, you can bathe the animal at home. If the first bathing experience remains positive, this does not mean that the procedures can be increased.

After bathing procedures, once again cleanse the sebaceous gland of the mumps, as well as the anal pocket. With a cotton swab, wipe the area of ​​the sebaceous gland, then treat it with an antiseptic (ordinary chlorophyllipt will do). To clean the anal pocket, you need to slightly press on the lower abdomen of the pig, the pocket will stick out, with a cotton swab soaked in oil, you quickly clean it. Avoid unnecessary friction. Very often, manual cleaning cannot be done, but try to do it once a month and a half.

If you see that the animal is scared, just use a dry towel, remembering to change the fabric.

After bathing, you do not need to take the animal outside for at least a day. In a cold room, in a draft, you cannot leave a rodent. Do not let the wet animal go into the sawdust cage - they will stick to the fur. After the bath, the pet deserves a delicious lunch, please the animal, it is good for him to calm down.

For information on how to wash a guinea pig, see the next video.