Guinea Pig Bathing

I get lots of questions regarding guinea pigs and bathing. Many people want to know "How often should I bathe my guinea pig?" or if they should bathe their guinea pig to reduce cage odor. Here is the definitive answer – guinea pigs do not need to be bathed on a regular basis "just because." No, piggies really hate to be bathed, they can become chilled and stressed easily, and their skin can become itchy and dry if bathed too often.

So when do you want to bathe your guinea pig? Only if he or she gets into something really messy. What if the cage is smelly? This actually means what you need to do is clean the cage, not the guinea pig as dirty bedding is likely the source of the odor that's bothering you.

If only your guinea pig's feet are dirty, then you would be best off simply giving him or her a foot bath. You can fill a shallow basin with gentle soap and warm water, then allow your piggie to walk around until the worst of the grime is dislodged. Then simply remove your guinea pig from the basin and gently towel off his or her feet.

If a total bath is required look for the most gentle soap you can find. A lot of people like oatmeal based soaps such as the various baby shampoos provided by Aveeno. If you really want to keep the process gentle you can even do a literal oat bath. Take plain dry oatmeal (just like what you would eat for breakfast) and soak it in water until the water becomes cloudy. Then take this water and use as the bath water for your guinea pig. Additionally, a final option is to do a "finishing" rinse with a little oil (flax, olive, vitamin E) suspended in water (just stir really rapidly to mix and then gently pour over the coat of your guinea pig) to prevent dry skin.

I recommend that you use a shallow container of some kind for bathing – plastic dish washing basins work well and also cannot be accidentally broken. Fill the container only a couple of inches with mildly warm water that you have mixed a little soap into.  Place your guinea pig in the water and gently bathe with the soapy water, making sure to avoid the eyes and nose. Once your guinea pig appears clean, give a single brush through his or her fur and remove from the water. Immediately wrap him or her in a towel and keep warm until dry. Do not use a hairdryer to try to speed up the process as they can get quite warm and are rather scary.

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