Normally, guinea pigs are clean, and if you do not clean their cages regularly, they will possess that aroma that is lovely and familiar. What would help is bathing your pet and keeping their skin and hair healthy. Some people bath their guinea pigs every 3 or sometimes 4 months. This will be the recommended time bathing guinea pig, unless the furry friends are undergoing a skin condition treatment for lice or they have just become very messy for some weird reason. Keep in mind that bathing guinea pig frequently can lead to dry skin and also cause skin irritation.

For the preparation you will need a few things, and these are:

• 3 towels
• Medium size bowl
• Flannel plastic jug
• Animal shampoo
• Soft brush
• Swarfega (used for the grease gland on boars)

If it is cold, make sure that it is quite warm in the room so the guinea pig doesn’t get cold.

Before bathing guinea pig, add water to the plastic bowl. Make this about two inches deep and check the temperature of the water with your elbow and make sure that the water is not too warm or too cold before bathing guinea pig. A few people use the counter top in the kitchen and fill the sink with water and use that when they have to rinse down the guinea pig. Place the flannel in the bowl and this should help the guinea pig not slip around but feel rather secure while you start bathing guinea pig. It is advisable that you have everything that you will need within arm’s reach. Don’t leave a guinea pig unattended for one second.

When applying water before bathing guinea pig, use a plastic container with a spout. The one that came with your steam iron should work out perfectly. If you need to change the water in the basin make sure that you have a responsible person keeping their eyes on the guinea pig or their hands near its body while you turn away for a few seconds. Whatever you do, do not leave you pet unattended, especially on high surfaces.

There are different kinds of shampoo you could use when bathing guinea pig and you probably will hear about new products that prevent parasitic and fungal infestations. However, if you have to treat your little friend for any condition, you need an ordinary shampoo to penetrate the dirt and grease first before using the new shampoo to treat the infestations and other conditions.

Bathing guinea pig boars, you have to pay more attention to the grease gland and this is located near the tail area. Boars are the ones that usually have a grease gland, but a few sows have them too. It feels almost like a sticky coin. Adding a little Swarfega to the grease gland before bathing guinea pig boar will do the trick removing the grease. Allow the Swarfega to stay on the gland for a few minutes before rinsing it off. Mechanics use the product to clean their hands. The same product is ideal for cleaning the grease gland on boars.

If your guinea pig is suffering from mange mites, you need to visit the veterinarian immediately. In this case, a treatment of Ivomectin is given. A guinea pig having mange mites can cause severe pain and can also cause sores, and this is the result of intense biting and itching. Any fungal shampoo or parasite shampoo will not be successful when trying to rid the mites. You can ask the veterinarian to give the Ivomectin orally to the little friend, and this will save it from going through injections that could be painful. This is a rare condition, but the truth is that wherever you find guinea pigs you will find mange mites. If you have a litter of guinea pigs and only one of them is infected by the infestation it is best to treat all of them.

There are things to look out for before bathing guinea pig, and precautions should be taken when the little friend contracts a parasitic and fungal infestation. As time goes by, you will become used to tending to the needs and wants of these little furry creatures.

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Guinea pig’s also known as Cavies are one of the gentlest, loving, clean and adorable pets you can care for. These timid creatures have grown in popularity over the last few years but not as much is known about pet guinea pig care as cats or dogs or fish which are more prominent. Luckily guinea pigs are not too difficult to look after, they are clean, do not smell like mice and do not bite like ferrets. Here are a few simple tips to care for your guinea pig!

Housing

It is best to keep your guinea pig in a decent size cage, four to six square feet of floor space for each guinea pig is good but slightly smaller will suffice. Make sure the floor is solid not wire cage like the walls however as this can hurt their feet, also guinea pigs cannot jump or climb very well also so you do not need a roof to their enclosure as long as it is about 18 inches high. Make sure your enclosure also has a place for your pet to hide in if it wants; in the wild it was defenseless against predators so when it feels threatened it needs a place to feel secure in.

Bedding

A bed of shredded newspaper or wood shavings is ideal for your guinea pig. Beware however of wood shavings with a lot of aroma such as some types of pine as this can cause some healthy issues. Make sure you change the bedding at least once a week.

Food

For good Guinea pig care you should have a large and steady supply of water as they tend to drink a lot. Water in a dish is fine but can often get messy as bits of bedding may get into it and they might tip it accidentally and wet themselves and their cage. Most experts recommend a feeding tube attached to a bottle, these can be purchased at most pet stores and have a device that stops the water leaking out so the guinea pig can drink without making a mess.
Guinea pigs are also very susceptible to a lack of vitamin C and while their food pellets are infused with the vitamin older tablets lose their potency. You can add Vitamin C supplements to the drinking water however to keep their supply up.
While guinea pig pellets should be the main part of your pet’s diet you can also feed them other fresher food like turnips, spinach, hay and kale. Do not however feed your pig fruits and sweets as this upsets their digestive system.

Diseases

A sick guinea pig will suffer from hair loss and crusty or inflamed eyes, nose and ears. These symptoms are caused often by a lack of vitamin C but also from diseases they can pick up from guinea pig colonies at pet stores, while the usual cure for diseases like these is anti-biotics, guinea pigs are known to react very badly to such treatment.
Other things to check are flaky skin and ticks and fleas, when purchasing your guinea pig make sure you check for all these things so you choose a healthy pig that can live up to 8 years if cared for well!

Physical care

Long haired varieties of guinea pigs need regular brushing, combs used for Persian cats are good for this. Make sure your long haired pig is free from items getting caught up in their hair, this breed needs much more attention.
You should also clip the nails of your pig once a month, a normal nail clipper is good for this.
A Guinea pigs teeth are also always growing and they need something wooden in their pen for them to chew on so they do not overgrow.

You should now know the basics of good pet guinea pig care and will have a happy healthy little pet that will delight you for many years to come!

Do you need a comprehensive guide to guinea pig care to keep your little friend happy and healthy?

The Comprehensive Cavy Guide is a wonderful e-book with great life saving tips for your cavy, a brilliant breeding guide and many tips to help you understand your guinea pig better!

This e-book comes with many free bonus e-books for a limited time only!

Do you owe it to your little buddy to keep him safe and well cared for?

If so click here! http://smallandnfurry.blogspot.com/2007/10/comprehensive-cavy-guide.html

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