Piggie Post- BATH TIME

Ello!

Apparently Crippie is really good at jinxing things, I talk about not getting sick then I get sick... I talk about my doctor's appointment and it gets pushed back a week... oh well. I will say this opening in my schedule is for the best. It gave me time to watch "Harold and Kumar" movies with the family and of course... BATHE A GUINEA PIG. I was going to bathe several pigs today, but most of them were in hay induced food comas so I opted to only bathe the dirtiest pig, Mama Pig.

Generally speaking I clean the piggies with wet wipes, but every so often they get dirty enough to warrant an actual bath. So without further adieu I give you... PICS AND TIPPIES

Tip #1 - Just because Guinea Pigs can technically swim that does not mean that they should! If water gets into their ears they can get a very serious ear infection. I bathe my piggies in some form of tupperware with about 1.5 inches of lukewarm water. 

Tip #2 - Use a shampoo made for Guinea Pigs. Human and baby shampoos are not good for their skin and hair. I use "Gorgeous Guineas Manuka & Neem Shampoo". "Gorgeous Guineas" IMO has the best piggie grooming products. I use their foot creams for when their little feetsies get dry or red, and I use their melts once or twice a year to soften their skin and hair.

Tip #3 - Try to make bath time a happy time. Mama Pig is a diva and realllllyyyyy enjoys her "spa time". Alas, not all of my pigs are this calm. Maggie, Aggie, Nellie, and Frida all try to jump out of the tub and claw up my shirt. For those pigs I try to bathe them as fast as humanly possible. I also find bribing them with food works sometimes.

LOVE ME!

Once I'm finished lathering up shampoo I use a cup of warm water to rinse her off.

Tip #4 - Dry your piggie quickly. DO NO LET THE PIG GET COLD. The piggie can get very sick if they are cold for a prolonged period of time. Once Mama was removed from the bath I gave her a quick towel dry. I try to get her as dry as humanly possible in this stage because next comes the blow dryer!

Tip #5 - When blow drying a pig use a medium to cool setting, keep the dryer constantly moving, and keep a safe distance from the skin. Most of my pigs are freaked out by the blow dryer. I try to bathe those pigs only in warmer weather, so I can get away with just towel drying them for an hour. Also be careful of the direction the dryer is positioned, if there are any poopies on your towel they might go flying (which happened today, several times)

So there ya have it folks! The whole process took about 40 minutes, most of that was in blow drying stage. Mama Pig is very clean and very happy.

Crippie's Tippie - Guinea pigs are not simple animals to raise, you cannot just leave them in a cage in your kid's room. They require lots of care.