Grooming your Guinea Pig
Guinea pigs typically are the easiest small pet to take care of when comparing them to other pets such as dogs, cats, rabbits and chinchillas. Minimal grooming is usually required for guinea pigs making them pretty easy to care for. Of course, your guinea pigs care needs will depend on their breed since some breeds require more care than others. But over all these pint-sized cuddly critters are a breeze to manage and make wonderful companions for families for many years.
Normally a guinea pigs grooming routine includes nail trimming, coat care, occasional bathing, and dental monitoring. Most of these grooming habits require little instruction and can be done at home. Below you will find some basic tips on how guinea pig owners make grooming their pets easy and less stressful.
Just like humans, guinea pigs need their nails trimmed regularly, generally every one or two months. Domesticated guinea pigs need to have their nails trimmed because they are no longer using their claws to dig and forage in the wild which would naturally wear them down over time. This is why owners have to step in and trim their guinea pigs nails to prevent them from growing too long and potentially causing harm.
Frequency of nail trimmings depends on your guinea pig’s age, diet, cage floor and activity level. Young guinea pigs and guinea pigs who are fed a nutritionally balanced diet tend to have faster nail growth. While active guinea pigs wear down their nails more quickly than guinea pigs who prefer a lazy lifestyle. Cage floors play a part in a guinea pigs nail growth by hard surfaces wearing down nails faster than soft cushy bedding.
The best nail clippers to use for guinea pigs are ones meant for cats. They can be found in two designs, either scissor-style or guillotine style. Pet stores carry both designs so pick a type of nail trimmer you think will work best for you and your pet. Trimming guinea pig nails usually requires one to two people. If you have two people available to help trim, have one person gently hold the guinea pig close to their body, with a hand under its chest and belly so its legs aren’t hanging, while the other person does the trimming. If only one person is around during the trimming, gently wrap the guinea pig like a burrito in a towel and hold it like a football under one arm. This allows the owner to use both hands during the nail trimming.
Make sure you clip one nail at a time and to not clip too close the nails blood supply, also known as the “quick”. If the guinea pig has clear or light colored nails, you should be able to see the quick as a red line near the base of the nail. Darker colored nails make finding the quick harder so clip a little off at a time get a rough idea on where the blood supply is. Clippers should always be positioned below the quick to not cause any bleeding. I always lightly press down on the clippers twice on the spot I want to cut at to see if I get any negative response from my pet before I fully clip down on the nail. Usually my pet will jerk or flinch as I press down lightly on the clippers if I am too close the quick. If that happens I move my clippers to a spot further down the nail away from the quick and try again. If you accidently cut into the nails blood supply, the nail will bleed, so stop the bleeding with stypic powder or pencil to make it stop. If the nail keeps bleeding hold a paper towel to the nail with gentle pressure until the bleeding comes to an end.
Some guinea pigs will let you trim all their nails at once, while others can only handle a few nails trimmed at a time. Learn how your guinea pig handles nail trimmings and give them a break if they start to get fussy and try again later. Try to distract your guinea pig during nail trimmings with yummy food to help take their mind off of the potentially stressful situation. Overall your goal should be to make the nail trimming process as stress free as possible for your pet.
Guinea pigs typically need to be brushed only once or twice a week to control shedding. Short-coated breeds usually only need brushed once a week, while long-coated breeds should be brushed several times a week to prevent their luscious locks from becoming matted.
When brushing your guinea pig take the chance to look at their skin, checking for mites, lice, lumps, or crustiness. If you see anything worrisome make sure to call your veterinarian.
Since guinea pigs have fine hair like rabbits, it’s best to use a narrow-toothed comb. Wide-tooth combs are not as effective because they have trouble catching fine hair between the teeth. Hair combs specifically for guinea pigs and rabbits can be found at pet stores, but cat combs can be used as well.
Generally, guinea pigs do not need to be bathed unless their hair or skin is soiled. A guinea pigs hind end is the most likely spot to get dirty from either urine or feces. If this is the case you can spot clean your guinea pig by giving it a “butt bath”, where you only wash their rear end with shampoo and water. Breeds with longer hair may need bathing more frequently since their coats are more susceptible to become matted and dirty.
If you do have to give your guinea pig a full body bath, do not immerse them in water. Fill a tub or sink with just an inch or two with warm water so they can stand up in it and still breath. Mix shampoo into the water before you put your guinea pig in, and use the mixture to gently scrub your guinea pig down. I like to use a small cup and pour a little bit of shampoo water on my pet at a time, making sure I do not get any in their eyes, ears, or mouth. Once done with the shampoo stage of the bath, I drain my tub or sink and refill with clean warm water to use to rinse my pet thoroughly with. Once all the shampoo is out of their coat, gently dry them with a towel. I recommend completely drying your guinea pig before putting them back in their pen with either a towel or a hairdryer set at its lower setting. This way your guinea pig will not become too cold while its hair dries and get sick.
Dental Care
Guinea pig dental care might be the easiest step in their grooming process. Due to guinea pig’s teeth being “open rooted” and continuously growing, you need to keep an eye on their length. Guinea pigs naturally wear down their teeth by chewing on foods with high fiber such as grass hay, which should already be a part of their daily diet. Guinea pig’s teeth do not need to be brushed or cleaned by a veterinarian regularly, as long as they are eating hay and chewing regularly on chew-safe toys. Overall, just make sure your guinea pig is eating enough hay and check out their teeth every once in a while, to make sure they are healthy.