Last updated on January 22nd, 2023 at 06:49 pm
Guinea pigs clean themselves, but sometimes long-haired guinea pigs need a little help.
Guinea pigs clean themselves by licking their hair, and the opaque liquid secreted from their eyes also helps them in this.
If the guinea pig is dirty or has an unpleasant smell, this may be a sign that it is sick and should be taken to the vet.
In today’s article, we will read how to clean guinea pigs, how to help those guinea pigs with long hair, and general cleaning of guinea pigs.
Do Guinea Pigs Clean Themselves?
Yes, guinea pigs clean themselves by licking their hair or fur.
You can easily notice that opaque liquid is secreted from their eyes, which helps the guinea pigs to clean their body and hair.
They clean themselves several times a day, especially when they eat something or when they get dirty in the hay.
However, sometimes they need our help to clean certain parts of their body.
Cleaning a short-haired guinea pig
Short-haired guinea pigs clean themselves and usually do not need help cleaning their hair.
They cleaned themselves by licking their hair, and they have clean hair like new.
But as the guinea pigs get older, it becomes more and more difficult for them to clean themselves, because sometimes they cannot reach a part of their body and clean it.
We can help them by brushing a part of their body where they cannot clean themselves, for example on the back or some other place.
We can also spray them with water a little so that they can get stimulation to secrete the saliva, and help them when they have dry mouths to clean them completely.
When a guinea pig with short hair is dirty and its fur is dry, then something is wrong with our pet, it may be sick and not want to clean itself.
Sometimes, even when they are not sick, guinea pigs can be dirty, so we need to train them more on where they should poop and pee so that they are not so much dirty.
Cleaning of long-haired guinea pigs
Long-haired guinea pigs require a little more care to clean their hair.
When they clean themselves because they have long hair, it can easily happen that hairs get stuck in their mouths and teeth and they can even injure their gums or teeth.
It’s not nice at all to have hair wrapped around your teeth, and so it is with these guinea pigs.
Therefore, with long-haired guinea pigs, you will need to help them clean their hair by frequently brushing their hair and cleaning the hair in the cage.
Because they have long hair they get a lot more dirty, because the long hair collects a lot more of everything that gets in their way when they run and play in and out of their cage.
Of course, although this means that you have to take a lot more care of these guinea pigs, that’s why they are beautiful, their long hair adds beauty to their appearance.
How to clean guinea pigs with unique hair
Some guinea pigs such as rex, Abyssinians, and texels require a little more care for their hair.
These breeds require occasional trimming of their hair to maintain the length they need.
Skinny pigs also require the occasional application of sunscreen in some situations.
These guinea pigs can clean themselves, however, for their care, we need to learn something more about their maintenance.
That’s why more guinea pig owners choose to keep guinea pigs that are more exotic in terms of their hair.
If you want to keep a guinea pig from these few breeds it is best to get a guinea pig from a responsible breeder.
Because they will show you how to properly maintain the hair and how to trim these guinea pigs, what to watch out for, and other important things you will need to know.
What to do when guinea pigs can’t clean themselves?
When the guinea pigs can’t clean themselves, and we can’t achieve much by brushing and spraying them with water, then we have to bathe them.
Bathing guinea pigs should be done when they smell a lot or when there is a lot of dirty stuff on their hair.
Put the guinea pig in the sink on a piece of cloth so it doesn’t slip, put a warm water and a little shampoo on their hair, then rinse with warm water and dry them well with a dry towel.
Guinea pigs can be bathed 2-4 times a year when they cannot be cleaned properly in any other way.
Read more: Can Guinea Pigs Live Alone? Let’s Find Out
What does it mean when guinea pigs clean themselves on you?
Sometimes guinea pigs know how to clean themselves from us owners and you must be wondering why they do it.
They do it as a sign of happiness, affection, and trust, that’s why sometimes, apart from themselves, they also clean us, the owners.
When guinea pigs lick you, then you can be sure that you are keeping and caring for your guinea pig in the right way.
Read more: Can Guinea Pigs Get Fleas? (All You Need To Know)
