Care Corner: Guinea Pig Grooming Tips

Cute little critters like guinea pigs need care just like any other pet in the family. It is important to take good care of your guinea pig so they can live a long, happy life.

Why It’s Important

Keeping your guinea pig well cared for ensures their happiness and can reduce the need for emergency vet visits. Listed below are 5 grooming tips to make it easier to keep your guinea pig comfortable, clean, happy and out of the emergency vet!

1. Cut your guinea pig’s nails as this is an important part of their ongoing care. To get them used to nail trims, simply pair the touching of a pig’s toes with the sight of the clippers and the taste of a delicious treat. Eventually, once they see the nail trimmer, they anticipate the treat and likely won’t be bothered by the trim! And click here to hear a heartwarming story about Jeffrey the guinea pig’s recent nail trim thanks to a visit from a Phinney’s volunteer.
2. Make sure you provide guinea pigs with what supplies to prevent tooth root impaction. A guinea pig’s teeth are “open rooted,” meaning they grow continuously throughout their lives. This means guinea pigs need to grind down their teeth with daily chewing to prevent tooth-related issues. Along with high-fiber hay, you can provide your guinea pig with branches and twigs from trees that have not been sprayed with pesticides, and small pieces of unpainted, untreated wood. These will also keep your guinea pig from getting bored!
3. Maintain a clean living environment. Guinea pigs actually don’t need baths unless they’re soiled in feces or urine, but it’s important to make sure they are always living in a clean environment.  Regularly remove soiled bedding, droppings, and stale food daily, and clean their habitat weekly with warm water and mild soap before letting it dry and adding new bedding.
4. ​Give a guinea pig a simple “butt bath” if necessary but not more than that. Guinea pigs don’t like being immersed in water, so by  just putting them in an inch or two of water in the sink, and spraying their butt with a sink sprayer you can usually get them clean without causing them distress. Non-medicated soap, such as liquid Dawn or Ivory, or any mild pet shampoo, is generally acceptable for the bath, just make sure you rinse it off thoroughly!
5. Use a fine-toothed comb for brushing a guinea pig. This will help grab loose hairs more easily than other brushes. 

Check Out These Resources

Visit our Care Corner web page for more information on husbandry, exercise and proper grooming for your guinea pig.

What You Can Do To Help

​Phinney’s believes in keeping people and their beloved pets together. We do this by extending a helping hand to pet parents in need when these emergency vet visits become too costly for some to afford. Ways you can help include donating to Phinney’s or volunteering.  And, anyone in need of help in caring for their pets can visit our Get Help page for more information.