Grooming

It's time to talk about grooming. Most people think that cavies don't require any grooming and that bathing them is bad for them. That is completely wrong. It is necessary for your pet's health to regularly groom them. Grooming includes bathing, brushing, cleaning nails, and cutting fur (optional)

Bathing

Bathing your cavy is very important. Not only will it keep your pet healthy, but it will help them to smell a lot better too! To bathe a cavy, first, make sure the water is lukewarm-not hot, not cold. You can do this in the bath tub or the sink, but we recommend the sink. Put a wash cloth in the bottom of the sink so that their feet have something to grip. Fill the sink a couple inches with lukewarm water. Make sure the water does NOT reach their nose and they are not trying to swim in the water, that means its too deep. You can use the tap or a cup to wet their fur. Make sure to never get their face or nose wet. Use a baby shampoo, or a shampoo that is made for small animals. (you can find this at most pet stores) Using a shampoo made for people will strip the natural oils in their fur. Gently massage the shampoo into their fur staying below the ears and not going to the face. It helps if you hold them so that the cavy's feet don't dangle, this will give you more control. Make sure to wash their stomach too. After shampooing, gently and thoroughly rinse the shampoo out using the tap or a cup. When you take them out, carefully towel dry them. You can use a blow dryer, but make sure if you do, that it is on low heat, you hold it at least 10 inches away from them, and you don't go near their face. Whichever method you choose, just make sure they are at least 75% dry before you put them into their cage. For a short hair guinea pig, as long as you clean their cage often, bathing once a month should be fine. Bathing more often than that won't hurt anything. For a long haired guinea pig, you will need to bathe them about once a week. This video below should be helpful. Video made by TheCavyClub

Nail Clipping

Clipping your cavy's nails is also very important. If you don't clip your cavy's nails, they will grow curled and be very uncomfortable for your pet to walk. Like bathing, this may not be easy at first, but your cavy will get used to it. Your cavy has a pink part of its nail, and the white overgrown end. It also has a red vein that runs down its nail called the "quick". You want to avoid cutting the quick or into the pink part of the nail. Only clip the tip off the nails. For the back feet you may need to use toe nail clippers. Have a good hold on your cavy's feet before you start clipping. Make sure that you are both comfortable. it helps if you give your cavy a treat like a carrot to keep it occupied while you clip it's nails. This video should be helpful. It was made by TheCavyClub.

Brushing

For short hair cavies, brushing is not necessary. You can, however brush them with a pet brush after bathing to keep them extra clean and soft. For long haired guinea pigs, brushing needs to be done daily.