Questions about Guinea Pig

[Sun Chang]

Hi,

I bought a new guinea pig 2day... Not sure of it breed though... The lady
at the pet shop has no idea too... It's hair is pretty long n it's black
(with a few white patches of hair)... Does anybody know wat breed this is?

Also, I was trying to buy a drinking water bottle from the pet shop but the
lady told me tat it would be fine for me to put in just a pet dish... She
says tat guinea pigs can drink from pet dish... Is it true??? I'm confused
(*__*)>???

Btw, how do I bath my guinea pig???

Thanks!!!

Sun (*O~)v

[genosen]

There are many long-haired breeds so it's really difficult to say what yours
is without further description. The variety should be Broken Black/White.
Long hairs can come in many colours, so do post what your piggy's hair looks
like (how it parts/flows).

I think it's better to serve in a drinking bottle. It's definitely cleaner
since the piggy won't have a chance of kicking bedding, poop, pee, food,
etc. in it. Using a pet dish is messy and the water dirties easily. Plus,
the pig may be hopping all around, and you wouldn't want the poor thing wet.

You should only bathe when necessary or when the guinea pig has a
parasitical/skin condition. Although, long hairs are more prone to baths
since they get their hair dirty and messy easier than short hair pigs. Make
sure you use warm water. I hold mine over the bathroom sink and pour warm
water over it. You would need a firm grip but do not grasp too strong since
it may hurt the piggy. Then, I soap it with a small animal/kitten shampoo.
Make sure you don't get any around it's facial area. I also use a mild
children conditioner to help ease the matts out. Use a wide tooth comb to go
through the conditioned hair. Rinse thoroughly and towel dry, blotting its
ears gently. Leave it in a warm spot to dry off or use the blow dryer on low
setting. I would use the blow dryer with my long hair pig since it takes
forever for it to dry of on its own.

gen.

Sun Chang <sunn...@iprimus.com.au> wrote in message
news:3ac9...@news.iprimus.com.au...

[Angi Andrews]

Hi Sun,

I don't know about the breed you have got :-(
But I prefer a drinking bottle to a dish with water. I tried both, but in
the dish the water gets dirty so quickly! I never give my guineapig a bath.
I think, they should have a bath only in an emergency (certain parasites, or
if they are full of oil etc.)

Have fun with your new guineapig :-)
Angi

"Sun Chang" <sunn...@iprimus.com.au> wrote in message
news:3ac9...@news.iprimus.com.au...

[Muggles 1363]

>I bought a new guinea pig 2day

In case you didn't already know, it's a good idea to quarantine the new piggie.
At least two weeks, in separate rooms, and wash your hands in between handling
each pig. The stress of being in the pet store and then coming home often
weakens piggies immune systems and they get sick.
I can't help you with the breed. If you could get a picture online, we might
be able to give you ideas. In the US, most pet store piggies are mutts.

> She
>says tat guinea pigs can drink from pet dish...

They can drink out of dishes, but they should be heavy so they can't be tipped
over and placed so that litter can't be kicked into them. I use waterbottles
because they're easy.

>Btw, how do I bath my guinea pig???

Warm water, kitten (or rabbit) shampoo, don't get their heads wet and dry them
completely before putting them back in the cage. Most piggies will tolerate a
blow drier on a low, cool setting. Mine freak out when I first turn it on then
realize, oh, we like this....
Melanie