Guinea Pig Grooming

Once your guinea pigs are used to you, they’ll enjoy a nice brush when you’re handling them. If you want to brush your pets then it’s most comfortable for them to have their hair brushed in the direction it’s growing in - like us, having our hair pushed in a different direction isn’t very comfortable and your pet won’t thank you for it!

If your guinea pig has short hair and is in good health then you don’t need to do any serious grooming, as long as you give them a little brush over at fairly regular intervals. Guinea pigs are clean creatures, and will do most of their own grooming themselves. However, if you have a long-haired guinea pig then they’ll probably need daily grooming in order to keep their coats tangle-free and clear of any mess that they’re likely to pick up in their day-to-day life. If your long-haired guinea pig isn’t going to be shown, you might want to consider cutting their hair to a more manageable length.

Guinea pigs with long hair will need more time investment

Whether of the short or long-haired variety, it’s likely that guinea pigs will need to have their rumps cleaned in order to get rid of the substances that comes from their grease gland. The grease gland is one of the methods guinea pigs use to mark their territory, but the substance that they produce from it is a little sticky and will need to be cleaned off. To do this, use a bit of washing up liquid, guinea pig shampoo or a grease dissolver fit for human skin. Leave it on the greasy area for a few minutes and then rinse it off - the grease should come with it and you’ll have a nice clean guinea pig.