[Gpdd] Re: Care - Bathing Pigs

[Donna Lenz]

Paula,

Pigs shouldn't be bathed weekly.  The natural oils in their coats would dry
out.  Some of the information on the net and also in books is truly
outdated. Pigs are naturally clean animals and bath themselves much as a
cat does.

If your piggys do need a bath, safe shampoos are Bunny Bath, Selsun Blue
and some shampoos made for kittens.  Be careful with those - I bought one
that said it was safe - and it actually made Dusty's hair fall out and her
back scab.  She was a silkie.  It was sad as she was so sore - and the vet
was as shocked as I was.  I prefer the Selsun Blue with Aloe myself.  The
pigs smell wonderful, and it does a great job. If you bath, use baby
temperature water, and wash from the neck back.  Never soap their heads.
Keep them in a fluffy warm towel (I change them a few times) until they
dry.

As far as salads - Vitamin C - I feed my crew Oxbow Cavy Cusine, TONS of
Oxbow Timothy & Orchard Grass Hay, along with a bowl of salad every day.
It varies with romaine, red leaf, green leaf, chickory, dandelions,
brocoli, parsely, cilantro, green beans, red/yellow/green/orange peppers,
tomatos, baby carrots, apples, pears, blueberries, strawberries, melons,
oranges, pink grapefruit.  Everyone has their own salad bowl, and at about
3:45 PM you start to hear a squeak of two.  By 4:00 PM - you have 6 pigs
SCREAMING and banging th bars of their cages if their salads have not been
delivered.

Good Luck with your little ones!

Donna