Grooming Guinea Pigs: Nail Trimming, Brushing, and Bathing

The grooming needs of short-haired guinea pigs are minimal but if you have a breed with long hair, you will need to invest more time into caring for them. Regardless of their hair length though, all guinea pigs require regular nail trimming.

How to Cut Guinea Pig Nails

You can use human nail clippers or nail clippers designed for cats and other small animals. These look like little scissors with small notches toward the end of the blade for cutting the nail. Some people even use nail clippers meant for babies but nail clippers designed for dogs are too large.

Aim to clip your guinea pig's nails at least once a month, although you can do it more often if necessary. As the nails get longer, the blood vessel called the "quick" gets longer too and the nails will start to curl. Regular nail clipping helps keep the nails in good shape for walking and the quick at an appropriate length for trimming.

1. Sit Down and Hold Your Guinea Pig

   Place your guinea pig on your lap facing away from you with its rump against your stomach. This will keep your guinea pig from backing up.
   

   Hold your guinea pig upright and onto its hind legs with its back against your body by placing your hand lightly around your guinea pig's chest. Make sure its hind end is supported—either on your lap if you are sitting down or with your other hand.
   

2. Secure the Body

   Gently wrap up your guinea pig's body and three of its legs in a light towel, leaving one leg free for clipping the nails. If you choose this method, be careful not to wrap too tightly so that your guinea pig can still breathe easily and take a break between legs to reduce stress and the chance of overheating. (If you have a particularly calm guinea pig, this step may not be necessary.)

3. Choose a Paw to Work On

   With the hand you're using to hold the guinea pig to your chest, use two fingers to hold the guinea pig's exposed paw still.

4. Clip the Sharp Tip of the Nail

   The trick with nail trims is to cut the sharp tip off the nail without cutting into the quick. If you cut into the quick the nail will bleed and it will hurt your guinea pig.

   If your guinea pig has light or translucent nails, the quick will be visible as the pink part inside the nail. Make your cut in front of the quick, towards the end of the nail. If you cut too close to the quick it may still be painful for your guinea pig.

   If your guinea pig has dark-colored nails, you can sometimes guess where it's safe to cut based on the shape of the nail, although this takes practice. The tip of the nail is usually quite narrow and may almost appear hollow when viewed from the bottom. Otherwise, it is safest to just clip off about 1/4 inch of the nail tip.
   

5. Repeat on All Paws

   Shift the towel and how you're holding your guinea pig to expose a different paw. Clip the nails. Repeat until all paws on are. Give your guinea pig breaks as needed.
   

Dealing With Accidents

No matter how careful you are, at one point you may accidentally cut into the quick and cause bleeding. Don't panic if this happens. While it will bleed and hurt your guinea pig for just a moment, it's not disastrous and you can stop the bleeding easily using various methods:

• Styptic powder can be applied to the nail tip that is bleeding. These powders sometimes sting momentarily but are highly effective in stopping the bleeding.
• Cornstarch or flour can also be used in a similar manner.
• Try pressing the nail into a bar of soap or beeswax.
• For minor bleeding, simply applying pressure to the tip of the nail for 5 minutes may be effective.

Make sure the bleeding has stopped before placing your guinea pig back in its cage or leaving it unattended.

Brushing

Regular brushing will help keep your guinea pig's coat in good condition.

1. Use a small, stiff brush and a small metal comb and brush in the direction your guinea pig's hair is going.
2. While brushing and combing your guinea pig, you should also check for problems such as lice or sores on the skin.

The need for brushing depends on how long your guinea pig's hair is and whether your guinea pig is shedding excessively.

Long-haired guinea pig breeds should have any mats combed out every day. If you have a hard time managing the long coat, the hair can also be trimmed to more easily manage. Simply trim the longer hair so it's not dragging on the ground using hair scissors or see a groomer for advice.

Short-haired guinea pigs need only be brushed about once a week but if they are shedding and losing more hair than usual, brush them at least every other day.

Bathing a Guinea Pig

Bathing is quite stressful for guinea pigs but thankfully there are only a few reasons why your guinea pig would ever need to get a bath. Unless your guinea pig gets lice, gets urine or feces on its fur, or is about to be in a show or other competition, you'll probably never have to bathe it if you brush it regularly. If you do give your guinea pig a bath, use a shampoo designed especially for guinea pigs. Otherwise, use a mild unscented, non-medicated shampoo that is safe for use on kittens.

1. Prepare a shallow pan of warm water and place your guinea pig in it.
2. Using a small cup, gently pour water over your guinea pig's body being careful to avoid the face.
3. Lather your guinea pig's body with the shampoo. Don't get shampoo or water in its eyes or ears.
4. Rinse the shampoo off very well and towel dry your guinea pig as best as you can.
5. Make sure your guinea pig stays in a nice warm place until it is completely dry to avoid it getting a chill and getting sick.