Nails
In the wild, guinea pig nails would get naturally worn down due to the constant abrasion from wood and stone. The cage environment with its soft bedding, wood, and bricks, will simply not prevent your pet's nails from growing long and painful. The additions of rough materials like rock and stone can keep nails short under ideal circumstances but this must be monitored. If your guinea pig's nails grow too long they can actually curve around and pierce the paw, which leads to pain and infection.
Unlike us, guinea pigs have blood vessels which run through parts of the nails. If you clip the nail too short you can pierce this area and cause pain. There are two solutions to this problem. The first is if your pet has clear nails, simply avoid the pink area extending from the bone. If your furry friend has opaque black nails, this area will not be visible. Instead you will want to just cut the smallest portion off the tips but you will want to do this more often as with just a little neglect the nails could grow too long.
If you do pierce the quick, a product you will find useful is "Quick Stop" which can be found at most pet stores. Quick stop will stop the bleeding immediately. If you do not have Quick Stop, use iodine instead.
Cutting your guinea pigs nails is not going to be easy, especially right at first. Expect your pet to squirm and generally be uncooperative. We recommend making the task easier on both of you by wrapping him or her in a towel leaving only the feet exposed. Have one person hold the guinea pig and the other person cut the nails.
Teeth
Guinea pigs, like other rodents, have teeth that grow continuously longer over the course of their lifetime. If the teeth grow too long your pet will not be able to eat and suffer pain and discomfort. Please do not attempt to cut your his or her teeth yourself. This is a task for a trained veterinarian. Instead, your attention should be focused on providing objects for your guinea pig to chew on which will keep his or her teeth shorter naturally. We recommend providing hard foods, toilet paper tubes, stale bread, and hay cubes. Just keep in mind that you will need to continually monitor tooth length.
In addition to monitoring tooth length, also keep an eye on tooth condition. Check for chips, breaks, etc. Anything of this nature will require a vet visit.
Brushing
To keep your guinea pig's coat shiny and healthy you will want to brush it regularly. If your pet is long haired, plan to brush every day. Short haired guinea pigs can get away with brushing every few days or so. All you need for this task is a soft bristle baby brush. Longer hair might require a metal comb (metal grey hound combs do the task well) - something that can actually comb through tangles.
Bathing
Guinea pigs do not need to be bathed on a regular basis unless they get into something. If you do need to bath him or her, please fill a dish with warm water - making sure the water level is not above your pet's head. You will need to be present and monitor the bath at all times. Lightly wash your guinea pig's fur until clean using gentle baby shampoo. Medicated shampoos may not be necessary unless recommended by your vet. After bathing, wrap your furry friend in a towel and keep warm until dry.
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