Is Mineral Oil Safe To Use for Guinea Pigs?

Do you want to clean your guinea pig and wonder if mineral oil is safe for guinea pigs or not? The answer is a bold YES. Use mineral oil to effectively clean the guinea pig’s ears and bottom. It should never be used as food.

Maintain hygiene by regularly cleaning and grooming your guinea pigs. It keeps the pet happy and free from infections. Read on to find out how to use mineral oil to clean cavy’s ears and bottom.

Is Mineral Oil Safe To Use for Guinea Pigs?

Yes. Mineral oil is safe and effective for use in cleaning guinea pigs. In fact, it is the best cleaning agent you can get. It breaks down grease and makes it easy to clean without exerting pressure when wiping.

Fortunately, mineral oil is affordable and readily available. You can find it in the nearby store or just across the streets. You have no excuse why you should not keep your little, cute cavies clean. Get it today to clean your guinea pig ears and bottom.

What Are You Going To Do With The Mineral Oil?

Mineral oil is very effective as a cleaning agent. It can be used in many different ways. But for maintaining guinea pig hygiene, you can consider it for cleaning ears and bottom site. Any wax or stains can be removed by the mineral oil.

Clean Your Guinea Pig’s Ears

Guinea pigs often have dry ears that can scale and accumulate dead skin. The earwax cements these dead skin cells over time, causing itchiness, infection, and attracting mites. This problem is more common in some breeds than others.

You should regularly clean the guinea pig’s ears about 2-3 times a year. Cleaning helps to remove the earwax and dead skin that can attract mites and make your cavies uncomfortable.

Some guinea pig breeds are just not comfortable with ear cleaning. If that is the case, give it some time to rest. Give them their favorite snack and try cleaning once again.

Cleaning guinea pigs’ ears with mineral oil or any other appropriate cleaning liquid. In this case, we will highlight the steps to follow when using mineral oil. There should not be much difference using others.

• Step 1: Spread a fleece liner or towel on a flat surface and put your guinea pig on it. Ensure its comfort.
• Step 2: Draw about 5ml of mineral oil in a syringe or pipette.
• Step 3: Pull the guinea pig close to your body for a comfortable hold and apply a few oil drops on the ear fold. Do that carefully, and don’t let oil flow down through the canal.
• Step 4: Use your hands to gently massage the guinea pig, spreading the oil inside the ear folds in the process.
• Step 5: use a cotton pad to wipe the ear fold to remove oil, which should come with earwax and dead skin.
• Step 6: Rub the ear folds with a cotton bud dipped in the mineral oil to further clean them. Just wipe the parts of the year that you can see, never reaching the ear canal.
• Step 7: Once the first ear is clean, move to the other ear. Repeat the steps for this ear.

Clean Your Guinea Pig’s Bottom Side

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Poor hygiene can risk the life of your guinea pigs. Regularly cleaning its bottom side is one of the ways of ensuring that your cavy is healthy and happy.

A poop attached to the skin or near the anal region can start to smell and attract disease-causing pathogens.

Boars or older males are likely to develop anal impaction. This is a condition where the guinea pig cannot pass out poop properly because of the weak anal muscles.

As a result, they accumulate in the perineal sac and cause discomfort. Females or young males rarely have this problem.

Male guinea pigs have a scent gland or grease gland above the tail. This gland helps them to secret scents for marking their territories. The area around this gland may become greasy, sticky, and smelly over time. If left uncleaned can cause infection and irritation.

Guinea pig’s bottom gets dirty when it is on a poor diet or unsuitable lifestyle. You may need to check these two to save the situation. Include a diet high in fiber and hay.

How often should you clean your guinea pig’s bottom? Well, that depends on the severity of anal impaction. You may need to do it daily, weekly, or monthly. To clean your guinea pigs’ bottom, proceed as follows:

• Step 1: Spread fleece liner or towel on a flat surface and lay the guinea pig upside down on it. Ensure comfort.
• Step 2: Smear a small amount of mineral oil around the anus and carefully push the bottom side near the anus to squeeze the impacted dropping out.
• Step 3: If step two did not remove all the impacted mass, use a cotton bud to clear the remainder. Do not probe the sack. Also, stop the procedure if your guinea pig is resistant. Give it a break and proceed later after giving a snack.

Where Can I Buy Mineral Oil For Guinea Pigs?

You can buy mineral oil for guinea pigs in nearby stores. You can also look for them online on Amazon or your preferred drug store. Mineral oils are readily available. So, it will not take you long before you find the best seller.

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Alternatives To Mineral Oil

Mineral oil does not have many alternatives, but you can consider coconut oil or olive oil. These are equally soft, moisturizing, effective in cleaning guinea pigs, and are safe. They will not harm your little piggies.

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Conclusion

Thank you for reading this article at Pestive. We are grateful and encourage you to explore the site for topics related to guinea pig keeping as a pet. Also, share this article with other pet lovers to pass the information.