Photo Credit: @sausagelinx
Especially if you have outdoor mini pigs that like to roll around in the mud, you will need to bathe them often. Bathing them yourself can be a bit of a challenge, but trust me you can do it. There are many natural shampoos you can use that are healthy for your pig as well.
So, how do you bathe your pig? Make an outside shower area and spray your pig with your hose (having a hose nozzle will help). You could also use your kitchen sink, bathtub, or a kitty pool. Some shampoo can hurt your pig, so make sure you only use the shampoos that I’ve provided links to below. Water should be slightly warmer than room temperature.
Sometimes when your pig’s feet get wet, they have a natural reaction to pee, or sometimes they might even poop inside your bathtub. This is why I recommend doing it outside as long as it is warm enough.
If you decide on giving them baths in a bathtub, I would recommend getting an anti-slip mat such as this one on Amazon so your pig doesn’t slip in the tub. You could also just lay down a towel on the bathtub floor.
When you first bathe your pig, they will probably squeal and try to run away. If this happens, you can usually stop it by feeding your pig as you bathe them. One of my friends had a big problem with their pig hating baths, but he stopped it by smearing peanut butter in the bathtub before bath time.
What shampoo should you use?
Pigs naturally have dry skin, and many pet pigs suffer from problems that come from that. Using regular shampoo only makes their skin dryer, and it might start to become visually noticeable. Luckily, there are some shampoos that you can use that will avoid this.
This shampoo here on Amazon is my and many of my friend’s favorite shampoo for our pigs. Not only does this shampoo not strip your pig of their natural oils that keep their skin moist, it is also all-natural.
What if they won’t stop squealing?
Some mini pigs take longer to get used to things than others. You need to have patients and let them realize that the water isn’t scary. When they try running away, just pick them up and put them back in the sink. Eventually, they will get used to the water and stop squealing, trust me.
It’s best to introduce your pig to baths at an early age because it is much harder to do this if they are very big and strong. The first bath should be in a sink to make things as easy as possible.
As I’ve said above, you can use food to calm your pig down and you can also give them belly rubs. Anything that you can do to distract them from the bath will help them realize that the bath really isn’t that scary after all. Floating Cheerios on top of the water is something you could do.
How much should you bathe your pig
You should bathe your pig no more than 2 times per month. Anything more than this might start to make their skin very dry, which can lead to many additional problems.
If you keep your pig inside, I would recommend bathing them often as they can drag lots of dirt inside your home. Sometimes it’s hard to see how dirty your pig actually is (especially if they have black hair).
Cleaning your pig’s eyes and ears
Gunk will build up around your pig’s eyes and ears and it should be washed pretty regularly. You can use a small brush or washcloth to get rid of this gunk. Q-tips are usually not necessary, but if you have to use them you can.
Products you can get that make cleaning your pig easier
On Amazon, I’ve found some cool products that will help you bathe your pig. This one here is a shower glove that lets you give your pig belly rubs while water is flowing through it and cleaning your pig. It’s a great way that you can bathe your pig and keep them calm as you give them belly scratches at the same time.
You can also get a sprayer that attaches to a showerhead such as this one here. This makes bathing your pig very quick and easy.
And lastly, if you use a hose to bathe your pig, a hose nozzle such as this one will help as you can put it into a shower specific mode.
What to do after you give your pig a bath
After you bathe your pig, you strip away a lot of the dirt and natural oils that were blocking them from getting sunburned. If they go back outside, I would recommend putting sunscreen on your pig.
On a hot summer day when pigs like to roll in the mud, get a kiddy pool for them to go in instead. Otherwise it’s a natural instinct for pigs to roll in mud because it cools them down and protects them from the sun.
More of a visual learner?
If you still aren’t confident in bathing your pig, check out the video below to see someone else do it to their pig.
