If you are a first-time guinea pig owner, you probably have no idea what kind of shampoo to use on your pet, but you are probably starting to realize it needs a bath. There are plenty of brands out there, but it can be challenging to dig through them all. Many brands are for small animals and don’t target guinea pigs specifically, which can make choosing a shampoo tough.
We have chosen eight of the best-selling guinea pig shampoos to review for you so you can learn more about them. We’ll tell you everything we like and don’t like about each one so you can see what brands fit your requirements. We’ve also included a short buyer’ guide where we discuss what makes a good guinea pig shampoo, as well as what ingredients are potentially harmful.
Keep reading while we discuss ingredients, fragrance, cost, and more to help you make an informed purchase.
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2024
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Best Overall
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Kaytee Squeaky Clean Critter Shampoo |
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Best Value
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Marshall Foaming Waterless Shampoo |
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Premium Choice
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Vetericyn FoamCare Medium Density Hair Shampoo |
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Innovet Pet Products Oatmeal & Honey Shampoo |
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Johnson's 19-0260 |
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The 8 Best Guinea Pig Shampoos
1. Kaytee Squeaky Clean Critter Shampoo – Best Overall
Kaytee Squeaky Clean Critter Shampoo is our pick for the best overall guinea pig shampoo available. This brand uses a tearless formula to provide maximum comfort for your pet while bathing. It’s also pH balanced, so it shouldn’t irritate the skin or cause an allergic reaction. It produces soft, shiny hair and comes in an 8-ounce bottle.
The only thing we didn’t like while we were reviewing the Kaytee Squeaky Clean Critter Shampoo was that it produces a strong odor, and a few of our pets didn’t seem to like it.
2. Marshall Foaming Waterless Shampoo – Best Value
The Marshall Foaming Waterless Shampoo is our pick as the best guinea pig shampoo for the money. This brand cleans and conditions the coat without the need to add water. It’s perfect for spot cleaning your pet between baths, and the coat feels softer without any residue left behind.
The primary downside to the Marshall Foaming Waterless Shampoo is that there isn’t much in a bottle, and we usually used a lot to get our guinea pig clean.
3. Vetericyn FoamCare Medium Density Hair Shampoo – Premium Choice
The Vetericyn FoamCare Medium Density Hair Shampoo is our premium choice, top of the line brand. This brand uses a formula for moderately dense hair like that of a guinea pig. It penetrates and conditions the hair and leaves it feeling soft and smelling nice. The scent is subtle and not overpowering like many other brands and shouldn’t bother your pet. It also provides nutrients that protect your pet’s skin.
Besides the high cost, the only problem we experienced with the Vetericyn FoamCare Medium Density Hair Shampoo as that it required quite a bit of rinsing to remove all of the product.
4. Innovet Pet Products Oatmeal & Honey Shampoo
Innovet Pet Products Oatmeal & Honey Shampoo is a top-quality brand that allows you to detangle, cleanse, and moisturize your pet’s coat. If you have more animals besides your guinea pig, this brand has proven effective on a wide range of animals, and you can probably use it for your other pets, too. It has 100% plant-derived ingredients like oatmeal and honey and is safe for sensitive skin. It soothes the skin and can help reduce allergies in some pets. It’s available in a 16-ounce bottle so you won’t have to buy it every time.
The main downside to the Innovet Pet Products Oatmeal & Honey Shampoo is that it’s expensive. We also found it difficult to rinse thoroughly.
5. Johnson’s Small Animal Cleansing Shampoo
The Johnson’s 19-0260 Cleansing Shampoo is a shampoo designed for small animals like the guinea pig. This formula cleanses and deodorizes at the same time, so your pet is left feeling soft with a fresh smell. Its non-irritant formula should be safe to use on pets with sensitive skin.
Our concern with Johnson’s 19-0260 Cleansing Shampoo is the large warning on the package about getting the product into the eyes of your pet. This warning made us somewhat afraid to use it as our guinea pigs like to move around a lot while we bath them.
6. Odie and Cody Natural Pet Shampoo
The Odie and Cody Natural Pet Shampoo is an organic shampoo that contains no fragrances or synthetic ingredients. This product moisturizes and deodorizes your pet as it’s cleaning, and we found that it leaves your guinea pig with a soft coat. It contains anti-itch ingredients that not only prevent itching but help soothe any itchy patches that are already present. All ingredients are bio-degradable, and the container uses recycled materials and is also bio-degradable.
The main downside to the Odie and Cody Natural Pet Shampoo is its horrible smell. A natural scent doesn’t always equal a pleasing scent. You will want to use this product with ventilation, even though the vapors aren’t harmful. The lid on this brand is also very flimsy and broke on two different bottles that we owned, and a bottle of this shampoo is quite expensive.
7. Arm & Hammer Tearless Shampoo
The Arm & Hammer FF7935 Tearless Shampoo is a shampoo brought to you from a well known and trusted brand. This shampoo cleans and nourishes your pet’s coat, and we found that it left the fur feeling soft and smelling nice without an overpowering fragrance. It’s pH balanced for small animals, so it won’t bother your guinea pig’s sensitive skin.
The downside to the Arm & Hammer FF7935 Tearless Shampoo is that we found it one of the more challenging brands to rinse from the skin. It would normally take two or three tries before we were satisfied it rinsed completely. The lid is also very leaky and causes it to spill everywhere.
8. Fluppets Certified Organic Pet Shampoo
Fluppets Certified Organic Pet Shampoo uses 100% all-natural ingredients, including organic oils. There are no synthetically derived ingredients and no petroleum or animal by-products. The formula is highly concentrated, and a single 26-ounce bottle will likely last you the lifetime of your pet.
The downside to Fluppets Certified Organic Pet Shampoo is that it’s very challenging to remove from the fur, and you can tell when you missed some after it dries. It also makes the fur soft but slightly rough, and it will grab at a comb as you pull it through the hair. This shampoo is also one of the most expensive on this list.
Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Guinea Pig Shampoos
In almost all cases, human shampoo has too many harsh chemicals to use it on your guinea pig or any other small animals. Some people recommend Johnson’s Baby Shampoo if you have no other alternative, but we recommend using brands created for the guinea pig whenever possible.
Flea Shampoo
If your guinea pig is afflicted with fleas or another type of parasite, we recommend consulting a veterinarian immediately and use the prescribed brand of flea shampoo. You will need a medicated shampoo, and while there are brands you can buy at the pet store, there are none on our list of reviews, and we don’t consider them a product you would buy under ordinary circumstances.
Ingredients
When purchasing a brand of shampoo for your guinea pig, it’s always better to look for brands that use 100% all-natural ingredients. Try to stay away from products that have a lot of strange ingredients, especially if the ingredients are petroleum-based. Synthetic and petroleum-based ingredients can irritate your pet’s sensitive skin and might cause an allergic relation.
Tear-Free
One of the most important things to look for when choosing a shampoo for your guinea pig is that it’s tear-free. Most brands that have a tear-free formula state it clearly on the label. We recommend always choosing a brand that states it is tear-free.
Ease of Use
If you try a lot of different shampoos, you are likely to find a few that are impossible to rinse from your pet’s fur. This problem can be frustrating, especially if your pet does not like to bathe. Whenever possible, we tried to let you know about any brands that gave us trouble during our reviews, but you’ll need to rely on trial and error when you try out other brands.
Giving Your Guinea Pig a Bath
Let’s go ever the basic steps of giving your guinea pig a bath in case you have any questions.
We recommend that you follow these steps every month during the warmer seasons and every other month during the colder seasons to keep your pet clean and healthy. Bathing your pet can reduce unpleasant odor, as well as break up any knots or tangles that may be starting to develop.
Conclusion
When choosing a brand of shampoo for your pet, we recommend something natural and tear-less, without any petroleum-based chemicals. Kaytee Squeaky Clean Critter Shampoo is our pick for the best overall, and it’s a perfect example of a safe product that will result in clean, soft fur. The Marshall Foaming Waterless Shampoo is our pick for the best value, and this brand Is perfect for in-between baths if you feel your pet is developing an odor, or if you are traveling. Either product will give you years of carefree shampooing power.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over these shampoo reviews and picked up a few new tips from our buyer’s guide. If you have found them helpful, please share these best guinea pig shampoo reviews on Facebook and Twitter.
- Related Read:Â Can You Use Ferret Shampoo On Guinea Pigs?
Featured Image Credit By: Shchus, shutterstock
