The birth of a baby goat is very exciting. Along with excitement, you probably have a natural instinct to do whatever you can to keep the baby goat happy and healthy. The first couple weeks of any mammal’s life is extremely important for their development and health in the future.
We are often asked questions related to the hygiene of a baby goat. In particular, we are asked if you should give a baby goat a bath. We will cover that topic in today’s article, and hopefully all of your questions will be answered.
Why you should give a baby goat a bath?
There are definitely some advantages of giving a goat a bath. There is definitely a chance your goat has rolled around in some mud (or poop), and developed a foul smell. A bath would certainly help fix this problem. If your baby goat has developed lice, a bath is a great way to treat the problem.
Why you shouldn’t give a baby goat a bath?
Giving a baby goat can certainly be risky. Even if you use hot water, your goat can become very cold if you don’t dry him completely. This can be very dangerous if your goat develops shivers, as its body is very weak and not prepared to fight against being cold. Additionally, a mother goat will almost always clean and groom their baby goat on their own.
A bath can also disrupt your baby goat’s sleep schedule.
Can you give a baby goat a bath?
You can definitely give a baby goat a bath, but if you do, you need to ensure that you completely dry the baby goat afterwards. We suggest using warm water if possible. You should also dry your baby goat with warm towels from the drier. You should make sure the baby goat’s fur and skin are completely dry.
We only recommend bathing a baby goat if it has rolled around in dirt and has become filthy. You should also definitely bathe your baby goat if there are lice on its skin. Make sure to use a lice shampoo that is safe for goats.
If you decide not to bathe your goat, the mother will most likely groom it enough on its own. Also, an alternative to bathing a baby goat is brushing its skin. While this won’t help with lice, it will help remove dried dirt from a baby goat’s skin.
