Barbering

[Mollir]

Hi everyone, I'm only 14 and I've had my piggys for a year now I have one slightly older that the other as the younger one sadly replaced Oswin my old piggy who sadly died within the first 2 weeks as a result of being the runt. Anyway I have been really caught up in exams and end of year projects as I am currently transitioning into GCSE and my mum and younger sister have been taking care of my Guinea pigs and I don't know what they've been giving or feeding them. My mum has been cleaning them out and she is a little OCD so she cleaner them for 2 hours so I'm sure she did it properly. Anyway I went to go see my piggys earlier for the first time in a while to find that my long hair piggy (Ronaldo) had gotten short hair. It looked to have been cut or chewed and he had lost around 3-4 inches of it. Me and my mum have cut his hair previously and it has grown back. But I have read a lot on barbering and I am wondering if there is a problem he didn't look to be in any discomfort or pain and my other piggy (messi) was completely normal. I read that this could be down to lack of hay and was thinking of giving my piggys two lots a day to see if this would help. They are also due a bath tomorrow so I wonder if that could help the situation. I am worried about them as this has never happened in a year of having them. Are any of these good ideas and does anyone have any experience in similar situations. I would really apreiciat help with this as j love my Guineas to prices and I would die if anything were to happen to them. Like I have said I am only 14 so I don't have much experience and these are my first pigs. Thank you for reading - Mollie

 

[Adelle]

Hi Mollie,

Is the piggies hair short everywhere? Or jusy one area? Is it just short or is it sparse (u can see his skin)?

If it is sparse, u may want to have him checked by the vet for mites or some other skin complaint.

A piggy can sometimes barber its own hair in a certain area, if there is pain internally in that area. This would cause just patches of short hair, however.

If his hair is just short all over like hes had a hair cut, it could be your other piggy doing it! It shouldnt cause any problems if your other pig doesnt mind having his hair trimmed by his friend! Here is some info on that:
Barbering ( Eating Hair)
You could provide some new toys to see if it distracts them.

Guinea pigs should have good quality timothy/meadow hay available at ALL times, as this should make up 70-80% of their diet. Please ensure they always have a big pile of that everyday.

Here is some info on a balanced diet:
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

Hope this helps x

 

[Mollir]

Hi Mollie,

Is the piggies hair short everywhere? Or jusy one area? Is it just short or is it sparse (you can see his skin)?

If it is sparse, you may want to have him checked by the vet for mites or some other skin complaint.

A piggy can sometimes barber its own hair in a certain area, if there is pain internally in that area. This would cause just patches of short hair, however.

If his hair is just short all over like hes had a hair cut, it could be your other piggy doing it! It shouldnt cause any problems if your other pig doesnt mind having his hair trimmed by his friend! Here is some info on that:
Barbering ( Eating Hair)
You could provide some new toys to see if it distracts them.

Guinea pigs should have good quality timothy/meadow hay available at ALL times, as this should make up 70-80% of their diet. Please ensure they always have a big pile of that everyday.

Here is some info on a balanced diet:
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

Hope this helps x

Yes this helped a lot it was short all over and they usually do have a lot of hay and meusli. As I said these are my first piggies so there's a lot I am finding out and this has cleared a lot up. Thank you !

 

[Adelle]

Yes this helped a lot it was short all over and they usually do have a lot of hay and meusli. As I said these are my first piggies so there's a lot I am finding out and this has cleared a lot up. Thank you !

Pellets are usually recommended over muesli, just because it means they cant pick out certain bits and are getting all the nutrients they need! This is covered in the balanced diet link too :-)

 

[Mollir]

Pellets are usually recommended over muesli, just because it means they cant pick out certain bits and are getting all the nutrients they need! This is covered in the balanced diet link too :-)

Ok thank you I will try switching once the bag is finished

 

[Adelle]

Ok thank you I will try switching once the bag is finished

Adding in a small amount of the new pellets to their muesli then gradually giving more pellets and less muesli as the days go on will help their tummies adjust easier without any problems hopefully!

You are welcome :-)

 

[Mollir]

Adding in a small amount of the new pellets to their muesli then gradually giving more pellets and less muesli as the days go on will help their tummies adjust easier without any problems hopefully!

You are welcome :-)

This is another thing I didn't think of. Thank you !