Caring for a strange hair type

[piggl]

I have a 5 month old boar and I am finding it really hard to care for his hair. (See pictures attached)
He is a mix between a rex, teddy and swiss teddy, he has characteristics from each.
His hair is very dense and almost sort of clumps together, his hair can be really soft but sometimes it’s really rough and I am not sure why. He has long hair at his bottom that just grows outwords, my mum wants me to cut it off but I feel like it makes him him.
He has really curly whiskers and quite harsh feeling hair inbetween his eyes, but soft hair along his cheeks.

He doesn’t like being touched at all, if anything I feel it would maybe feel like someone pulling on his hair when stroked, as it goes in all directions and is, as I said, really dense but clumped together.

I try to brush him atleast once a week but I think he may need it more, I am just not sure how to go about it when he hates being picked up/brushed/touched so much.
When I do brush him, some parts go really smoothly through but the really dense parts gives me some issue, it really upsets him in turn as I imagine it’s quite painful/uncomfortable. Sort of like when dogs get matted and then it’s painful to brush them, but his hair is clumping/being really dense naturally so I am not so what more I can do.

Does anyone have any tips for this, he’s a really nervous pig and already has a somewhat disliking for me due to the nature of what I do for him (invade his space to clean and then take him out and brush him).

I want to make the whole experience better for me and for him. Any advice greatly appreciated!

 

[Piggies&buns]

First, if the hair around his bottom is getting matted at all then if would benefit from being cut off.
Two of my boys also have this long ‘skirt’ that grows outwards and can drag on the floor. Popcorn is smooth but long haired, Wilbur is a teddy type. I have to cut the long hair at the end off otherwise is gets matted and caught up with bedding and hay.
Dexter seems to be more Peruvian (perhaps with some aby traits), and he needs brushing and also to get his hair cut short all over during summer, but always kept short around back end and sides year round.

Cutting Wilbur’s skirt is easy as he doesn’t mind being handled all and it just takes a second. It’s particularly hard on Dex (pops’s skirt cutting can be a very quick thing as he doesn’t need any other type of grooming). Dex hates it, its not a quick job, and brushing and cutting his hair is not easy so I never try to do it all in one go, bribery with coriander and to do it as long as he tolerates is all I can do (He tends to wise onto the fact I’m using coriander bribery quite quickly - the first few sprigs are exciting but you can then see he him go ‘hang on a minute….I’m not falling for this!’ .

 

[piggl]

None of his hair is actually matted, it’s just so dense and tight to his skin I would imagine that brushing it almost feels like pulling on a mat.

Is there a type of brush I could be using?

 

[Piggies&buns]

try parting it and brushing in sections.
I use baby brush mostly but you might find that it won’t go through if his hair is that dense. A comb might be needed but you are going to have to be careful
As I say, Wilbur is a teddy type but it’s not overly dense, but all a brush does is run over the surface is his hair. It doesn’t mat below though so I don’t need to do a whole lot with him.
You may find the same with Reggie - if it isn’t matting and he is in good condition, does he actually need to be brushed?

An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting

 

[Betsy]

Thanks for linking in my Hair Cutting Guide @Piggies&buns I was just about to do that myself but I don't have to now.

 

[piggl]

try parting it and brushing in sections.
I use baby brush mostly but you might find that it won’t go through if his hair is that dense. A comb might be needed but you are going to have to be careful
As I say, Wilbur is a teddy type but it’s not overly dense, but all a brush does is run over the surface is his hair. It doesn’t mat below though so I don’t need to do a whole lot with him.
You may find the same with Reggie - if it isn’t matting and he is in good condition, does he actually need to be brushed?

An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting

Thanks

I just do not know if he is in good condition, because his hair naturally parts into these dense clumps but I can not help but worry its painful or uncomfortable.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks

I just do not know if he is in good condition, because his hair naturally parts into these dense clumps but I can not help but worry its painful or uncomfortable.

He looks in good condition on your picture

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

Looking at the pictures and your description of dense clumps it seems to me he also has some abby in him, giving him rosettes on his rump. Rosettes are not easy to spot on a fuzzy pig because of the fuzziness. Also rosettes naturally form ridges where they meet, if the fur is fuzzy these won't be well defined but will appear as dense clumps and having longer fur on his rump will add to the issue. Having rosettes means the fur grows in different directions and knowing the best direction to brush is not easy. If you gently part the hair on his rump you should be able to find the centre of each rosette. Try using a tooth brush to brush outwards from the centre in the direction the fur is growing.

 

[4boipigs]

The guinea pig in my avatar has a similar hair type, including the longer hair on his rear. I don't do anything special for him. In fact I just leave his hair alone most of the time. I do have to check his boy area more often because his pocket gets filled with hair easier, and sometimes hair will wrap around his penis or get in his sheathe. If the longer hair on the end causes trouble or gets dirty, you can always trim it down.

 

[piggl]

Looking at the pictures and your description of dense clumps it seems to me he also has some abby in him, giving him rosettes on his rump. Rosettes are not easy to spot on a fuzzy pig because of the fuzziness. Also rosettes naturally form ridges where they meet, if the fur is fuzzy these won't be well defined but will appear as dense clumps and having longer fur on his rump will add to the issue. Having rosettes means the fur grows in different directions and knowing the best direction to brush is not easy. If you gently part the hair on his rump you should be able to find the centre of each rosette. Try using a tooth brush to brush outwards from the centre in the direction the fur is growing.

That’s really interesting, thanks for your reply.

I have an abby baby and I can see how his fur grows in different directions, and I imagine reggie would be quite similar if his hair wasn’t so fuzzy/dense.

Thanks again

 

[piggl]

The guinea pig in my avatar has a similar hair type, including the longer hair on his rear. I don't do anything special for him. In fact I just leave his hair alone most of the time. I do have to check his boy area more often because his pocket gets filled with hair easier, and sometimes hair will wrap around his penis or get in his sheathe. If the longer hair on the end causes trouble or gets dirty, you can always trim it down.

Thanks for sharing.

I do think leaving his hair alone (for the most part) would be a good idea, I was originally worried he was matted but the replies have really helped/made me believe he is likely just made like that.

I am wondering, how do you know if he has hair stuck around his penis? Does it show an abnormality or do you have to extract the penis to find the issue, as I am weary of poking around in such sensitive areas often, but would do to help reduce build up etc.

 

[4boipigs]

Thanks for sharing.

I do think leaving his hair alone (for the most part) would be a good idea, I was originally worried he was matted but the replies have really helped/made me believe he is likely just made like that.

I am wondering, how do you know if he has hair stuck around his penis? Does it show an abnormality or do you have to extract the penis to find the issue, as I am weary of poking around in such sensitive areas often, but would do to help reduce build up etc.

Usually there will be hair sticking out from his weenie area so that is how I know to look. I don't go poking around there otherwise, aside from a weekly (or so) check. You may also want to check this out - Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

 

[Princess Dustmop]

I've had a rex and a teddy, and I never found a need to comb either of them. It's only my long-hairs that have needed combing. (I had one short-hair smooth that enjoyed combing, for whatever reason, though it wasn't necessary for grooming purposes.) My first long-hair was a half-Peruvian, so she didn't really need trimming, since her fur was long but not dragging, but she did have to be combed out to keep litter and such out of her fur and to make sure shed fur didn't get caught and create a mat. My current long-hair is a lunkarya; she gets some trimming around the rump to prevent icky fur (it would get under her and dribbled on), and I have to comb out her fur, though it's much easier since I switched away from litter, so now it's just shed fur and hay bits that I'm contending with. Lexa, the lunkarya, has a wooly tummy, and it requires very little care; it doesn't really tangle or collect debris since it's short.
I use a metal comb that has blunt tips; I had a standard small animal comb (short, stationary teeth that were finer on one end than the other ... came from either the rabbit/guinea pig or cat section of the store) for my half-Peruvian (her fur was super fine and silky soft ... like petting a cloud). I have a wider-toothed comb for my lunkarya, since the rexoid fur didn't comb well with the finer comb; it also has rolling teeth, which may also be contributing to the easier use through her rougher coat ... it came from the dog department.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

What a little cutie!

He looks like a bit of a mix but has definitely rexoid hair. Please be aware that this hair type acts like a sponge for any pees, so it gets very stinky and very matted very quickly - much more so than with smooth long-haireds like shelties. I have made my experiences with my Tanni a decade ago when she suddenly grew out some long and very absorbent hair and then the same with my teddy x coronet Angharad when she suddenly grew a stunning wavy wig with a rather problematic high maintenance underside.
Any longer hair that is well away from the genitalia/getting urine soaked can be left. Please be aware that the hair of all guinea pigs will always grow back (or keep on growing) to its genetically determined length quite quickly.

The best way of dealing with it is keeping the hair at his bum cut short at all times, even if you have to sacrifice looks. Keep in mind that guinea pigs are not designed for long hairs and that for breeders looks come a long way before natural behaviour and comfort. Long rough rexoid hair is one of those areas where looks clashes with practical needs, especially round the genitalia/back legs. Please also accept that any white hairs in that area will remain stubbornly yellow (more so if your boy is not much in the way of a natural drinker).

A rough toothed afro comb is generally best for long-haired rexoids with a rougher coat than a brush; with long hair work gradually up from the tips and not down from the roots. Swiss teddies have softer hair than rexes and American teddies.

An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths