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Hair HELP!

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Mattt1985

Mattt1985

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Hi everyone,

I've had my two male guineas (Holmes and Watson) for a few months now.

While Holmes has responded well to treats and is comfortable being held and groomed, Watson is terrified - as soon as you even approach him you can see he is shaking.

He will eat out of my hand after a lot of coaxing, but it takes a long sitting to get him to do so.

What I'm concerned about is that both get little bits of hay stuck in their hair (they're long haired). With Holmes this isn't a problem as he is quite comfortable being groomed as long as he has something tasty to nibble on.

But with Watson this is a whole different ball game - I've only once managed to properly groom him and trim hay from his tail and he was squealing, shaking....it was horrible.

I don't know what to do about this - I noticed this morning he has a little ball of hay stuck in his back hairs but I'm worried that the stress of going through getting it cut out will do more harm to him than good (i.e. distress).

Any help/advice much appreciated!

Matthew
 
Hi Matthew,

I'm no expert with long haired piggies, there quite a few on here that do have.

Firstly are they bedded on hay? If so I'd probably considering changing to something like fleece or vetbed. Then by having their eating hay in a rack will reduce coats getting affected so much and encourage them to go find their food.

In terms of getting Watson to be more accustomed I think it's just a matter of time, it's taken me a long time for one of my sows to sit and just relax on my lap, I'm afraid it's patience. You need to keep handling him.

If its going to take too long to brush it out I'd be inclined to cut it out with a pair of medical scissors. But brushing shouldn't be forgotten about. In the summer months some owners do trim the furries for their benefit.

Hope that helps, maybe a long haired owner will have some ideas or suggestions.
Good luck Lil
 
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Hi, i agree with lil's advice. also combing out matts will pull at his skin which is not helpful if he is already a nervous pig. an alternative to cutting out the matts would be to use a small pair of clippers, which are quick and safe to use. perhaps if you took all his hair back to a short length and then groomed him daily as it grew back he would become used to being brushed without fearing that it might pull and hurt.

he may be a piggy that will never enjoy being groomed but with patience and time i am sure he will learn to trust you
 
If you do have a nervous piggie, I'd suggest getting a friend or neighbour to act as a second pair of hands to hold Watson firmly but gently then you can cut his hair around his behind or the areas which get matted first. I know that they do look pretty with long hair but giving them a short back and sides does make them much more comfortable and makes grooming not so stressful :)
 
My avatar, Caramel screams as though you are murdering her with a brush, she is much more comfortable with a clippers than a scissors for trims. We now keep her with reasonavly short fur and she is a much happier pig although she still screams if you brush her.

Some piggies just don't like to be groomed and you'll find the best way to deal with his fur in time. Good luck
 
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