Help matted hair doesn’t like being handled

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Lawmonkey

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Hi everyone

I am new to the world of guinea pigs and my 2 have been with us for around 8-10weeks.
One has longer hair the other short hair and both females.
I have managed to get them to poop/pee in mainly the one area. However my long haired one just loves lying there in amongst all the eugh. Her hair has gotten longer since we got her and it’s now started to Matt around her bum.
They are only just starting to sleep out in the open. They will hand feed, accept a small finger pat and will give us a small nibble or lick. They do not like being handled and trying to move them into their outdoor run is a nightmare. I normally tempt them with some veg in the back of a box then carry them. They are ok with a snuggle sack too but hit or miss if they will go in.
How on earth do I manage to cut the hair and treat this matted but before it gets any worse? I’ve only just noticed it today so it’s fairly new and I don’t want it getting worse. I’ve had a look around online and looks like many people cut their hair too keep it from dragging through everything. Also I am managing to do two/three tiny brushes at a time whilst hand feeding lettuce. I’m worried I stress her too much and push back all the progress we have made.
Any tips at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much x
 
Is there someone who could sit at her front end and distract her with food while you trim her bum hair? Or is there a tunnel you could get her inside, food at the front while you trim the back? Also have a look at the hair trimming guide. I’ll tag @Piggies&buns who has a boy with longish hair at the back that doesn’t like being handled. And @Betsy who wrote the guide.
An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting
 
Yes I have one long haired boy. The other is short haired but he has a long hairy train hanging off his back And down his bottom. Neither like being handled but the long haired boy has a slightly longer attention span when being held.

I'm lucky in that both my two have learnt over the years to associate going into the carrier with going into their lawn run so they both voluntarily walk right into it, I then pick them up from there.
With my short haired/long train boy, he doesnt like being handled. Squeals, struggles and generally behaves as if it’s the worst thing in the world but luckily as it is just a small area that needs cutting, I can quickly brush, cut and job done in about 5-10 minutes, finished with coriander treats. He doesn’t like it but as long as I hold him firmly it’s not too bad.

My long haired boy is a different kettle of fish. It usually takes a few attempts and a couple of days to get him fully cut. As I do it alone, Ive found it easier to sit with him on my legs with him facing outwards, using one hand and arm to hold him in position (hands under his chest so his front feet are off my legs) and the other hand to brush/cut. Then turning him round so he is facing me so I can do the other side. As I say, it’s not easy, he makes things hard work and it’s not something I can do in one go. Doesn’t help he has also wised onto my bribery plan so coriander during the cut only works for about 0.3 seconds before stops eating the food and tries to eat my hand!
 
Thanks so much for the replies. I am waiting on my husband coming home so he can hopefully help. Mind you if she squeals he will want to stop as he’s too soft!
I might give the tunnel a try first as she loves her tunnel so it may just work. Thinking if I can even get a small bit tonight and another tomo. She is my favourite (not that I’d like my other one to know!) but I now wish she was short haired too as I’m worried if u cannot help her it’s going to get worse. Makes me feel like such a bad owner 😢 She loves pulling the hay down to lie on too and is forever having this tangled in her locks but will let me remove it. She not got super long hair by what I’ve seen with others so hoping it’s something I and she can learn to deal with without her becoming too distressed! Xx
 
My boys don’t like it, they never will but it is so much better than it was when they were first with me!
It takes time, be strong and firm but also stop as soon as you need to. i think its better for a full cut to take a week slowly and calmly than rush to try to get as much as you can done in one go but it end up being an awful experience that stresses everyone out
 
Yeah I agree thanks. Little steps like everything else! I would hate for her to lose trust in me after me taking so much time to build it. 🤞🏻We get somewhere with it, I don’t want to be defeatist and go to a vet when it’s something I need to learn to do myself. If it doesn’t improve I will before it gets really bad but I’d like to at least say I tried!
 
Oh my goodness how amazingly well does Betsy sit for her haircut 😍What a beautiful girl! My piggies are both so skittish I’d love them to feel that calm eventually.
 
I have a long haired girl, Priscilla.
It’s taken a long time - over 2 years to manage her bum trim in one go.
She still tells the whole neighbourhood that she’s being horribly tortured every time!
I also use unscented baby wipes to keep her fur clean between trims.
Patience and practice - and lots of bribes.
 
Aw love the name Pricilla! Haha omg i suppose once I’m used to the noises too that will help me be less stressed doing it. She lets out a teeny squeak with every brush stroke then runs away! Thanks for the baby wipes tip. Once this has started will it just keep getting worse? I saw some horrible videos on YouTube of severely matted when I was looking on how to cut earlier.
 
So managed to get her out into her run. She was super skittish and not happy but I did manage to cut some fur. She looks a riot 😂 My husband thinks it looks better and I hope he’s right. Going to try a small amount again tomo and hopefully get some more off. I put a cozy mat with a pile of hay and lettuce/cucumber though when I went in with comb or scissors she would run. She stayed still for a pat off husband and treats when I got the most done. I hope she gets used to it! Thanks for all your help and support xx
 
Lawmonkey said:
Oh my goodness how amazingly well does Betsy sit for her haircut 😍What a beautiful girl! My piggies are both so skittish I’d love them to feel that calm eventually.
Click to expand...
Believe me it was not always this way. Betsy is now 5 years old and is used to having her fur trimmed every 6 weeks or so. First of all it was def a two person 2 or 3 day nightmare! She would tell everyone she was being horribly tortured (like @Merab's Slave's Priscilla) and I would be lucky if she let me cut half of her fur then she would run around with half of her short and half long and if I was lucky she would let me finish her furdo the next day. Son no 3 was around at all times to make sure she didn't wander off.

Thank you Betsy is completely beautiful that is why she is called The Ever Beautiful Betsy.
 
I too have a pig with long hair. Trimming the hair does get easier as they get older and more used to it.

During first lockdown my husband wanted a haircut. I did the cutting (my first haircut on anyone who isn't me!) and I said that I was aiming to do a neater job than I do on Kanga Pig's backside :))
 
Haha my little girl got up today and said what happened 😂
Do any of you use vet bed? I was looking at ordering this and see if it helps by soaking up the urine better? I’ve so far tried fleece which they borrow under and the cage gets in a right mess, paper bedding which they ate and wood shavings which are so hard to spot clean and I had noticed it was causing them to sneeze. Plus they get stuck in her fur.
 
Ive use/d vetbed (mine live in my shed so it’s not something I use regularly) but I really like it. It wicks really well (you need puppy pads underneath it), it’s nice and soft and dries quickly.
the only issue I had with it is that it is bulky if in big pieces. its best to cut it into smaller pieces so the washing machine can cope with it
 
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