Long haired grooming tips for knots/mats

SebastianAndFred

SebastianAndFred

New Born Pup
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Hi there!

My mum and I recently rescued a pair of guinea pigs, shown above. The photo was taken the day of rescue so as you can see they're in pretty rough shape, and extremely underweight. Super friendly though, I even had the white/grey piggie- named Sebastian- purring in my lap after a mildly traumatic bath. Sebastian is also my main concern when it comes to grooming. He had massive mats in his fur to the point that places are red and inflamed from having all that weight pulling on the skin for so long. He's had a bath and is in better condition, but still needs some work.

The problem is he is very skittish about his back end, I suspect it really hurts, so I'm looking for advice. Is it better to make him uncomfortable for a bit while I trim off any knots/mats, or is it better if I work slowly (over days) to take out the knots? The second option would mean he'd be dealing with the knots longer, but the really bad ones are gone already. I just don't want to break the tentative trust we've managed to develop in the past few days :(
 
Welcome to the forum. Well done for taking them in.

If you haven’t already done so, given the pain and bad condition, I would actually recommend you get them to a vet urgently before you do anything else.
There may be treatments that are needed for parasites, fungal issues etc (although with them already having had a bath that could already have removed some evidence for making diagnoses) or any other health conditions which they may have.

The vet may also be able to help with the knots.

I would also recommend you do daily weight checks for a while before switching to the routine weekly checks once you know they are eating well.

This is our grooming guide which may help further for longer term care of long haired piggies and our weight management guide

I hope they are ok

An Illustrated Guide to Hair Cutting
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/weight-monitoring-and-management.171577/
 
SebastianAndFred said:


Hi there!

My mum and I recently rescued a pair of guinea pigs, shown above. The photo was taken the day of rescue so as you can see they're in pretty rough shape, and extremely underweight. Super friendly though, I even had the white/grey piggie- named Sebastian- purring in my lap after a mildly traumatic bath. Sebastian is also my main concern when it comes to grooming. He had massive mats in his fur to the point that places are red and inflamed from having all that weight pulling on the skin for so long. He's had a bath and is in better condition, but still needs some work.

The problem is he is very skittish about his back end, I suspect it really hurts, so I'm looking for advice. Is it better to make him uncomfortable for a bit while I trim off any knots/mats, or is it better if I work slowly (over days) to take out the knots? The second option would mean he'd be dealing with the knots longer, but the really bad ones are gone already. I just don't want to break the tentative trust we've managed to develop in the past few days :(
Click to expand...
They know you are helping them when the knots go and the relief of being free of the knot will be greatly appreciated by your piggy, so I don't think he will hold any grudges.
 
Truffle says hello and take courage, soon your coats will be in good condition 🥰 Congratulations and welcome to the forum ♥️
 

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Thank you for rescuing those boys. I only have experience with short haired piggies but others will have advice.
 
Don't forget to set up a positive grooming routine for both boys i.e. being as gentle as you can, taking breaks when things get too overwhelming, and lots of treats!
 
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