Make your own wigs... kidding!

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OMG... are the guinea pigs still attached to their hair? I thought the hair was cut off and then shown... I wonder if this is a bad thing or not?
 
ninz said:
OMG... are the guinea pigs still attached to their hair? I thought the hair was cut off and then shown... I wonder if this is a bad thing or not?
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I agree.
Would of thought a bad thing because the extra weight
 
Oh I feel bad now :( I thought the hair was cut off and then displayed, which would have been fine. If it's not natural for the guinea pig to be like that, then why do they do it?
 
That's crazy! There's no way I'd let my pig's fur grow that long. Long haired pigs are really cute, but it needs to be trimmed. I'd imagine super long fur would interfere with their daily lives. The website mentions rolling the hair, but I imagine it would be uncomfortable.
 
the poor piggies, just another reason to be put off breeding and showing! Look at the poor things, they can't live happy lives with their hair unbroken from birth!
 
Those things do look like wigs but then I read the description :(

What does "unbroken" mean? Guinea pigs naturally shed, right?
 
Dindeen said:
Those things do look like wigs but then I read the description :(

What does "unbroken" mean? Guinea pigs naturally shed, right?
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Unbroken means without damage or cutting. To prevent barbering (pigs eating another's hair), which is fairly common with baby pigs exploring their world with their teeth, the pigs live in isolation.

Suzy x
 
Suzygpr said:
Unbroken means without damage or cutting. To prevent barbering (pigs eating another's hair), which is fairly common with baby pigs exploring their world with their teeth, the pigs live in isolation.

Suzy x
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Sorry, I know its a question about breeding/showing but just to clarify do they wonder around with their hair like that or is it held in place with clips etc?

And how do they play with hair like that? Surely it's difficult for them to move :S
 
Suzygpr said:
Unbroken means without damage or cutting. To prevent barbering (pigs eating another's hair), which is fairly common with baby pigs exploring their world with their teeth, the pigs live in isolation.

Suzy x
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AudioHeart said:
Sorry, I know its a question about breeding/showing but just to clarify do they wonder around with their hair like that or is it held in place with clips etc?

And how do they play with hair like that? Surely it's difficult for them to move :S
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:( poor little guys, I recently read about 'curlers' in a piggy book. It's terrible, what a life :(

Laura, I think they constantly have the rollers in apart from when they are forced to sit in one place and look 'pretty' for our entertainment at shows grrrr
 
So unnatural and borderline cruel in my eyes grrrr
There is nothing more pleasing than to watch your piggies running around and popcorning etc. :))
 
First Photo looks like cousin IT off the Adams Family.
Not ideal though for the poor piggies.:(
 
Clearly you are all completely ignorant of how valueable a guinea pig is to a breeder, expecially a showable one.

They put in hours each day to keep the pet in show condition, can you say the same of each of your pets? Expecially longhairs, they are washed atleast once a week, dried carefully because of the risks of colds, then groomed again carefully. The long hair isn't something harmfull, it's not something that came natural to pigs, a 'mistake' of nature because it keeps growing. Breeders will cut off the hair of a pig once they are done showing, and the pig will be put in breeding. Showpigs in 99% of the cases will never move to another home even after their show and breed carreer, because of the time it takes to prepare them and the bond that creates. Something you all knew if you read into the subject, if you ever been to a show and if you ever talked to a qualified breeder. mallethead

I quote:
New to showing?

If you have never shown a guinea pig before - don't worry all of us were new to the fancy at one time! This little guide will help you out.

How to enter - at Warrington we do what is called block entries - which makes entering very easy - you tell us what you would like to enter - and we put it in the right classes for you. We will need to know the type of pig you want to enter, sex and age. We will need this information on each pig you want to enter.

Type - This is where you tell us if it is a purebreed pig or if its a pet - Please see our breeds page!

Gender - You will need to tell us whether it is a male (boar) or female (sow)

Age - We divide pigs up by three age groups so you don't have to be specific - the first category is four months of age to five months of age (*/5) - anything younger should be left at home. The next group is five months to eight months of age - (5/8). The final group is an adult - anything from 8 months and older is considered an adult. So you need to let us know if its */5, 5/8 or an adult

Cost - Block entries for purbreds cost £1.70 and entries for pets are £1.00. We also have a section for a group of pigs that are in the cateogory of Rare varieties - please check the breed page for more information. These entries are also blocked entries and cost £1.00. We also have a section for Juvenile exhibitors. When you are entering let us know if you are a juvenile or you are entering for a juvenile - all juveniles pay £1.00 for block entries.

Novelty ClassesThese are special classes and purebreds or pets can enter - we have categories - largest/fatest pig, pig with the floppiest ears, most affectionate, pig with the most pointy nose and the cavy fancy dress class. These are classes just for fun and cost a little bit extra to enter - .50 per class - you enter these on the day of the show

If you have any questions just send us an email we are always pleased to help. If you have questions about the club or the health and welfare of cavies - you can visit our Warrington Cavy Club Forum

[*]Grooming and Showing Tips[/*]
Cavies should come to a show groomed and show ready. This means that they should be healthy, and clean. Sows should not be brought to the show if they have been in with boars to make sure that they are not pregnant as this is stressful to the animal. Ears should be clean, nails should be clipped and clean and the coats should be clean with attention to the grease glands. They should not have any sores or scabs anywhere on their bodies, and guard hairs should be removed. Their eyes should be clean and bright with no nasal discharge or sneezing.

Entries
Once you have decided to come to a show - two weeks before the actual show - you should send your entries to the show secretary - this gives the people running the show plenty of time to get the paperwork together. There is always a closing date and after this date no more entries will be taken.

Day of the Show
Generally judging starts at 10.30 so you need to arrive around 10.00 to put your guinea pigs in the pens and pay your entry fees. All guinea pigs should have something to munch on during the day - a bit of hay and some veg - stewards will then take the pigs during their class for judging and replace them in the pens. After all the classes are judged you may then remove your pigs. You are not allowed to remove your pigs until all judging has taken place.
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Now girls and boys, don't judge something you clearly know absolutely nothing about!
 
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I have a young sow (Lima) that looks a bit like Gandalf's "before" picture, despite me grooming her daily......how on earth did that lady get her to look like she does in the "glamour puss" picture?

Maybe it's because she's still a baby, but Lima's fur goes in a million different directions - I always describe her as looking like an exploded guinea pig rolleyes - so there's no way in a million years that she'd ever look that groomed and neat! I sit and brush her for an hour and she still looks like a fuzz-ball!

Here she is in all her glory:
004-3.jpg
 
GoodbyMyLove said:
Clearly you are all completely ignorant of how valueable a guinea pig is to a breeder, expecially a showable one.

They put in hours each day to keep the pet in show condition, can you say the same of each of your pets? Expecially longhairs, they are washed atleast once a week, dried carefully because of the risks of colds, then groomed again carefully. The long hair isn't something harmfull, it's not something that came natural to pigs, a 'mistake' of nature because it keeps growing. Breeders will cut off the hair of a pig once they are done showing, and the pig will be put in breeding. Showpigs in 99% of the cases will never move to another home even after their show and breed carreer, because of the time it takes to prepare them and the bond that creates. Something you all knew if you read into the subject, if you ever been to a show and if you ever talked to a qualified breeder. mallethead

I quote:


Now girls and boys, don't judge something you clearly know absolutely nothing about!
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HOW VALUABLE :o
?/ I have long haired piggies, enjoy grooming their hair and bathing them etc. but they are my pets not something used for 'my' pleasure and yes I have met, spoken and dealt with breeders (not that impressed) I have seen the tiny racks of boxes that show piggies are forced to sit in, not enough room for them to move and that is enough for me to say that it is not an environment I deem as 'natural' ! Do these show piggies ever go outside on grass in the summer to play :...
They must have a miserable life and sure if they had a choice would rather be happy with others socialising not treated like a plaything inbreeding
We are a rescue friendly bunch on here and the majority of piggies we own have come from foster homes - they didn't ask to be neglected or abused did they, same as these poor piggies are forced into a lifestyle they wouldn't really want but know no different :(
My long haired boys are trimmed regularly so they can run around freely, bathed every 10-12 weeks as recommended and brushed 4-5 times per week and add they are very happy in their 12ft living space :)
 
Guinea pig slave said:
HOW VALUABLE :o
?/ I have long haired piggies, enjoy grooming their hair and bathing them etc. but they are my pets not something used for 'my' pleasure and yes I have met, spoken and dealt with breeders (not that impressed) I have seen the tiny racks of boxes that show piggies are forced to sit in, not enough room for them to move and that is enough for me to say that it is not an environment I deem as 'natural' ! Do these show piggies ever go outside on grass in the summer to play :...
They must have a miserable life and sure if they had a choice would rather be happy with others socialising not treated like a plaything inbreeding
We are a rescue friendly bunch on here and the majority of piggies we own have come from foster homes - they didn't ask to be neglected or abused did they, same as these poor piggies are forced into a lifestyle they wouldn't really want but know no different :(
My long haired boys are trimmed regularly so they can run around freely, bathed every 10-12 weeks as recommended and brushed 4-5 times per week and add they are very happy in their 12ft living space :)
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Here here! Well said! x
 
we dont discuss breeding or showing on this forum as this is a pro rescue forum

Also if you had read a lot of the posts on here YOU would have seen how much time and effort a great many members spend on their pet piggies, from rehomed long haired pigs that were left in a state of neglect, to dental piggies that need constant vet care.

Our pet pigs are very well cared for and loved, they are not used to parade (so to speak) around in a show but that doesnt make us any less of pig owners. I spent hours washing all 4 of mine and drying them, then I spend hours and days making beds for them, creating new and enriching environments for them to live in, I have a pig with super sensitive skin (a minimal issue really) and I put the time and effort into maintaining her skin so she doesnt suffer from irritations.

I am sure a lot of owners of show pigs are loving but as a lot of us see the end of those who dont you can pardon us for wondering about the showing community without jumping down our throats.
 
GoodbyMyLove said:
Clearly you are all completely ignorant of how valueable a guinea pig is to a breeder, expecially a showable one.

They put in hours each day to keep the pet in show condition, can you say the same of each of your pets? Expecially longhairs, they are washed atleast once a week, dried carefully because of the risks of colds, then groomed again carefully. The long hair isn't something harmfull, it's not something that came natural to pigs, a 'mistake' of nature because it keeps growing. Breeders will cut off the hair of a pig once they are done showing, and the pig will be put in breeding. Showpigs in 99% of the cases will never move to another home even after their show and breed carreer, because of the time it takes to prepare them and the bond that creates. Something you all knew if you read into the subject, if you ever been to a show and if you ever talked to a qualified breeder. mallethead

I quote:


Now girls and boys, don't judge something you clearly know absolutely nothing about!
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The bond it creates?

Ok, question to the rescue owners on here - how many guinea pigs have you taken in because someone has decided to finish breeding, and wants to sign all their pigs over to rescue?
 
Well I've already had one this week. 20+ pigs to come in.

Suzy x

Oh and another that is also coming in soon- they approached me a few weeks ago.
 
Suzygpr said:
Well I've already had one this week. 20+ pigs to come in.

Suzy x

Oh and another that is also coming in soon- they approached me a few weeks ago.
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Thanks Suzy. This from a rescue that's already beyond maximum capacity.

I wonder where the real passion and dedication lies?

I rest my case...
 
what i dont understand is, why people that are into breeding etc come onto a rescue friendly forum and get shirty when everyone has a go, if you dont want the aggro, dont come on here talking about it in the first place, simples
 
Oh for Gods sake let piggies be piggies!

Quote -Clearly you are all completely ignorant of how valueable a guinea pig is to a breeder, expecially a showable one.

^ Exactly a pig is valueable to a breeder because of how it looks, a subject for self indulgence and self gratification.

Ask that piggy if she would like to play with her friends on sunny Saturday after, zooming round a grassy playpen, or ask her if she would rather be preed at a show for the day.

'Oh I really would prefer to sit in a box so everyone can admire me and I can get all those lovely ribbons for my breeder' Yeah right! NOT!
 
Oh my word I'm so so sorry. I didn't realise how IGNORANT I was until you pointed it out.

Here was me thinking Guinea Pigs are ANIMALS. That they weren't MODELS, PEOPLE, or TOYs.

I thought they DO NOT naturally go around in the wild, sticking rollers in their hair and pinning it back with clips, therefore I assumed they probably wouldn't enjoy it that much if we forced them to do it.

I'm so glad you came on to this RESCUE forum to tell us all about the nature of guinea pigs. I never knew that there must be thousands of guinea pigs in South America, all checking their hair is perfect and standing on a ledge admiring each other's beauty and giving each other points out of ten. And then here we all are forcing them into homes where people aren't grooming them for hours and hours and letting them play - crickey - poor piggies....


Can you tell me exactly which University certified you as "qualified"? Do you have a BA (Hons) MA, BSC, PHD in guinea pig breeding? How exactly are you qualified? I'd love to know so that I could get "qualified" just like you, and be as enlightened about guinea pigs and their love for sitting still hour after hour having their hair brushed to be put in a box and displayed on a table.

On the other hand, I'm thinking I will probably stick with my none pure breed piggies. I don't know I just have a feeling that the hours I spend playing with them getting mucky in the hay, making them toys, giving them free range time, well I just have a sneaky suspicious that they prefer this quite a bit more than they do to having a bath.......I don't know, it's just a feeling I have....

p.s. Good forum name....very apt.
 
squeakysmallpaws said:
Oh my word I'm so so sorry. I didn't realise how IGNORANT I was until you pointed it out.

Here was me thinking Guinea Pigs are ANIMALS. That they weren't MODELS, PEOPLE, or TOYs.

I thought they DO NOT naturally go around in the wild, sticking rollers in their hair and pinning it back with clips, therefore I assumed they probably wouldn't enjoy it that much if we forced them to do it.

I'm so glad you came on to this RESCUE forum to tell us all about the nature of guinea pigs. I never knew that there must be thousands of guinea pigs in South America, all checking their hair is perfect and standing on a ledge admiring each other's beauty and giving each other points out of ten. And then here we all are forcing them into homes where people aren't grooming them for hours and hours and letting them play - crickey - poor piggies....


Can you tell me exactly which University certified you as "qualified"? Do you have a BA (Hons) MA, BSC, PHD in guinea pig breeding? How exactly are you qualified? I'd love to know so that I could get "qualified" just like you, and be as enlightened about guinea pigs and their love for sitting still hour after hour having their hair brushed to be put in a box and displayed on a table.

On the other hand, I'm thinking I will probably stick with my none pure breed piggies. I don't know I just have a feeling that the hours I spend playing with them getting mucky in the hay, making them toys, giving them free range time, well I just have a sneaky suspicious that they prefer this quite a bit more than they do to having a bath.......I don't know, it's just a feeling I have....

p.s. Good forum name....very apt.
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I lol'd - thanks for that, much needed while trying to get started on a piece of work I should have started 3 months ago!
 
squeakysmallpaws said:
Oh my word I'm so so sorry. I didn't realise how IGNORANT I was until you pointed it out.

Here was me thinking Guinea Pigs are ANIMALS. That they weren't MODELS, PEOPLE, or TOYs.

I thought they DO NOT naturally go around in the wild, sticking rollers in their hair and pinning it back with clips, therefore I assumed they probably wouldn't enjoy it that much if we forced them to do it.

I'm so glad you came on to this RESCUE forum to tell us all about the nature of guinea pigs. I never knew that there must be thousands of guinea pigs in South America, all checking their hair is perfect and standing on a ledge admiring each other's beauty and giving each other points out of ten. And then here we all are forcing them into homes where people aren't grooming them for hours and hours and letting them play - crickey - poor piggies....


Can you tell me exactly which University certified you as "qualified"? Do you have a BA (Hons) MA, BSC, PHD in guinea pig breeding? How exactly are you qualified? I'd love to know so that I could get "qualified" just like you, and be as enlightened about guinea pigs and their love for sitting still hour after hour having their hair brushed to be put in a box and displayed on a table.

On the other hand, I'm thinking I will probably stick with my none pure breed piggies. I don't know I just have a feeling that the hours I spend playing with them getting mucky in the hay, making them toys, giving them free range time, well I just have a sneaky suspicious that they prefer this quite a bit more than they do to having a bath.......I don't know, it's just a feeling I have....

p.s. Good forum name....very apt.
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Erm are you being sarcy? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
 
With hair like that I would be very tempted to platt it and put them in piggy tails lol. I have 2 long haired piggys but I dont know how long their hair really is as, as soon as it touches the floor I trim it!
 
QUOTE: "Clearly you are all completely ignorant of how valueable a guinea pig is to a breeder, expecially a showable one."

Clearly you are completely ignorant of how valuable guinea pigs are to us as LOVABLE PETS! (as well as how to spell valuable....:x) Regardless of whether they are "showable" or not?! What does it matter if their hair is a little scruffy, or they have not got exactly the correct amount of rosettes on their body? Are you saying that breeders "love" showable pigs more than "non showable" ones? That's like having two kids and loving one more just because it has perfect hair or straight teeth.
You cannot seriously think that the pigs enjoy having their hair clipped back, and being forced to sit in tiny boxes for hours on end? I'm sure that if they had the power to speak, they would ALWAYS say that they would choose a run filled with grass or a big indoor playpen to spend hours in. Not a box that barely fits them in, where they get picked up and prodded at, and judged on how well they fit the "standard" that humans have set.
So if my abbys have a few rosettes more or less than they should, or their hair isn't long enough, or if they get a little scruffy from playing and having fun, I'm not going to be at all bothered....
I'm sorry, but having pigs just for their looks is just like going to adopt a child and saying "I don't want that one, it has curly hair" or "Oh my god, that girl has SHORT HAIR"...

Rant over.
From a mum to 6 adorable, scruffy, very happy, FLUFFY AND PROUD pigs.
268947_10150700068000366_644760365_19599456_1206503_n.jpg


Sorry for burning your eyes out with my 3 gorgeous, scruffy abby's. I'll make sure you're not lucky enough to see their gorgeous "unshowable" faces again!
 
I've been to Cleveland Cavy Show, by accident, last year. I wondered into the Guinea Pig Tent expecting to see little piggies popcorning around in a large enclosure.

However I was quite shocked, piled high in a very hot, crowded tent with small kids prodding their fingers in the cages, people bashing prams, bags into them, there lined up was these tiny cages, each one held a single guinea pig. Okay, they dont live in them for life but they were in them for the majority of the day (ten till five thirty). But the poor things looked petrified and sat perfectly still. Not one of them wheeked.

So I might not brush my pigs hair for two hours a day, I might not wash their hair twice a week but I, hand on heart can say I certainly dont put them in a situation they dont like or cause them distress.

If this makes me a bad owner so be it, i'd rather have cropped haired Peruvians, popcorning in their run than them sat in a cage just big enough to hold them, with a gleaming long coat and their days consisting of sitting, being brushed and waddling around with heavy rollers on their backs.

Oh and one more thing:
Showpigs in 99% of the cases will never move to another home even after their show and breed carreer, because of the time it takes to prepare them and the bond that creates
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What about the showpigs babies? What about the babies that are born with the wrong type of coat? The ones that have breaks in their coats, coloured toenails, hair that covers the toenails etc?! If they can't be shown then what does the breeder do, I cant imagine, from your text, they'd be too happy to bond with a pig that cant be shown? I mean whats the point of bonding with something that isnt going to win rosettes? rolleyes

This is my guinea pig, her 'show' owner didnt live upto your statement. She got rid of Tabby and her mum. She'd lost count of the pigs she gave up as they didnt live to show quality. Oh and Tabbys mum wasn't winning first, perhaps the breeder didnt spend enough time brushing her....

anom.jpg
 
Teejay said:
I have a young sow (Lima) that looks a bit like Gandalf's "before" picture, despite me grooming her daily......how on earth did that lady get her to look like she does in the "glamour puss" picture?

Maybe it's because she's still a baby, but Lima's fur goes in a million different directions - I always describe her as looking like an exploded guinea pig rolleyes - so there's no way in a million years that she'd ever look that groomed and neat! I sit and brush her for an hour and she still looks like a fuzz-ball!

Here she is in all her glory:
004-3.jpg
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That's because your Piggie is an Abyssinian crossed with Peruvian. Rosettes come from and Abyssinian parent and longer coat comes from the Peruvian parent. Show Piggies are purebred, they are either Peruvian, Alpacas, Coronets, Merinos, Shelties, Texels or Lunkaryas when it comes to long haired and many others like Teddies, Rexes, Swisses, Abyssinians, smooth coated in many different colours (too many to mention). If you were to show your Piggie, you could show her in Pet Classes where breed doesn't matter. Guinea Pig entered in Pet Classes is judged on friendliness, cleanliness, good health and maybe unusual appearance, they don't have to meet any breed standards as such, shape of ears, head, shoulders etc, length of coat won't matter at all, nor any faults carefully avoided in pure breeding programmes. Long haired show Piggies don't suffer as you think, the show carrier is never longer than a year, it's not quite possible to keep them in coat for longer than that and it would be pointless anyway. Those Piggies that do suffer from having a long coat are the neglected ones. People who took on a Guinea Pig with an ever growing coat without realizing it needs to be taken care of on regular basis (washed, brushed and trimmed) are the ones that are filling the rescues with them unfortunately.
 
I love how you all take it out of context and make it something completely oposit to what I actually meant.

Why, for the love of GOD, can't you just accept breeders and you group of people, have another opinion?

I got pets myself, in case you corner me, but I'm open to other peoples opinions. I respect both sides of the guinea pig hobby. But never in the world have I seen a place where they frown so upon breeding.

Let me tell you something about those fluffy pets you all love so much, those from shelters and petstores. Where do they come from? From some person with no heart and no love for the breed. Better known as backyard breeders. Do they want the best for the breed(s)? NO. Do they care about issues in their lines? NO. Do they care if your beloved pet lives a month or a year? NO.

Now ask these same question about the breeders you so frown upon, and the awnsers turn from NO's into YESSES.

I wish you all much fun and luck, because luck you'll need an thick wallet, with your fluffy rescue and petstore guineas. But I'd rather have one from a strong lineage, with little to no genetic issues, where if I notice a genetic issue the parents/aunts/cousins/sisters etc. are taken out of the breeding pool.

Seriously, have you ever thought about THAT?
 
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