Matted Pigs!

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annemarie

annemarie

Junior Guinea Pig
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I had an old friend come to visit me yesterday with a problem. She has had two longish haired guinea pigs for about a year but due to circumstances beyond her control she hasn't been able to give them the time they needed. As a result they have become matted and very untame.

I suggested having them castrated as they are biters and I know some of you will dispute this but when I had my boar castrated the change was amazing! He went from being feisty and bitey to being a lovable little man. Also the vet said under anaesthetic he could dematt them.

So I am going to look after them for a few weeks while they get sorted out and she is going to invest in a C&C cage and give it another try - she doesn't want to rehome them unless its absolutely necessary.

So...just wanted advice on how best to handle this situation. As the two boars are not friendly and quite probably have sore skin! Any advice will be so welcome.
 
Hi annemarie...first of all well done for helping out. Second i would get them checked at the vets to make sure their skin and health is ok just as some piggies who are matted can get sore skin from wee and poo getting stuck and also may get parasites or fungal infection.
Once thy are all cleared i sugest maybe cutting the matts out....its much easier and lesz stressfull for the piggies than brushing matts out. Am unsure about boars as have only had sows... good luck and well done for stepping in. x
 
Hi Jennifer. They are booked in on Thursday! They are being dropped off soon...bit worried as she said 'please don't hate me for the look of them'...gulp...not sure how bad they are gonna be.
 
Great for helping out your friend. The best way is to cut off the worst of the mats first, then give a gentle bath and take care of any problems closer to the skin. It will help a lot if one person can hold the piggy and the other can concentrate on the cutting. You may ask your friend to have them checked for any skin problems that could lurk under all the matting.

Ideally, you keep the bum end trimmed short in order to prevent the worst of the re-matting.

Please be aware that you need a good neutering vet, otherwise the risk of costly and heart-breaking complications is not inconsiderable. You can get on top of the biting problem by establishing that you are the top piggy and by some more regular handling. Gently fondle their ears; it is called power grooming and means "I - the top pig - welcome you into my herd." With some praise and a sound for disappointment, you can teach piggies fairly quickly what is acceptable and what not.
 
They probably bite from a lack of handling, if the fur is bad unlikely she has handled them much. Not sure neutering will change that but time and patience would. I only have males and mainly rescues and even the bitiest little piggy can be brought round with time and treats. They soon learn.

I would also would get the skin checked for any underlying problems.
 
annemarie said:
Hi Jennifer. They are booked in on Thursday! They are being dropped off soon...bit worried as she said 'please don't hate me for the look of them'...gulp...not sure how bad they are gonna be.
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Good luck at the vets Thursday. Let us knoe how they are when you get them. Poor little loves. X
 
Good luck poor pigs hope they are all better soon x I cut my long hairs bottom so short you can't tell she's long haired. It doesn't matter if it looks stylish I'm terrible I just cut it randomly. If not cut they can get a very wet bottom which will be very uncomfortable for them but also can cause skin problems. Hope everything goes well x
 
Thanks so much for your support. Well they arrived safe and sound. The matting is all to their back half. We managed to cut off the main bulk of the matted hair but there is quite a lot that is just too close to the skin and we risk cutting them so going to let the vet do it while they are under anaesthetic. don't know what she meant about biting - they haven't bitten us once! They are such lovely gentle little men. I think she may have been hurting them while trying to get the matting out and therefore they are associating her with pain and that's why they are biting her.

We are having lots of gentle cuddle time with them. We are also giving them lots of floor time as the cage we have spare for them unfortunately is too small really. However during floor time they just sit there! Hoping they get their confidence soon.

Thanks for the advice...keep it coming. xx
 
I hope that the biting is just down to rough handling! they will feel a million times better after the mats are off.

Guinea pigs that have never known how to roam may take a while to learn it. Make sure that you have got lots of hideys, cardboard boxes and tunnels around (spaced about a foot away from each other initially) - even a towel pegged or draped over the top will give them the feeling of protection. Sprinkle little veggie or herbal treats around for them in order to encourage them.
 
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