• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here
Status
Not open for further replies.

bumbling-bambi

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 3, 2016
Messages
79
Reaction score
64
Points
190
Location
Hampshire UK
So both my boys are very long haired, particularly around their bottoms - as a result they seem to get a lot of matts which is obviously very uncomfortable for them. If i can't brush them out without hurting them I have to just cut them away. This tends to lead to the most horrendous hair cuts! Its like what happens when little kids cut their own hair!
I have a feeling this might be due to the shampoo that i use. They are bathed around twice a month or when they really need it! I make sure their bits and bobs stay clean with a warm damp cloth however.
I'm not entirely sure but i think a lot of the problems seem to be caused by the fact that no matter how well they are rinsed the shampoo always seems to leave a strange coating on the fur! The shampoo is a very mild one meant for small animals but not being an expert in long haired pigs i just bought the cheapest one with the brand name i recognised and had used before.
To rinse them i use a mini shower head that attaches to my taps in my bath as it allows me to properly control the temperature and the water pressure while also being able to be precise in wheres the water is going! (no wet faces over here!)
They are both very comfortable with having a bath and seem to like to splash about in the water - trying to wash a pop corning piggie is particularly difficult i have to admit!
They are both groomed daily and their cage is kept as clean as possible so in theory I'm doing everything i should! Which leads me to believe its this silly shampoo!

Can anyone recommend me a good shampoo that works for long haired piggies? It can get to the point that mattes will appear overnight and due to their location they seem to make it hard for the poor boys to move without pain - at which point the hair cutting scissors come out and I get rid of them. The only issue is that all their lovely hair gets messed up!
It grows back really quickly but its certainly not a very dignified look for piggies with names such as Sir Phillip and Mr Womble!
I'll pop some pictures down below! 14492397_1208091902547027_3686430641300139466_n.jpg14520511_1207202739302610_6030557495729917297_n.jpg15027781_1234671553222395_7365406994070878210_n.jpg14492397_1208091902547027_3686430641300139466_n.jpg14520511_1207202739302610_6030557495729917297_n.jpg14102727_1174594039230147_8112137948494084726_n.jpg
 
Hi

Try Gorgeous Guineas, special shampoo for Guineas and the lady who makes it is very into natural materials and no chemicals. She is based not far away in Tilehurst near Reading. Highly recommend and she does special shampoo for long haired piggies. She will also advise you on any questions and is a very experienced Guinea pig lady

Gorgeous Guineas - Aromatherapy skincare products for guinea pigs

I have just bought the Christmas special for mine.

Have fun browsing!
 
Thank you! I will certainly have to try some of these!
I love it when a company actually knows what works! - the 'home grown' companies are always my favourites!
 
Il have to have a nosey at Gorgeous Guineas as I have a smelly boar and I don't want to constantly use these grooming wipes from P@H.

I have deodorising spray from P@H but I use that on his snuggle pouches and let them air before replacing in the cage. He stinks them up in two days otherwise.
 
Thank you! I will certainly have to try some of these!
I love it when a company actually knows what works! - the 'home grown' companies are always my favourites!

Honestly she's great and really anti any chemicals. Sometimes I'd like to use the stuff myself! I sometimes use the perfect paws of ointment for dry paws as well. It's amazing. I agree, these cottage industries are so important.
 
Il have to have a nosey at Gorgeous Guineas as I have a smelly boar and I don't want to constantly use these grooming wipes from P@H.

I have deodorising spray from P@H but I use that on his snuggle pouches and let them air before replacing in the cage. He stinks them up in two days otherwise.

Oh smelly boy! She does special boar shampoo which I used to use for my lovely Seb.

This link takes you to a wonderful story about a rescue, Mr Melt that Gorgeous Guineas helped. I adopted him when he was well and he was a superb boar, very kind and loving. RIP Melty boy, still miss you massively xx
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/documents/Mr Melt.pdf
 
So i've had a peek around the website and its safe to say I'm in love and i can't wait for my order to get here! I got the shampoo for long haired pigs, the one for boars in particular, one of the melts because it sounds amazing! and some of the gels and ointments for my first aid kit!
 
Another vote for Goregous Guinea here too.
We have their shampoo (although haven't tried it yet as it is a Christmas present for a certain bossy brown piggie), but we also got some of their Neem sooth gel.
I had some questions and sent an email, and got a super fast and very friendly response.
 
Ooo what a great looking site. Getting two boars soon (I hope) so will have to do some Christmas shopping. Oh what hardship!

Mr Melt ... what a sweetie.
 
Ooo what a great looking site. Getting two boars soon (I hope) so will have to do some Christmas shopping. Oh what hardship!

Mr Melt ... what a sweetie.

Argh thank you he was an amazing piggy. Loved his girls. I miss him a lot, he was a great character. Had a horrible start to life but made up for it in the end. Always quite an aloof chap with Humans but very cuddly towards the end.
 
Hi, another question here. Is there any reason why a dog/puppy shampoo should not be used on a guinea pig? I currently have Wilco's mild and gentle puppy shampoo with conditioner, and a pets at home tea tree dog shampoo. Neither of these shampoos are aimed at targeting a particular problem, so I would think that they should be okay on a GP who just needs a freshen up?
 
Personally I wouldn't. Guineas skin is very sensitive and I suspect that the shampoo for puppies and dogs is a lot stronger (even if labelled as 'mild) than a guineas skin can take. For the hassle which would be caused if things go wrong I would stay with the right shampoo for the right species.
 
Hi, another question here. Is there any reason why a dog/puppy shampoo should not be used on a guinea pig? I currently have Wilco's mild and gentle puppy shampoo with conditioner, and a pets at home tea tree dog shampoo. Neither of these shampoos are aimed at targeting a particular problem, so I would think that they should be okay on a GP who just needs a freshen up?

Personally I wouldn't risk it just because a piggies skin is much more sensitive than a cat or dog's :) I just got and tried out the gorgeous guineas posh n' go shampoo for long haired pigs and honestly i will never go back to any of the other brands I've tried! The smell lasts for a good 2 weeks on my exceedingly smelly boars and it has stopped the mattes they used to get! its 100% natural and the lady who makes it is lovely! if you have any questions i would highly recommend asking her! I originally sent her an email asking advice for what to do with pigs that get matted a lot and she gave me some great tips - she is very knowledgable!
 
I have used "posh and go" shampoo on my 3 boars and had no tangles whatsoever.

Could it just be the type of coat that your boys have? It looks kind of like (can't remember the name) but think it's lunkarya or alpaca this fur you can't really comb that well and it would probably knot.
 
Personally I wouldn't risk it just because a piggies skin is much more sensitive than a cat or dog's :) I just got and tried out the gorgeous guineas posh n' go shampoo for long haired pigs and honestly i will never go back to any of the other brands I've tried! The smell lasts for a good 2 weeks on my exceedingly smelly boars and it has stopped the mattes they used to get! its 100% natural and the lady who makes it is lovely! if you have any questions i would highly recommend asking her! I originally sent her an email asking advice for what to do with pigs that get matted a lot and she gave me some great tips - she is very knowledgable!

Really pleased the GG shampoo has worked well. It is amazing isn't it? Chrissie is very knowledgeable and helpful too. I got my girls the special edition Christmas one which they are being treated to this weekend...although I don't think they will see it as a 'treat' lol!
 
I have used "posh and go" shampoo on my 3 boars and had no tangles whatsoever.

Could it just be the type of coat that your boys have? It looks kind of like (can't remember the name) but think it's lunkarya or alpaca this fur you can't really comb that well and it would probably knot.

I've only just started using it and already there has been a huge improvement! I haven't found a tangle yet! but he has got a very funny coat texture so daily grooming for him is a must! But so far so good! I love the smell of it - they seem to like it more too as they sat still for their last bath so they can't of hated it too much!
 
Really pleased the GG shampoo has worked well. It is amazing isn't it? Chrissie is very knowledgeable and helpful too. I got my girls the special edition Christmas one which they are being treated to this weekend...although I don't think they will see it as a 'treat' lol!


The christmas one sounded really good but i went for the regular one just to try it out! so far I'm in love! Chrissie was fab and I've recommended the site to my vet and she said she loves it too! In the new year I'm going to be well and truly stocking up much to the distaste of my bank account! Sir Phillip (the blonde bombshell pictured above) - his coat is so shiny and soft now its actually amazing! I think it might take a few go's to totally get to wobbles though as he's basically a pom pom with feet!
 
Pom Pom with feet, thats hilarious! Poor boy he would be most annoyed at that description LOL! He is a very handsome boy.

Quick question as I know you are in Hampshire too. Which vet do you use?
 
Pom Pom with feet, thats hilarious! Poor boy he would be most annoyed at that description LOL! He is a very handsome boy.

Quick question as I know you are in Hampshire too. Which vet do you use?

Haha thankfully i don't think he can read - but you never know he is quite the sneaky little thing!
And I use one called Mildmay In Winchester - its less than a 2 minute walk away from me and there is a very lovely lady vet there who had a keen interest in piggies! Its a really lovely place - its nice and quiet usually which i like because my two aren't the biggest fans of travelling or sitting in a waiting room with a bunch of big scary beasts! All of the staff we have met there are lovely too. I believe they have a branch in Basingstoke too but you'd have to check their website!
If you are close to the area I would highly recommend them as they do a 24hour emergency service too and even take care of my snake! which believe me is a lot harder to find a good vet for than many would think! They are pretty cheap as far as fees go as well i think its usually about £30 to have both my boys looked at for their check ups!

I can't say anything for the other branch as I haven't been there but i'd imagine they are similar!
We also have the vets in P@H but since my boys came from there in such horrible shape I dont really trust it :/ I much prefer to go to a actual vet practice than part of a pet shop with a few surgery rooms in the back!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top