Help! Long haired piggy hates to be fooled with

[sarahsjourney]

Hi!! I recently adopted two piggies and this is my first time with guinea pigs. One of them is long haired and she is going to need regular brushing but she hates to be fooled with. It strange but here lately she seems even more skittish than she was when I first got her (about a month and a half ago) during lap time she even jumps around when I try to pet her. Could this be a sign of a skin problem or discomfort?

 

[Onetwo]

Possibly. Do you see white flakes? Red irritated skin? lots of scratching? loss of appitite?

When you brush her what kind of brush do you use? Comb, brush, slicker? Do you start at the base of the hair near the root or untangle it gently from the ends to the roots? Do you offer tons of veggies while you are grooming? And afterwards? Instead of a sissors which can poke I use a trimmer with the longest guard and trim my boys hair at 1 inch long. He looks like a regular piggy when I am done and I trim his butt and belly shorter for ease of cleaning. Then I dont have to brush as often plus the piggy likes not stepping on his own fur and not having poop and pee soaked clumps.

 

[stacy97006]

I cut my new long haired pig yesterday to about an inch too. She looks so cute all cleaned up... she was a mess when i got her on Sunday. She is also very skittish but I know that is cause I just got her hopefully. Im gonna have to try the clippers next time... sounds sooo much easier thanks for the idea

 

[bpatters]

Your pig jumping around even when you're trying to pet her could be a sign of mites. Is she scratching? or trying to bite her back end?

Were you ever able to pet her by holding her in your lap and have her be calm at those times, and now she's jumping? or are you touching her in the cage and she's jumping?

I can pet mine for quite a long while if I'm holding them, but the only time I can pet them in the cage is if they're eating dinner.

 

[pinky]

I have a texel with really thick fur. As long as she's on fleece, she doesn't get bedding stuck in it but her rear tends to stay moist from urine so I clip that fur very close to the skin. I found that if she's on all fours, she won't let me touch her back end which is the usual behavior for a guinea pig. If I sit her on my lap like a baby facing forward and tilt her upper body back, She lets me trim that fur with no problems at all. Long haired ones are so much more work than the short haired ones. I don't mind the trimming and brushing but blow drying after bathing takes forever since her fur is as thick as lambs' wool.

 

[HannibalLecter]

I have a peruvian who is extremely sensitive about cutting her fur, she will never ever let me brush her at all. She also had major issues being touched, and it has taken us over a year to gain that trust. She will fight with all she has to get out of the needed butt trimmings.

I'll probably try to avoid adopting another long haired guinea pig because of this, as I get really anxious myself when she's so upset during grooming.

I recommend using a brush called Tangle teezer, both for human hair & animals. It does not pull on the hair when brushing, and doesn't split the hair or cause pain. A real life saver when brushing a curly thick haired child.

 

[stacy97006]

I totally agree Hannibal They are cute but Im not sure if it is the peruvian breed or not but mine is so much more skittish than my others which are short hair.