Grooming Piggy Hair Cut

[Dervly]

Hi All

I'm looking for some advice on calming my guinea pig for hair cuts

She's nearly 5 and has always hated them but I think she's getting more upset with age. She used to be the same for getting her nails done, but I can work round it now and she's happy for that as long as her belly is rubbed.

To trim her hair I've tried giving her her favorite food, talking to her, playing music, and lightly wrapping her in a towel. No matter what shes always squealing and takes ages to calm after!

As she's long haired, particularly around her rear, poo etc gets caught in if it is not trimmed.

Any suggestions at all would be appreciated!

Thanks
Dervly

 

[spy9doc]

My first question would be "Is her hair curly or straight?" I formerly had a Texel who screamed through the entire haircut because it was difficult to avoid pulling her hair. Only when I got her hair to a length that the clippers didn't pull her hair would she tolerate a haircut. Even though she had absolutely gorgeous hair, it simply wasn't feasible to permit it to be of any length and virtually impossible to keep her clean. Cavies with straight hair are a different story.

Are you cutting her hair with scissors or clippers? Oddly enough, my cavies have always been terrified of scissors but tolerate clippers much better. As you probably know, you need to cut the hair in stages with taking it progressively shorter with each haircut until you achieve the desired length. Once again, to avoid pulling the hair. Use short strokes rather than moving the clippers in one long swoop from one end to the other for the same reason. Once my piggies are accustomed to the noise of the clippers, they almost seem to enjoy the buzzing feeling on their bodies. If you are cutting the hair all over her body, then have a set of regular clippers and a small set (like for beard and mustache) for clipping the hair around her genitals and on her belly.

Try to find some breeders in your area that you can solicit advice from. Breeders who show cavies have all sorts of tips and tricks for grooming long haired piggies. You can probably find cavy clubs in Ireland and ask them for help, and to connect you with breeders of long-haired cavies.