To shave or not to shave? That is the question

[BoneBagz]

I am just curious how many of you shave your long hair GP's. Not to the skin (yikes!) but down to a regular short haired pig length.

:?: What type of shaver do you use? What is the least upsetting as far as noise and vibration but gets the job done quickly?

:?: Is it considered mean to shave a longhaired GP?

:?: I know they are bred to have long hair and it supposedly serves no purpose so is it ok to shave them down a bit for easier grooming and cleanliness?

:?: Do you shave them yourself or do you get a vet to do it?

:?: If you do it yourself, how do you go about it?


Thanks for taking the time to respond to this post

 

[nonamian_girl]

I would say avoid shaving, just in case it goes wrong, unless there it's for a medical purpose and done by a vet.

P.S. In the future, try to keep similar topics in the same thread, it's easier for us that way.

 

[PiggieMamaKelly]

I've never had a fully long haired guinea pig (Mama is somewhere in the gray), but I do know what pigs' personalities are like. And let me tell you, there is no way a guinea pig is going to allow you to shave him/her. The noise, the vibration, the funny feeling getting the hair cut short. Not gonna happen. I would be fascinated to hear if someone has successfully done it. Getting Mama to sit still for scissors that DON'T make noise is chore enough and I can't imagine any pig will sit still for clippers, without some strong narcotics. You will all be less stressed if you stick with the scissors.

 

[Jessica]

Its fine to trim their hair down, use scissors and be CAREFUL. It really is not necessary to shave or even trim them really down, just enough to keep their bum clean is plenty, and if you have them housed with another piggie that that pig will usually do the job for you! hehe, you just do what is necessary to keep their bums and private areas clean, I usually just do butt trimmings and it works fine, then they still have the security of their longer hair that they are used to.

 

[Giplet]

I trim Misty every now and again so that her hair doesn't drag on the floor too much and I trim around her bum and back legs more often to keep her clean. Once my vet shaved around Nala's butt because she had a bladder infection and she really smelt. The vibration really scared her but her had a proffessional vet grip on her so she didn't wriggle too much.

 

[BoneBagz]

Thank you for your input. I guess I will just stick with the scissors and only bother with a but trim and shorten all the hair dragging around

 

[WEAVER]

That is going to be the easiest and the best. I even trim the front of mine around his legs, otherwise he steps on his hair when he tries to walk.

 

[Katie]

I shaved down Celeste last year. She is a Pervian. I used human clippers and she sat great. She didn't flitch at all and behaved much better then she did when I used scissors. When she was done she looked like an Aby.

 

[Cavie Cove]

The only time we have ever had to shave a guinea is when we had 5 rescues in and the boars hair was sooo greasy-he is along haired cross by the looks of things- we couldn't part his hair at all. We cut what we could with siscors but decided he may need shaving but to do this we took him to the vets to see what they thought and we let them shave him. His hair was only a few mm long after but now its grown back softer.

 

[DaCourt]

I shaved down Celeste last year. She is a Pervian. I used human clippers and she sat great. She didn't flitch at all and behaved much better then she did when I used scissors. When she was done she looked like an Aby.

Same with us. I was so scared to use scissors on Scooby because he jumped around so much. We don't have the problem with the clippers. first I take him out and just hold him. After a couple of minutes, my daughter turns on the clippers and will very slowly move them closer to him. Then, I just start clipping. With the noise gradually coming close to him, it does not startle him so much. Plus the cut is so much more even.

Scooby looked like a Aby too when we were done.

 

[Chloë-Jasmine]

I used to have to cut Chu Chu's all the time, but then the other girls started barbering. Caesar has really really long hair. But he never gets it tangled, so I just brush it everyday. Plus, when he gets fixed, I'm sure the girls will eat his hair right up

 

[ScottandDebbie]

Oscar's hair will grow rather long, to the point of where it will drag on the cage floor.

His hair was always in his eyes. So now I just do a monthly trim all around to keep the hair shorter, but still nice looking.

I cut his hair very short around his face, so he can see where is going, and where he has been. lol

 

[bromers]

I don't think shaving is right they was born a long haired guinea pig for a reason. Thats them its there identity.

Apart from as scottanddebbie said his face we don't want him walking into a wall.

 

[pink_cottonball]

I would just use scissors and trim the hair where it needs to be trimmed. This what I do with my abby and abruvian. (more so the abruvian)

 

[BoneBagz]

well all I managed to trim last night was a hair/bedding/pee mat from his rump and cut the length down a bit so it would not drag so much. I will probably shorten a bit more tonight if her lets me. Spike on the otherhand got the front of his hair trimmed because I do not think he could very well. He now has quite the goofy looking do!

 

[Katie]

I don't think shaving is right they was born a long haired guinea pig for a reason. Thats them its there identity.

Apart from as scottanddebbie said his face we don't want him walking into a wall.

I don't agree with shaving any animal with long hair just so they are "cooler" because the truth is, they won't be. I shaved Celeste down because 1.) She was being barbered anyway by a cage mate and 2.) She had a lump on her back by her spine and I wanted to be able to look at it better. I only shaved her once, and now her hair is back to normal.

 

[DaCourt]

For me, usign the clippers is much easier, and actually causes less stress on both Scooby and Scooter.

I DON'T shave them to the skin. In the summer, I cut it to about an inch long. He is so much happier. He popcorns all over the cage. In the winter, we let it stay a little longer. We don't let it drag on the ground because he gets such tangles in it.

Honestly, Bromers...do you think they understand their "identity?" He knows he is happier when the hair is gone. He runs all over the place popcorning. I actually think he like his new "identity" better.

Scooby also has long hair that goes in his eyes. We trimmed it one time and he hated it. As it grew back, he kept getting eye pokes. So, we leave the front long. He looks like Elvis.

 

[Mummy]

I use clippers for practical purposes, not for aesthetic reasons! I find the battery operated tiny horse clippers for doing horses ears, etc., work well. With some peruvians/silkies, I have to give them a sanitary butt shave. I don't clip to the skin, just about half an inch long. Some long-haired pigs sit in pee and soak it up. I also have a male silkie who never seems to get wet. I've had rescues come in who were so incredibly tangled that they had to be shaved almost to the skin to get rid of the matts.

 

[Giplet]

That is going to be the easiest and the best. I even trim the front of mine around his legs, otherwise he steps on his hair when he tries to walk.

I find this as well, and also, when Misty eats tomatoes, if her hair is long at the front, it gets all sticky and nasty so I have to cut around there as well.

 

[aqh88]

Long hair can actually help cool an animal instead of heating them up if it's kept free of tangles and dirt so your not actually making them cooler by shaving them. The hair pulls the hot air from the body out to the tip and by the time it reaches the tip it's cooled down. The guinea pigs I've had which experienced the most trouble in the heat were short haired pigs with extra thick coats and not any long haired pigs. I have always kept any full blooded peruvians trimmed up at about ground length so that the hair doesn't get matted, dirty, and yellow but on pigs that are only half long haired all that's really need is a butt trim.