Badly matted fur

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DM190921

Hi everyone. I have a real problem with one of my pigs. When I let the kids pick 2 they choose long hair breeds. As a first time owner I thought nothing of this. They need brushed a lot but princess has really long hair that if left grows very long at the back & sides. Her top & sides are fine & don’t Matt as I can brush it. but it’s so long at the back end brushing doesn’t do it. The matting is horrendous. I have tried & tried everything to use scissors & clippers. Iv followed all advice on forum & nothing works. She is that terrified it is impossible. Iv tried 2 people but she goes crazy. It’s at the stage I feel I can’t care for her because of the matting. If she won’t let me do it what else can I do. I’m very distressed about this because they have a great home here. They have a big room to run around & everything they need. This is a huge problem for me I can’t leave her this way. If I did have to re home then most people would just take them for their kids & keep them in a cage or hutch constantly when the novelty wears off. I am in Inverness highlands. Please help & I have watched the video & tried everything on the forum for hair cutting & it doesn’t work. The minute she hears a snip of scissors she goes crazy I cannot keep her still.
 
Can you book an appointment with your vet? They will be able to assist and get on top of her hair trimming.
It can’t stay matted as she will be in pain and uncomfortable; and possibly be at risk of other complications such as fly strike.
 
Also is it the video from @Betsy you watched? She offers amazing advice. For example, trimming them up whilst they are in a hidey tunnel?

I have 2 long haired pigs at present, and have had them in the past. None are ever keen on a hair cut but it does get easier with time and trust. Also, have a partner to help you.
keep on top of it before it grows long so that trimming is easier and quicker for all concerned
 
Taking her to a vet would be a good idea. They will be able to sort it out and get things into a position that hopefully you can then stay on top of - perhaps with continued vet support if necessary.
As slave to a long haired boy who is not a fan of handling, I can completely relate to the struggle.
 
I agree taking your piggy to the vet is the best thing. It sounds like they may have to sedate her while they trim off the matted bits. She may not look very pretty when she comes back but at least she won't have any matted bits left. Try to keep on top of it and it should get easier. The Ever Beautiful Betsy wasn't keen on a trim first of all and would often go about with one side clipped and one side long for a while. They do get used to it. Betsy is now 5 and has had a trim every 6 weeks or so when her fur starts to get a bit long.
 
As a groomer please don't try cut out the matting with scissors...one wrong move and you can cause serious injury. Clippers are going to be the safest option but if you are unsure of what you're doing then please contact your vet or possibly a groomer who has dealt with small furries before. 💜
 
Thank you so much to all of you who replied. I thought it easier to do a reply to all instead of each person. We have had the girls over a year & it has never got any easier to do princess. She’s a tame pig but it’s like nothing Iv seen when I go to trim her. I can’t hold her still either as obviously you have to not squeeze tightly but she goes mad & I can’t keep her held still to do it, not even with 2 people. I can’t believe she might need to be sedated as I know now for a fact the vets won’t be able to hold her still if I can’t even do it she’s that bad. They are not experienced with guinea pigs & they are just people with hands like me. If she does need sedated then that’s s risk to her. Her hair grows very quick & how often this would need done would be a lot. She would only be able to be sedated she’s terrified & if I can hold her with 2 people they can’t. What if they hurt her as it’s not like dogs & cats being held by scruffs of neck she’s a delicate animal. I know I’m going on but thus is very upsetting for me to think of this & sedation which I see as the only option. She won’t stay still tried tunnels, towels everything but she gets free & is uncontrollable xx
 
Tinypixi said:
As a groomer please don't try cut out the matting with scissors...one wrong move and you can cause serious injury. Clippers are going to be the safest option but if you are unsure of what you're doing then please contact your vet or possibly a groomer who has dealt with small furries before. 💜
Click to expand...
Sorry I should have said I just do wee trims of other hair not matts with scissors. I do avoid them but the other pig is great for trims etc. I tried scissors on small matts only as last resort as clippers scare her more. I gave up on them as I’m terrified I could cut princess. I wouldn’t take them near her big Matt & will stop using them. Thank you for that xx
 
A couple of mine are long haired and I found some wonderful round ended scissors on amazon which are also slightly curled upwards. My vet uses them which is where I got the idea from. Makes me a lot more confident with guinea pig trimming.

This kind of thing

Smart Grooming 4.5" Paw Scissors
 
Thank you. It’s not the type of scissors it’s that she won’t stay still & goes crazy which is why I can’t use clippers on her. I can’t even keep her still when my partner holds her she gets free. She’s terrified & Iv tried tunnels, towels food the lot but the issue is she won’t stay still so it’s impossible xx
 
Where are you based?
For problems like this it might be worth contacting a local rescue.
They are used to dealing with all sorts of pigs with all sorts of issues, and given how well cared for your girls are they might be able to help.
Many rescues will offer things like nail trims and grooming in exchange for a small donation, and their incredibly experienced staff can achieve things us mere mortals simply can't.

It could be a possibility as a first step before the vet.

But if not, a very light gas sedation for the first major cut could help get things under control and allow you to more easily keep on top of them going forwards.
Most pigs tolerate this well, and I am not ashamed to admit that when Ruby was under a light sedation for x-rays recently i actually asked the vet if I could have some nail clippers to do her nails before she woke up!
She came round and started munching hay immediately and was none the wiser that she had been weighed, had a full teeth exam, 2 x-rays and a nail clip.
 
Swissgreys said:
Where are you based?
For problems like this it might be worth contacting a local rescue.
They are used to dealing with all sorts of pigs with all sorts of issues, and given how well cared for your girls are they might be able to help.
Many rescues will offer things like nail trims and grooming in exchange for a small donation, and their incredibly experienced staff can achieve things us mere mortals simply can't.

It could be a possibility as a first step before the vet.

But if not, a very light gas sedation for the first major cut could help get things under control and allow you to more easily keep on top of them going forwards.
Most pigs tolerate this well, and I am not ashamed to admit that when Ruby was under a light sedation for x-rays recently i actually asked the vet if I could have some nail clippers to do her nails before she woke up!
She came round and started munching hay immediately and was none the wiser that she had been weighed, had a full teeth exam, 2 x-rays and a nail clip.
Click to expand...
Is that gas and air as in entonox then @Swissgreys ? That's harmless and can't overdose on that and a piggy would come round quickly @Cs071085 so that sounds like a good plan....
 
Betsy said:
I agree taking your piggy
Click to expand...
Swissgreys said:
Where are you based?
For problems like this it might be worth contacting a local rescue.
They are used to dealing with all sorts of pigs with all sorts of issues, and given how well cared for your girls are they might be able to help.
Many rescues will offer things like nail trims and grooming in exchange for a small donation, and their incredibly experienced staff can achieve things us mere mortals simply can't.

It could be a possibility as a first step before the vet.

But if not, a very light gas sedation for the first major cut could help get things under control and allow you to more easily keep on top of them going forwards.
Most pigs tolerate this well, and I am not ashamed to admit that when Ruby was under a light sedation for x-rays recently i actually asked the vet if I could have some nail clippers to do her nails before she woke up!
She came round and started munching hay immediately and was none the wiser that she had been weighed, had a full teeth exam, 2 x-rays and a nail clip.
Click to expand...
hello, I’m based in Inverness highlands. That’s a great idea, thank you although I don’t think we have rescues with experts on pigs or even rabbits here sadly. I think light sedation is a good plan because like you said once it’s trimmed I can hopefully keep it short with regular trimmings. I think I need to get smaller tunnel things than I have so she can’t turn or escape out of them. I could try that as the poor things petrified of clippers & scissors. As soon as she even heard a small snip that’s it. It’s never matted as bad before now. I managed queenie great but princess has sheltie & Persian in her so hers grows very long at sides & bum. Sides are fine to maintain its her bum area that gets matted & needs to be kept short. Xx
 
LollyJJ said:
Is that gas and air as in entonox then @Swissgreys ? That's harmless and can't overdose on that and a piggy would come round quickly @Cs071085 so that sounds like a good plan....
Click to expand...
Yes it definitely does as I want to avoid her going under because I’m scared of the risks just for a hair cutting. Xx
 
I would contact the vet... they may be able to clip her with some light sedation. After that it might be easier to manage. I have a longer-haired pig who doesn't love hair trims either, but is willing to sit for them if we either give her a treat or allow her to bury her head in a blanket (we mainly have to clip the back, she is a sheltie mix and just grows a 'skirt' in back, for the most part.)
 
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