Grooming Abyssinian mix?

AbbieMiddleton

AbbieMiddleton

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Good afternoon,

I was just looking for a touch of advice on grooming my piggy, Floof.

She looks to be Abyssinian but is extremely soft like a Peruvian. She's a rescue piggy so I've no idea of her genetic origins. When she was rescued she had practically been shaved and that's definitely not something I'd want to do; however, where do I stand on haircuts and such? We have a soft brush to maintain her tufts and will trim her bum fur when necessary but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with all the top fluff. 😂

Do I just let it go bonkers and grow out? I think she's stunning as she is and don't want to give her haircuts unless I'm supposed to. If I'm not supposed to, then she's going to be a glorious walking mop!

TIA. 😍
 

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You don't have to cut long haired piggies at all but you might choose to trim round her bum if she gets a little messy or in the height of summer you might want to give it a good cut to help keep her cool.

I've had one long haired piggy before but my Daisy constantly overgroomed his hair around the front end. He was a little messy and would regularly wee down one leg so I used a face cloth to wash his bits each week and would keep the hair trim to stop it getting all matted
 
Lady Kelly said:
You don't have to cut long haired piggies at all but you might choose to trim round her bum if she gets a little messy or in the height of summer you might want to give it a good cut to help keep her cool.

I've had one long haired piggy before but my Daisy constantly overgroomed his hair around the front end. He was a little messy and would regularly wee down one leg so I used a face cloth to wash his bits each week and would keep the hair trim to stop it getting all matted
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Awesome, thank you. I wasn't sure if haircuts were mandatory and I didn't want to accidentally mistreat her either way.
I'll just focus on the bum end until warmer weather.
I better buy some piggy bum cloths. 😂
 
She is gorgeous!
I have a long haired boy, I believe Abyssinian somewhere in his lineage as he does have a rosette but he is mostly a long haired messy mop! I trim around his bum and face year round. If I don’t cut his hair around his face it grows so long it covers his eyes and ends up around his front legs. I don’t do much with his body in winter though as they live in my shed so it’s nice for him to be a little longer for a bit extra warmth. In the summer I do give him more of a cut all over. Not close to his body, but enough so that it doesn’t drag on the ground. It isn’t a pretty cut but it’s practical!
 
Piggies&buns said:
She is gorgeous!
I have a long haired boy, I believe Abyssinian somewhere in his lineage as he does have a rosette but he is mostly a long haired messy mop! I trim around his bum and face year round. If I don’t cut his hair around his face it grows so long it covers his eyes and ends up around his front legs. I don’t do much with his body in winter though as they live in my shed so it’s nice for him to be a little longer for a bit extra warmth. In the summer I do give him more of a cut all over. Not close to his body, but enough so that it doesn’t drag on the ground. It isn’t a pretty cut but it’s practical!
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Thank you. I'll wait and see whether it covers her eyes or not and act accordingly. I really don't mind how she looks, I'm certainly not any type of hairdresser, but I want to be sure I'm doing right by her. 😀
 
My boy Leo who passed over rainbow bridge last year was groomed every day with a baby brush and had a quick shallow bum bath on occasion and a regular fringe and bum trim. He would sit on my lap contently after a bath for a blow dry. I miss my wiggy boy. I don’t think he was ever impressed by my lack of hair dressing skills. If your piggie is skittish it might be worth buying rounded edge scissors similar to what nurses use . Enjoy grooming floofs floofiness. She is stunning and it can be a great bonding experience 😁
 

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I recently groomed my 6 pigs, one is an Absynnian and the other a Sheltie with long & very fast growing hair. The absynnian I leave alone hair wise apart from a trim round the bot if she needs it. The long haired piggie needs it more often but only because my pigs are outdoors so it gets more disheveled! If you want to look at the grooming pics I posted them on my Darceys Piggies thread. I too am no hairdresser but I had good customers that day (no tips though 😩). No harm in a little trim if its getting in the way but they will be well used to all that hair regardless 👍
 
AbbieMiddleton said:
Good afternoon,

I was just looking for a touch of advice on grooming my piggy, Floof.

She looks to be Abyssinian but is extremely soft like a Peruvian. She's a rescue piggy so I've no idea of her genetic origins. When she was rescued she had practically been shaved and that's definitely not something I'd want to do; however, where do I stand on haircuts and such? We have a soft brush to maintain her tufts and will trim her bum fur when necessary but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with all the top fluff. 😂

Do I just let it go bonkers and grow out? I think she's stunning as she is and don't want to give her haircuts unless I'm supposed to. If I'm not supposed to, then she's going to be a glorious walking mop!

TIA. 😍
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Hi!

You just trim long-haired piggies around the bum and where the sides touch the floor in order to minimise the risk of tangles and matting, and to allow the piggy to exhibit normal behaviours without risking it standing on its own hair.
If you love a long coat, then trimming off the undercoat can help with keeping the risk of tangling and matting smaller.
You often end up with a practical balance of your piggy's needs, personality and compliance (which can vary enormously), the climate and your personal preferences.

In full long-haired piggies (and crosses that come after only long-haired ancestors), the hair keeps growing whereas in crosses hair may grow out in parts or part-length but won't keep on growing all the time.
You have a gorgeous peru cross from what I can see and will have to wait just how far the hair will grow back.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/members-cross-breeds-gallery.121424/

Judicious hair cutting will go a long way towards keeping grooming time minimal and also minimise the need for bathing, which can dry out the skin and cause long term issues if it is overdone. In most cases a haircut and a bum bath with baby warm water will do the trick with minimal disturbance of the natural oil filter/skin microbiome.
We are currently working on a haircutting and grooming guide for long-haired piggies.

During hot weather/heat spikes we recommend to give long-haired guinea pigs a short haircut so they are not lugging the equivalent of a skisuit on a tropical beach; it makes them feel a lot more comfortable and they do not overheat quite as fast.
By Autumn the hairs will have grown back.
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
 
I have nearly finished my grooming guide. It has taken a while cos we have been busy over the last few months (think evicting a bad tenant, getting the house habitable so my son can buy it, me moving house and moving MIL all at the same time!)
 
Thank you, everybody!

Bum baths, trimming for comfort/sight purposes, brushing regularly and super cute haircuts in the summer. Got it! How exciting! I can't wait to see how she feels about it all! I'm definitely going to have a peek at the Grooming Guide when it's available. 😁
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

You just trim long-haired piggies around the bum and where the sides touch the floor in order to minimise the risk of tangles and matting, and to allow the piggy to exhibit normal behaviours without risking it standing on its own hair.
If you love a long coat, then trimming off the undercoat can help with keeping the risk of tangling and matting smaller.
You often end up with a practical balance of your piggy's needs, personality and compliance (which can vary enormously), the climate and your personal preferences.

In full long-haired piggies (and crosses that come after only long-haired ancestors), the hair keeps growing whereas in crosses hair may grow out in parts or part-length but won't keep on growing all the time.
You have a gorgeous peru cross from what I can see and will have to wait just how far the hair will grow back.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/members-cross-breeds-gallery.121424/

Judicious hair cutting will go a long way towards keeping grooming time minimal and also minimise the need for bathing, which can dry out the skin and cause long term issues if it is overdone. In most cases a haircut and a bum bath with baby warm water will do the trick with minimal disturbance of the natural oil filter/skin microbiome.
We are currently working on a haircutting and grooming guide for long-haired piggies.

During hot weather/heat spikes we recommend to give long-haired guinea pigs a short haircut so they are not lugging the equivalent of a skisuit on a tropical beach; it makes them feel a lot more comfortable and they do not overheat quite as fast.
By Autumn the hairs will have grown back.
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
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I shall have to get a pic of her other side! On her right she's like a plush and fluffy Peruvian but her left side is covered in rosettes and curls. She's an odd little poppet.
 
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