RosieMaia
Teenage Guinea Pig
My one-year old Peruvian cross sow, Maia, is absolutely terrified of having her hair trimmed. In this 1 year, I've never been able to fully trim her hair. I try to maintain her butt hair short and clear the hair from her eyes, but that's about it. The hair on her sides and belly can get quite dirty and tangled.
As soon as I start trimming, she starts shrieking loudly (I had no idea such a tiny crature could produce these sounds). She tries to bite and wiggles constantly. At some point, she becomes too terrified to move, her breathing becomes noisy and fast, and she becomes limp in my arms. At this point, I always stop and put her back to her cage, where she recovers in seconds and can be seen eating veggies the moment she's back. I know pigs can literally get scared to death, and I don't want to push her too much. However, I'm really worried that her wet and unkempt hair will cause some kind of infection. Her belly and rear are frequently soggy and dirty, the hair gets tangled and matted.
She also dislikes me combing her hair. Strangely, she doesn't mind a bath too much, nor does she notice nail trims, as long as I keep her occupied with a small treat.
It seems her hair and skin are very sensitive to even the mildest of pulling. I try to be careful and pinch her hair between my fingers before cutting, and I've tried 3 different pairs of pet scissors. I even purchased an animal trimmer. I really don't know what to do any more...
There's just one pet groomer in the city that caters to guinea pigs, but I worry she'd be even more afraid in the unfamiliar environment. Besides, I know the pet groomer only had experience with cats, dogs and a few rabbits, and she'd be the first guinea pig there.
Her hair grows so fast, and I see the train at her back is getting long, so she's due to have a trim, but I don't know what to do.
As soon as I start trimming, she starts shrieking loudly (I had no idea such a tiny crature could produce these sounds). She tries to bite and wiggles constantly. At some point, she becomes too terrified to move, her breathing becomes noisy and fast, and she becomes limp in my arms. At this point, I always stop and put her back to her cage, where she recovers in seconds and can be seen eating veggies the moment she's back. I know pigs can literally get scared to death, and I don't want to push her too much. However, I'm really worried that her wet and unkempt hair will cause some kind of infection. Her belly and rear are frequently soggy and dirty, the hair gets tangled and matted.
She also dislikes me combing her hair. Strangely, she doesn't mind a bath too much, nor does she notice nail trims, as long as I keep her occupied with a small treat.
It seems her hair and skin are very sensitive to even the mildest of pulling. I try to be careful and pinch her hair between my fingers before cutting, and I've tried 3 different pairs of pet scissors. I even purchased an animal trimmer. I really don't know what to do any more...
There's just one pet groomer in the city that caters to guinea pigs, but I worry she'd be even more afraid in the unfamiliar environment. Besides, I know the pet groomer only had experience with cats, dogs and a few rabbits, and she'd be the first guinea pig there.
Her hair grows so fast, and I see the train at her back is getting long, so she's due to have a trim, but I don't know what to do.