Helpppp!

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Alex27290

Alex27290

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Hi,

I have two long haired boars, and one of which is giving me a little bit of trouble when it comes to grooming him.

When we first got the two boys, they were extremely matted and very unkempt due to their previous owners not grooming them. :( However, we took them to the vet who treated them for mites and shaved parts of their fur which were too matted to sort out. Since this, we brush the boys daily and bath them monthly so that they dont end up in the same state.

However 1 of them absolutely HATES being brushed or stroked. He will sit on my lap quite contented but as soon as I touch him, he jumps, squeaks, shakes and flicks his legs to get you to get off. I cant not brush him as his fur is too long to be left without brushing, but at the moment (for the past 3 months) Ive had no success of calming him down to allow me to brush him properly.

Any help/advice would be GREATLY appreciated :))
 
Can't really offer any advice I'm afraid as I have the same problem with my boy. He HATES being groomed but will let me stroke him (as long as I don't accidentally pull his hair).
 
What type of brush are you using? It could be that the brush you are using is pulling on the hair slightly and this can be very painful for piggies. Ive got 2 peruvians, a coronet, a sheltie, and a texel that all require regular grooming.

I find using a soft brush first works well as this will gently remove any tangles knots without causing any pain. I then finish off with a wide tooth comb.

Soft brush similar to what i use:
ancol-heritage-small-soft-42914-9638_medium.jpg


I keep hair off the ground and quite short at the back and around the feet - i check regularly for tangles and will either brush them out first or will just go ahead and trim them out.

My lot are bathed every 4-6wks also.

Some pigs just don't relish in the grooming process and absolutely hate it - maybe try giving them a handful of their favourite veg while you are brushing them - if their mind is on easting what's in front of them, they wont be too bothered by what you are doing - plus by giving them treats throughout the grooming process they learn to associate this with something positive.
 
Many longhaired piggies don't like being groomed; I have a couple of karate piggies myself! After your boy must been rather painful and sore, I can understand why he doesn't like being touched; my karate piggies also came into rescue completely matted up; thankfully, with some patient care they now tolerate being stroked.

Perhaps you can calm him down with lots of praise and little treats of his favourite veg or fresh grass? A piggy with a full mouth can complain less!

What I do with mine is cut their hair rather short, especially around the bum end, round the back legs and the sides, so they don't need to be groomed daily and the hair can't get matted badly. You may want to ask another person to hold and distract your boy while you cut his hair if that is possible; that makes it a lot easier!

Gorgeous Guineas also do a special shampoo for longhaired piggies (posh'n'go) that helps with the tangles.
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/shampoos.html

PS: We would be very grateful if you please put your concern in the title. The members on this forum try to answer every thread; you help yourself by attracting the right people straight away if you are more specific.
 
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Thank you for your suggestions =]

I currently trim both boys and keep their fur as short as possible at the back and near their legs to minimise their knots.

I use a brush I got from Pets at Home for long haired piggies
(http://www.petsathome.com/shop/soft-pin-slicker-brush-by-options-15828)

but now youve mentioned it, it might not be that soft on their skin so Ill try and get a softer brush :)

Ill also try a new shampoo... I'm currently using the Johnson insecticidal shampoo... which is good for preventing mites, but might not be so good for making their fur all soft and knot free!

I havent tried veg to tempt them/bribe them so Ill have a go with that.
 
Alex27290 said:
Thank you for your suggestions =]

I currently trim both boys and keep their fur as short as possible at the back and near their legs to minimise their knots.

I use a brush I got from Pets at Home for long haired piggies
(http://www.petsathome.com/shop/soft-pin-slicker-brush-by-options-15828)

but now youve mentioned it, it might not be that soft on their skin so Ill try and get a softer brush :)

Ill also try a new shampoo... I'm currently using the Johnson insecticidal shampoo... which is good for preventing mites, but might not be so good for making their fur all soft and knot free!

I havent tried veg to tempt them/bribe them so Ill have a go with that.
Click to expand...

Ive got the pets at home slicker brush and it does pull/tug on the hair - i stopped using mine for this very reason - my pigs were much happier to sit still while being groomed when they didn't have a brush pulling on their hair. Grooming shouldn't be painful, it should be relaxing :)

I would invest in a soft brush - use this for brushing first to remove any small tangles then go over with your slicker brush afterwards.

Parsley & corriander are good bribing veg types ;)

Just out of interest - what breed are your pigs?
 
Alex27290 said:
They're both Shelties x)
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OOOh i x)x)x) shelties - have you posted any pigtures of these beauties? I must have missed it if you did..... PLEASSSSSSSE post some more pigtures for me to drooldrooldrool over!!

My rescue boy Wexford (coronet) HATED being stroked a certain way and still isn't keen on being brushed, this is 12months on! i think this is very much down to his previous owners picking him up using the hair on his back - any brushing/slight pulling of his hair must remind him of this. We are very aware of this and i rarely brush him (i check his hair every few days), if/when i do give him a brush it's using a soft brush only and i allow him to tell me when he's had enough - usually this is when he starts jumping around like a loon :))
 
it may be a good idea to make sure he doesnot have an underlying skin problem that is causing him to react to being touched. X
 
Just cut the hair. It's fine as long as they're inside. I don't see how you're gonna do that. Maybe while he's asleep? But if you want to keep the hair, while he's sleepy, start by petting him really lightly and gradually pet until you get to the level of a soft bristle brush. Lots of attempts later he should be a bit better with the brush possibly? I don't have a long haired, but this seams like a good idea to try. But I really don't know if this will actually work.
 
Ive got a vets appointment tomorrow just to check he hasnt got an underlying skin condition or something that I havent picked up on... might be the case because my other piggy doesnt mind being groomed too much, so it seems strange behaviour.

Thanks for all of your help, ill let you know how we get on! :)

As far as pigtures, Sodapops, I hope these will do :))

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5-2.png
 
Alex27290 said:
Ive got a vets appointment tomorrow just to check he hasnt got an underlying skin condition or something that I havent picked up on... might be the case because my other piggy doesnt mind being groomed too much, so it seems strange behaviour.

Thanks for all of your help, ill let you know how we get on!

As far as pigtures, Sodapops, I hope these will do

2-6.png

3-3.png

3-4.png

4-3.png

5-2.png
Click to expand...

OMG! How did i miss these pictures??

Your pigs are gorgeous x) I might be going pignapping very soon......

How did your boy get on at the vets?
 
Thankyouuu! I love them to pieces, my beautiful boys! :(|)

The vet said that he had mites again and that although I was brushing them everyday, the mites were tickling him so me putting a brush on him was even more ticklier and unbearable for him! Hence why he wriggles and kicks out so much! Poor little thing! At least its all sorted now though :)
 
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