Long haired pig as first time pet

[Tommywing5b7]

Hi everyone.

I signed Nina up for a workshop at P&H and we were the only ones who went. It was run by a nice guy called Matt who was very sweet with my daughter and I. We knew as much as him I reckon due to all my research .

Anyway we fell in love with the lovely animal we got to hold. Can't wait till May when we can finally get our girls.

Still my question was, how much extra work is it to look after long haired piggies? Loads of baths and haircuts etc?

Thanks!

 

[Merab]

I have a long haired piggy- my first.
There is extra work in that she does need her fur trimming from time to time.
It’s important around the bum where long fur can get matted and yucky if not kept short.
She gets an occasional bum bath too.

Grooming is a nice time for cuddles but as Priscilla has attitude to match her fur a generous helping of vegetable bribery is required .
Looking forward to seeing pictures when you get yours.
You are doing a wonderful job preparing for them.
There’s going to be lucky piggies soon

 

[Tommywing5b7]

She looks wonderful! Thanks

 

[Wiebke]

Hi everyone.

I signed Nina up for a workshop at P&H and we were the only ones who went. It was run by a nice guy called Matt who was very sweet with my daughter and I. We knew as much as him I reckon due to all my research .

Anyway we fell in love with the lovely animal we got to hold. Can't wait till May when we can finally get our girls.

Still my question was, how much extra work is it to look after long haired piggies? Loads of baths and haircuts etc?

Thanks!

Hi and welcome!

I guess you are having your boy neutered in the meantime?

Frequent bathing is no longer recommended; it is very harsh on the skin and generally very stressful for the piggies. In most cases a bum bath with baby warm water is enough. Please be aware that you won't get urine stains in white hairs out, shampoo or not. Most of us bathe only for medical reasons or if a piggy is extremely filthy these days.
But if you really need to bathe, do so by setting a bowl on a towel on the floor of your shower or bathtub, so your boy can't injure himself badly with a blind jump and can't escape. Many piggies don't like hairdryers (on the lowest and just mildly warm setting), so you have to make sure that he stays out of drafts and somewhere warm until he is fully dry.

You can keep things to a good degree under control by keeping the hair at the bum, around the legs and genitilia, on the underside and the undercoat on the sides short. That prevents the worst soiling and matting, and also makes grooming a much less painful experience.
You can use scissors (with a finger of yours in between the blade and the skin) or dog clippers for cutting. I find a soft brush works best for thin straight hairs while rough and curly hair is best tackled with a wide afro look comb.

In summer we strongly recommend a short haircut to save our long-hairs from lugging the equivalent of a skisuit around a beach, especially in hot weather. The hair will be grown back come autumn and winter.

Check the boar bits regularly and especially the penis and penis shaft regularly as long hairs can wind around a penis and strangle it. Any blue penis is an absolute emergency!
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

 

[Swissgreys]

One of my first piggies (Rosie) was long haired.
For her first couple of trims I aimed to keep her gorgeous flowing locks neatly tidied/
I soon realised that this wasn't working and wasn't comfortable for her.
After that I made sure to keep her hair pretty short all over to be honest.
The haircuts weren't pretty, but they did the job.
I think once you get over the fear of hair trimming then long haired piggies aren't a lot more work than any other guinea pig really.

 

[flowerfairy]

I have 4 long haired guinea pig and one short haired. I chop the long haired ones skirts off and try to give them a short back and sides as well. They are not fans of beong brushed but will tolerate and quick snip snap snip with someone else holding them for me!

I would think they would be fine as first time pets as long as you have done research and know what to expect. Best of luck. What fun!

 

[Wiebke]

I've got 6 long-hairs at the moment, but they are part of a long succession going back to my childhood days.

Personally, I prefer to keep my piggies' hairs on the shorter side - it is much less stressful as there is not as much groomig stress for them and they can live their piggy lives much more enthusiastically!

It depends on whether you'd rather want a showing-off pet or a piggy that can romp as much as they like...

Caron before and after her summer chop. The poor girl had masses of very fine hair and was so relieved when they were gone!

 

[Tommywing5b7]

Hi and welcome!

I guess you are having your boy neutered in the meantime?

Frequent bathing is no longer recommended; it is very harsh on the skin and generally very stressful for the piggies. In most cases a bum bath with baby warm water is enough. Please be aware that you won't get urine stains in white hairs out, shampoo or not. Most of us bathe only for medical reasons or if a piggy is extremely filthy these days.
But if you really need to bathe, do so by setting a bowl on a towel on the floor of your shower or bathtub, so your boy can't injure himself badly with a blind jump and can't escape. Many piggies don't like hairdryers (on the lowest and just mildly warm setting), so you have to make sure that he stays out of drafts and somewhere warm until he is fully dry.

You can keep things to a good degree under control by keeping the hair at the bum, around the legs and genitilia, on the underside and the undercoat on the sides short. That prevents the worst soiling and matting, and also makes grooming a much less painful experience.
You can use scissors (with a finger of yours in between the blade and the skin) or dog clippers for cutting. I find a soft brush works best for thin straight hairs while rough and curly hair is best tackled with a wide afro look comb.

In summer we strongly recommend a short haircut to save our long-hairs from lugging the equivalent of a skisuit around a beach, especially in hot weather. The hair will be grown back come autumn and winter.

Check the boar bits regularly and especially the penis and penis shaft regularly as long hairs can wind around a penis and strangle it. Any blue penis is an absolute emergency!
Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

Thanks for that. Just to be clear I haven't got any guinea pigs yet. Plan is to get 3 girls in may. Strangled guinea pig penis does not sound like fun .

Some great advice there thanks

 

[Tommywing5b7]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Some fine looking friends there too. If Nina chooses a long haired one I'll definitely keep the hair short I think. How often do you have to trim it though? Does the hair grow quickly?

 

[Elthysia]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Some fine looking friends there too. If Nina chooses a long haired one I'll definitely keep the hair short I think. How often do you have to trim it though? Does the hair grow quickly?

Depends somewhat on the piggie. When my long haired piggie was young she’d move around a lot and wasn’t as dirty as to when she got older and used to sit in the same spot a lot. I think I used to cut her hair approx every 6 weeks or so. I’d cut her bum, sides and back legs very short but kept the top long and flowing. She was extremely happy to sit still so she was an easy pig, it would take me about 15 mins tops. She would start getting jittery if she needed a wee so I would be aware of that and let her do her business in peace and then continue.

I never combed her - I used to try that but it was torture for both of us to be honest. Only rarely did I used to wash her bum, mainly as she got older and really didn’t move much when she became ill and elderly.

So.. it’s hardly a full time job, and it can be quite nice for bonding and checking your piggie over etc. just requires a little extra grooming once in a while.

 

[PiggyPoo]

It’s not as hard as I first thought. They keep themselves quite clean as long as they’re cleaned out regularly. My long haired had a little bum trim for the first time around 10 months old. She’s not matted or dirty at all. Now she trust me I’ll give her a little comb from time to time and a good cut in summer. A lot will depend on the breed but I’ve never had to bath her. Xx

 

[Seven7]

My boy Finn has long hair.
I try to make sure his hair is nice and short especially his bum hair so he can be comfortable.
I give him bum baths every three months or so otherwise he will be soiled.
He does complain about his hair and nail cut, but I know better than to allow him to get his way. He does get treats after every hair and nail cuts and bum baths.

 

[Tommywing5b7]

Thanks! That's encouraging to hear. We'll wait on see what we end up with but at least I know what to expect. I just wish I didn't have so long to wait!

I wish I could have taken this one home