Long haired piggies

KathT

KathT

Forum Donator 2024/25
Joined
Jan 24, 2018
Messages
788
Reaction score
1,057
Points
665
Location
Nottingham, UK
A vet told my friend that long haired piggies have a shorter life span than short haired ones - does anyone know if this is true please?
 
What an odd thing to say.
I can’t see why long hair should shorten a lifespan unless the fur is never groomed and the bum never cleaned.
I can’t say from experience as my long haired lady is only 1
 
You’re right Merab’s Slave - it was an odd thing to say. So many things can influence their life span such as genetics, environment, care etc. Perhaps she was just trying to console her after the loss of one of her ‘wig pigs’. I did a google search on the subject (after I posted this) and it said Peruvian and Shelties were likely to have a longer life span as they are older breeds.
 
I certainly hope my long haired boy Finn lives a long time.
I give him bum baths, nail cut and haircut, not a professional one, regularly. I always try to keep him comfortable by grooming him regularly, which he doesn't always agree with me.
 
I'm not sure why the vet has said that. I would say it really depends on the pig and nothing to do with hair length.
 
I always keep up with Finn and Lara's veggies intake with three meals of veggies a day to give them plenty of vitamins. They get endless supply of Oxbow hay and some Oxbow pellets.
 
My longest lived piggy was long haired, he was a lovely coronet called Fudge and was 11 when we lost him.
I think it may be down to the extra care they need, long haired piggies tend to be more likely neglected than short haired ones which may contribute to vets seeing them live shorter lives? But a well cared for one should live as long as any other :)
 
My long haired guinea pig lived the longest out of all mine. He lived to 7 years old whereas my others (short haired) have all lived between 2-5 years.
I don’t think long vs short has anything to do with lifespan but more their breeding past. (Parents/ mass bred for chain stores etc)
 
baleofhay said:
Taking Russell, new Peruvian boar to the vet on Wednesday for the first time. Could ask what she thinks. Hes already about 2, so he should stick around for some time yet
Click to expand...
Hope he gets better soon!
 
baleofhay said:
Taking Russell, new Peruvian boar to the vet on Wednesday for the first time. Could ask what she thinks. Hes already about 2, so he should stick around for some time yet
Click to expand...
Let me know what your vet thinks - it seems to be a bit of a ridiculous statement to me!
 
That's a new one on me but I can only guess as to why vets might be more aware of those with a shorter life span. Perhaps as suggested above they are more easy to neglect, longer hair which isn't maintained increases the chance of fly strike and let's not forget inbreeding to get "pedigree" breeds for showing etc could lead to genetic abnormalities.
 
Ah t
Lady Kelly said:
That's a new one on me but I can only guess as to why vets might be more aware of those with a shorter life span. Perhaps as suggested above they are more easy to neglect, longer hair which isn't maintained increases the chance of fly strike and let's not forget inbreeding to get "pedigree" breeds for showing etc could lead to genetic abnormalities.
Click to expand...
ah the pedigree thing that’s a possible reason why the vet could have said that
 
Another thing might be its easy to miss substantial weight loss in longer haired piggies if you dont actually weigh them regularly? When Jezzy floof lost all that weight after having baytril she still looked huge, if we hadnt weighed her every week we wouldnt have spotted she'd lost 100g and started syringe feeding and giving probiotics and got her back to the vet!
 
Had a chat to my vet. She says there's not really a breed specific reason why they would have shorter lifespans. Newer exotic breeds like texels or alpacas might have heart issues, but your standard healthy Peruvian is as sturdy as shorthairs just need their brushing.
 
I don't think that's true. I've had two longer-haired guinea pigs... one lived to be about 6.5 years and the other is going strong at 4.5.
 
baleofhay said:
Had a chat to my vet. She says there's not really a breed specific reason why they would have shorter lifespans. Newer exotic breeds like texels or alpacas might have heart issues, but your standard healthy Peruvian is as sturdy as shorthairs just need their brushing.
Click to expand...

I thought it was a bit of an odd thing to say and I’m glad it’s not true. Thanks for asking your sensible vet!🙂
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
One of them was in the school when two break ins happened. Just after my wife took him, there was a fire in the kitchen right next to where he was kept😦
Click to expand...
He’s not named Damien by any chance is he? Are you sure he wasn’t the insider leaking info to the burglars? As for the fire...did he receive sufficient blueberries in the week leading up to it?
 
The Ever Beautiful Betsy is a Sheltie Coronet and gets groomed regularly (loads of complaining) and gets bum baths every 4-6 weeks (when it's not too cold) and regular visits to the Ironing Board Salon. She lives outside all year round and is as healthy as can be. She is 3 years old now and she is a Miss Moodychops when in season. I hope she lives for many more years.
 
Eriathwen said:
My longest lived piggy was long haired, he was a lovely coronet called Fudge and was 11 when we lost him.
I think it may be down to the extra care they need, long haired piggies tend to be more likely neglected than short haired ones which may contribute to vets seeing them live shorter lives? But a well cared for one should live as long as any other :)
Click to expand...
I agree and I was thinking the same thing.
My long haired boy Finn doesn't always like the extra attention and don't care for the grooming.
 
Merab's Slave said:
He’s gorgeous
Click to expand...
I think so hahaha. When he was taken out the back, I heard a lot of cooing. I think the nurses fell for him hahaha. The poor little guy came to me so matted and dirty (but thankfully healthy) that I'm really not surprised they can have poor outcomes if not maintained. Have more Russell. IMG_20190127_213909.webp

Also to dear Fudge who made it to 11 what a champ. <3
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top