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Matted Fur On Bottom

M

Michael1991

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 22, 2017
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Location
Gateshead, UK
Hi, One of my girls is extremely prone to matted fur around her bottom. She ends up with sticky fur on her back legs and hard fur around her bum. I spot clean 2x a day and fully clean them out every 2-3 days so their homes are very clean. She's a short haired guinea and I keep her hair as short as possible at the back. The only way I can keep her right is by bathing her bum every 1-2 week which I know is too frequent.

Has any ideas how to avoid this or help with the situation?
 
I would take her to the vets personally. Some piggies can be messier than others but what you are describing seems more than a little messy, it sounds like either a grease gland being overactive or a problem meaning that she is leaking urine. This can be from a number of problems such as a urinary tract infection, womb infection, cysts or arthritis which is preventing them from moving around so much
 
Michael1991 said:
Hi, One of my girls is extremely prone to matted fur around her bottom. She ends up with sticky fur on her back legs and hard fur around her bum. I spot clean 2x a day and fully clean them out every 2-3 days so their homes are very clean. She's a short haired guinea and I keep her hair as short as possible at the back. The only way I can keep her right is by bathing her bum every 1-2 week which I know is too frequent.

Has any ideas how to avoid this or help with the situation?
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What breed is she? Rexoid breeds have rougher fur that acts much more like a sponge and is more prone to matting than smooth-haired guinea pigs.

We generally recommend a bum bath with hand warm water to take care of a messy bum; that works for boars as much as for sows.

Generally short-haired piggies should have dry and clean bums, so you might want to have your girl vet checked.
 
She's an american guinea pig, she's extremely happy always pop corning and running around. I'll take her in anyway. Thanks for the quick reply all
 
Michael1991 said:
She's an american guinea pig, she's extremely happy always pop corning and running around. I'll take her in anyway. Thanks for the quick reply all
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Yes, please have her checked. Americans should not be messy around the bum.
 
It still sounds messier than it should be. I have both long-haired and short-haired piggies of different breeds.
 
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