Tips On How To Trim Long Fur?

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Sian25

Sian25

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I was just wondering whether there was any nice way or at least a less scary way of trimming long haired pigs? My poor effie acts as though I'm the worst human on the planet when I try and trim her hair. It upsets me because she really does get distressed. I've tried doing little bits each night and tried to just do it in one go to get it over and done with but she gets very upset with me. We rescued her 3 months ago and she's still pretty nervous but is coming out of her shell. The only issue is fur cutting and she needs trimming pretty regularly especially around her bum and she hates me for days afterwards. I'm not quite sure what exactly scares her but I'm pretty sure it's the noise of the scissors cutting. She's not too bothered about having her nails cut though. Any advice?

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Is there anyone who could hold her while you do the trimming? I've got two that I have to give a trim with one that has soft silky fur that needs it cutting about every three weeks. Just take your time and talk to them while you cut so it distracts them.
Good luck
 
Afterwards how about giving them a treat, so maybe they will associate hair trimming with treats, & get used to it. I think it's going to take a while though.
 
Crystella said:
Is there anyone who could hold her while you do the trimming? I've got two that I have to give a trim with one that has soft silky fur that needs it cutting about every three weeks. Just take your time and talk to them while you cut so it distracts them.
Good luck
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Yes my partner holds her while I trim but she does everything in her power to get away and it's upsetting to see her distressed. I've tried to let her bury her front end into a blanket while I trim her bum but as soon as the scissors make the cutting noise she tries to scatter
 
So they are not too long and sharp too. Then all I can say is just be patience and take it slowly. Sorry I can't offer more tips.
 
I have exactly the same problem, I have two long haired who get cut every 1.5 to 2 weeks, first of all I had to take them to someone else
to cut as i didn't have the nerve to carry on when they started jumping and trying to get away. Now i actually do it myself ... through the
help and advise given on this forum in holding with one hand and very slowly cutting with the other. the black one Tilly sometimes is happy enough with me letting her sit there and i cut round her while she eats..... the other Flossy the white one is AWFUL. i have to hold her and she burrows as deep as she possibly can into the fleece to try and get away or hide, food is a total waste of time, so i just do til i know she has had enough otherwise it would be very messy hair and sore clumps of matted mess especially round her bum which i know would be ten times worse for her and me. my best cut to date was letting her snuggle into a small snuggle sack and just cut the top and one side i could see of her side... then turned her round and do the other so not actually holding her ... then i just lifted her up very quick to do her bum . done . i think there are some guinea pigs who will always hate it and never just sit there but hopefully with time they realise that its a necessary evil and " put up " with it better depending on their mood of the day. don't know if it makes a difference when they have their feet on the ground or not, both mine used to be cut being held up and squeaked as if they were being tortured .... but i don't actually get any noise when they have their feet on the floor... good luck !
 
My last guinea pig, Jacky, had long fur on her bottom which I had to cut. She loathed it. I just held her firmly and gently and cut it as quickly as possible. Poor little love. She was always to delighted to get back to her cage again!
 
As soon as my fluffy guinea feels me doing anything with her fur at the back, she starts squealing as if I'm about to murder her. To make it worse, I trim her fur when she's in the bath because it's much easier when her fur is floating in the water...I just do it as fast as I can! She does forgive me though. I don't know the answer because I can't think of a way to do it without her being aware of something happening.
 
I use little batterry powered clippers to do Sassy. I get the hair between two fingers like I'm going to cut it with scissors but then just push the blade of the clippers down through the hair onto my finger as it doesn't then clog the blade. Works a treat. But I'm lucky that Sassy is happy to just sit there. But even if she wriggled, I couldn't cut her with the clippers so I feel safer with them than scissors. These are the ones I have Mini Pet Trimmer CP-1178 | Free P&P on orders £29+ at zooplus!
 
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