We Thought You Said "zooming" - Not "grooming"...

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3Tyger

3Tyger

Junior Guinea Pig
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Trying to get all my young piggies out and into a grooming routine is still at the moment a 2 person job. My little ones just don't like to sit still, they want to race around.

And i wouldn't mind, we're still just using a very soft brush - they haven't even sniffed a slicker brush yet!

Here is 7 month old Poppy...
She throws her nose up in the air as soon as she sees the brush.
I win her over by gently brushing her cheeks and behind her ears. She really likes that.
She then tolerates me brushing her all over for a couple of minutes before she gets fed up and runs up to my chin...
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Here is 5 month old Rowan...
He really, really likes the brush.
As long as it just sits next to him!
All he wants to do is kiss the brush.
He thinks the brush is a lovely friend - but he doesn't want it walking over him...
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Those pics are superb! What lovely piggies...poppy is striking and Rowan is as cute as can be. They are certainly characters...i love piggies with character! I might have to pignap them...:gd:

Poppy tolerates being brushed, just about.as long as I don't do it too often.

Little Snowy is about his cage talking to himself, nothing but a fluff ball with pink ears and nose. I'm struggling not picking him up, but he loves the hay cookie I just gave him. The girls are in their pen and I'm cleaning their cage...just waiting for the F10 to dry before I wrestle a waterproof protector in to it before putting down the pads.:own:
 
Here is 3 month old Heather...
Heather is a total diva!
I'm not quite sure how the piggie with the smallest lungs makes the loudest noises, but i fear the decibels she can create will one day get me a visit from the noise police!
Brushing Heather is quite an experience; it starts along the lines of "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO ME?" but then starts to mellow into "Okay, this isn't so bad" and then "Hey, this is really cool & don't I look fabulous!"...20161120_021104.webp
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Well, nice things must follow grooming sessions so i thought this might be a good time to see if they like red pepper...
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Just as I thought; my little food demolishers hungrily munched it all up!
 
I have just cleaned my girls cage, and I think there should be a treat in there for them. I bought the Woodland Meadow Forage box from P@H as shown in the GPM.

But I don't know what to do with it. Should I plonk it in the cage or cut it in half? Is it too big for two teen girlies?I have bought 2, but one is for Christmas for them, and hopefully by then the three of them will be together.
 
Flamestriker said:
Those pics are superb! What lovely piggies...poppy is striking and Rowan is as cute as can be. They are certainly characters...i love piggies with character! I might have to pignap them...:gd:

Poppy tolerates being brushed, just about.as long as I don't do it too often.

Little Snowy is about his cage talking to himself, nothing but a fluff ball with pink ears and nose. I'm struggling not picking him up, but he loves the hay cookie I just gave him. The girls are in their pen and I'm cleaning their cage...just waiting for the F10 to dry before I wrestle a waterproof protector in to it before putting down the pads.
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Thanks, Yes, they're definitely characters for sure! I think both our Poppy's have a similar view of being brushed :nod:

Pignap them? :yikes: Well i'm so glad they all live with me indoors, or i'd be reviewing our security arrangements in the garden... :bal:

Your little Snowy is so adorable :wub: I would want to pick him up too, but it sounds like he's enjoying his hay cookie too much. Mine haven't had hay cookies yet, i've thought about giving them a try as well - i'll check them out next time i'm pet shopping.

I'm sure Snowy will be fine waiting, though the guilt seeing him on his own will probably lead to him becoming so spoiled you will be calling him Sir Snowy and bowing before him by the time he is ready to be introduced to your girls :))

But don't worry too much about that, as your girls will soon teach him that airs and graces don't get you that far in life... :D
 
I bought the hay cookies from Wilcos, as they do smaller packets than the Natural's or Woodland range, so great to try out without being too expensive if they are not enjoyed.

I'm not bowing yet...but there's definitely lots of squeezing, awing and I'm dying to cuddle him!

Need to put in an order with Ziggy...IV run out of fleece, but my radiators have them all on top drying out after a wash. Looks odd to say the least.
 
Flamestriker said:
I have just cleaned my girls cage, and I think there should be a treat in there for them. I bought the Woodland Meadow Forage box from P@H as shown in the GPM.

But I don't know what to do with it. Should I plonk it in the cage or cut it in half? Is it too big for two teen girlies?I have bought 2, but one is for Christmas for them, and hopefully by then the three of them will be together.
Click to expand...

I don't have one of these, but i saw it in the magazine as well and it looks to me like you just put it in. Maybe someone else seeing this might have a better idea though, either way I think your piggies will love it :)
 
I might do just that, although il break off a bit for Snowy.

P@H have a lot of new treats out for piggies at the moment...the good thing is that I have bought most of them :)

My bank account isn't happy though :(
 
Flamestriker said:
P@H have a lot of new treats out for piggies at the moment...the good thing is that I have bought most of them :)

My bank account isn't happy though :(
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I was happy to see in guinea pig magazine that Supreme Scientific range are bringing out healthy treats, can't wait to check them out :)

I know what you mean about the bank account, especially this side of Christmas!

Lucky they're all worth it :luv:
 
There are many nicer and healthier treats coming out, instead of treats full of honey and seeds which are not so healthy for piggies.

It is great to see companies focusing on small pets rather than just dogs and cats. Even pet stores now are still mostly full of things for dogs and cats.
 
Flamestriker said:
There are many nicer and healthier treats coming out, instead of treats full of honey and seeds which are not so healthy for piggies.

It is great to see companies focusing on small pets rather than just dogs and cats. Even pet stores now are still mostly full of things for dogs and cats.
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:agr: Anyone that has read my previous threads knows I'm very strict on treats - i'm very anxious to avoid my piggies getting dental problems.

The lack of experts available in guinea pig dentistry led to the euthanasia of 2 of my previous guinea pigs Douglas & Snowdrop, and I genuinely believe they could have been saved if i just had access to someone that had a clue. I paid lots of different vets a small fortune to try and fix their teeth but i think they found it too complex.Truly heart-breaking! Even though it was years ago now.

Honestly, i know i'm probably gonna bore people going on about this, but never underestimate how serious dental problems are for guinea pigs.

Douglas came to me as an adult whose severe dental issues were caused by a poor diet in his earlier life. Douglas was the piggie who taught me that dental problems could be fatal. I had no idea of that before. Of all the health problems i envisaged piggies could get i didn't ever consider that they could die because of a dental issue, but they actually can and do.

Snowdrop's dental issues were genetic as she was a lethal white. I know that some guinea pigs are just genetically unlucky and will have these issues anyway, nothing i can do to change that. But sometimes it is down to diet, and in those cases i can change that. So it became a little obsession of mine. From what I could see, Douglas & Snowdrop both suffered in very similar ways and I never want to witness that again.

I most definitely value my piggies as much as I value my cat. So I think it's definitely time the companies clicked on to this as well...

As long as they make me HEALTHY treats that won't damage their dental health, and yes, i will read all the ingredients like a worried mother hen first...:lol!:
 
I think I am in piggy love with Fern! They are all gorgeous though :drool:

Our piggies would not tolerate been brushed.... Vimto would probably eat it
 
3Tyger I don't blame you. I do the same.

I still read the ingredients on the healthy treats. I don't mind grass seed, but that is the only seed. Since they eat grass and hay, grass seeds must not be too bad. No honey or glucose syrup, fruits or nuts. If my piggies have fruits, I am the one to give it to them.

Mine go nuts for the dandelion mix in the Woodlands.Natural range. Nothing but dry dandelion. I like the Meadow Forage boxes too. My lot don't have lawn time as I don't have a lawn, so the dry stuff is the next best thing.
 
sport_billy said:
I think I am in piggy love with Fern! They are all gorgeous though :drool:

Our piggies would not tolerate been brushed.... Vimto would probably eat it
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Fern is definitely a little cutie :wub: still a bit shy when she's out but i think she'll get lots more confident in time.

Mine are not overkeen on being brushed yet, with the exception of Rowan who likes to play a game called "i love that brush and I want to kiss it and cuddle it and take it out of your hand and lay next to it" (which actually makes brushing him no easier)!

This is what I call my 'starter brush' as it has nice soft bristles and is one I use mainly to get them used to the idea. As you can see in the photos, it is a bit battle-scarred from all its encounters with piggies that sound rather like your Vimto... :D
 
Flamestriker said:
3Tyger I don't blame you. I do the same.

I still read the ingredients on the healthy treats. I don't mind grass seed, but that is the only seed. Since they eat grass and hay, grass seeds must not be too bad. No honey or glucose syrup, fruits or nuts. If my piggies have fruits, I am the one to give it to them.

Mine go nuts for the dandelion mix in the Woodlands.Natural range. Nothing but dry dandelion. I like the Meadow Forage boxes too. My lot don't have lawn time as I don't have a lawn, so the dry stuff is the next best thing.
Click to expand...

We sound a lot alike with treats then, and i've only just acquired a garden too (though they'll not be out on it until its warm enough next year). I do exactly the same with the mixes for foraging :)
 
Oh my GOD their personalities! Ours are both shorthaired but we brush every so often for loose hairs. The reaction is sort of indifferent. Like "I think the human is stroking me weirdly, but I'm more interesting in why there's brown grass growing from her head."
 
TheCavySlave said:
Oh my GOD their personalities! Ours are both shorthaired but we brush every so often for loose hairs. The reaction is sort of indifferent. Like "I think the human is stroking me weirdly, but I'm more interesting in why there's brown grass growing from her head."
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:lol!: Brown grass hair, that is so funny, Love it!
 
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