Shedding

Question
We had a long hair male guinea pig that sheds really bad. He just turned 1 year old and seems very healthy. When we first got him at about 3 months old, he had lots of flakes in his fur and the vet treated him with ivermectin and it cleared up. We brush him and you can still just pull out hair. He has always gotten figgity when you pet or rub close to his bottom and when we brush in that area, he starts to jump and get crazy. There is a very little bit of some flakes, but no scabs or bumps. His fur is shinny and eyes are clear and bright. We just don't know why he sheds so much. When you hold him you get hair all over.  Please help

Answer
Long haired pigs are time consuming when it comes to grooming. If you're going to keep his hair long you need to brush it almost daily to keep out the tangles. It's especially hard with males because it's uncomfortable for him to be brushed around the backside. You have to be especially careful not to comb over the testicles, as that would cause him pain.

It might be easier on both of you if you give him a bath then trim his coat. That helps prevent the knots and tangles that are so common in long haired pigs. As for the flaky skin that's just a response to the low humidity of winter. Bathing helps that too.