guinea care

Question
Hello, one of my guinea pigs has long hair, but I didn't use to notice it and I didn't brush him very often. I feel ever so guilty for this now as it has caused his under hairs to be very short and unable to grow for they are so matted and dirty. He is not in any obvious discomfort so I have not taken him to the vets, but no matter how much I groom and shampoo those hairs, they don't seem to get any better. I am going to book him a vet appointment, but can you suggest any shampoos or methods that I can sort those hairs out? He is about 8 months old and lives with a birth mate. also a boy.

Thank you

Answer
Hi Ellsie,

Give him a trim :o) Get someone else to hold him, and using nail scissors, carefully cut off the hair that is matted. Even if you do groom and bathe them regularly, long-haired breeds often become matted easily, so please don't feel too guilty. Then give him a bath (ask me if you need to know how) using Just For Boars from www.gorgeousguineas.com - a trial size bottle will be ample as the full-size ones are designed for breeders who have a lot of piggies!

Make sure you brush him everyday from now on if he's got long-long hair, or every two days if it's mid-length. You can buy specialist grooming brushes but I just use shoe brushes on my boys as they're nice and soft!

A vet won't be able to help really as it's not a health problem, but it's advisable to let your piggies have a general check-up once every 6-12 months.

Hope this helps and if you have any other questions just ask!

Jenny.