Some guinea pigs require regular grooming especially
those of the long haired variety. There are 8 breeds of
long haired guinea pigs with the most common in
Australia being the Peruvian, Sheba and Sheltie.
Unlike short haired guinea pigs they require extra care
and attention to ensure their coat is kept healthy, shiny
and to prevent matting and Urinary Tract Infections.
How often should I groom my guinea pig?
Below is a helpful chart to assist you with tasks for your
long haired guinea pig including coat maintenance:
Why is grooming so Important?
Regular grooming prevents a number of health issues for
long haired varieties. Urinary Tract infections are caused
by bacteria which is contracted through sitting on wet
bedding and faecal matter. As the long hair drags across
the ground the hair become wet with urine, water and
other debris.
Keeping the bottom short and trim will prevent any
harmful bacteria being picked up and thus decrease the
risk of UTI’s
Grooming also assists in decreasing shedding, and mats.
Matted hair can be very painful for a guinea pig is not
kept in check. The hair will tighten in a ball and pull the
skin underneath. Ensuring that you are checking for mats
and brushing your guinea pig daily will prevent them
from having large areas of tangled hair.
How to Brush your Guinea Pig
Brushing your guinea pig correctly is important to ensure
you do not inadvertently hurt your guinea pig by pulling
the hair and instead making it an enjoyable experience.
Always us a soft bristled brush which only removes lose
hair and does not pull the coat. Use a gentle stroke, in the
same direction that the hair is growing. Do not push the
brush upwards and brush against the grain. This will hurt
the guinea pig.
If there are matt’s it may be easier to remove the mat
carefully with scissors. Ensure you wrap the guinea pig in
a towel and have another person holding the guinea pig
firmly and gently if needed. Some small matt’s can be
brushed using a comb You will need to hold the base of
the matt close to the skin and brush outwards. If you
comb the matt without being careful of the base it can
pull the skin hence sometimes removing it is better than
having the skin pulled. It is advisable to do two or three
sessions of combing. For large matt’s do not try and comb
the matt out all at once but over a few brushing sessions.
How to Trim your Guinea Pigs Coat
There are two types of trimming that guinea pigs will
require:
1. Bottom or butt cutting
2. Overall coat maintenance and trim
Bottom Cutting
The bottom region is important to kept short on all guinea
pigs regardless of breed. If your guinea pig requires a butt
cut it can be better to gently spray the coat with luke
warm water or to cut after bathing. Wet hair tends to be
easier to cut as the strands join together increasing the
cutting surface area. You can also cut on dry hair.
Ensure your guinea pig is well secured and on a stable
surface. It may be best for one person to hold your
guinea pig if trying to cut hair for the first time. Gently
place the hair between two fingers to ensure you prevent
pulling the hair. Cut the long hair around the bottom and
trim the hind legs.
Do this slowly and gently. Some guinea pigs may be
skittish so you can place one hand on the guinea pig to
secure them usually around their mid section and with
the other hand gently trim the tips of the hair.
Overall Trimming
There are many methods for overall trimming. The best
way is to bathe your guinea pig first to ensure the coat is
easier to trim and also that it is clean with any urine and
debris removed. See our Bathing page for instructions
1. After bathing place your guinea pig on a clean dry towel
and dry.
2. Gently brush the hair downwards using your soft
bristled brush (Any small matt’s can be brushed out)
3. Using hair dressing clips work trimming in layers -
clip the outer hair up to separate it from the undercoat
4. Use your hair dressing scissors to cut the bottom layer
removing the clips as your go so you do one layer at a
time
*Always hold the hair between two fingers close of the
body when cutting to ensure you have a barrier between
the guinea pig and the scissors.
5. Once trimmed you can trim a peruvian or sheba’s
fringe using the same method.
Grooming