Cutting Your Guinea Pigs Hair

Aww Moppie, what a lovely head of hair !

If you have a long-haired piggy (Sheltie[Silkie] / Peruvian), beautiful as they are, you will probably have noticed by now that they tend to get a bit damp / knotted / matty / whiffy around their bottom area if you do not keep it trimmed short- due to the fact that the hair grows down & hooks under their bottom so it gets in the way when they 'relieve' themselves - also as it gets longer it can be prone to getting knotted and getting bits of hay and bedding caught up in it.

Worst scenario: If the hair is not trimmed regularly it can result in a nasty matted / smelly mess that will cause your piggy no end of pain as the matts get tighter and begin to pull on your poor piggies delicate skin. Also, if there is a mass of knots around your piggies bottom they will end up being continually damp & smelly and will probably, in the end, cause a nasty infection / urine scalding of the surrounding skin with bare sore patches.

If you don't handle your long-haired piggies very regularly you may not notice there is a problem developing - you will see your pretty piggy walking around her pen looking like a very lovely long-haired piggy - not realising what may be lurking underneath - so, it is very important that you handle your piggy regularly and lift up the hair at the back end of your piggy and feel around their bottom to see if any knots / matts are developing - also, if each time you pick your piggy up she feels damp around her bottom end - {ruling out, of course a UTI} all the time, it could mean the hair is getting too long / knotted and is soaking up urine.

As a general rule, I trim my piggy Mop's hair every 3 months, before her shampoo. This is the 'full-on all over, close crop, haircut'. In between shampoos I just give her a little trim around her bottom every couple of weeks, just to keep on top of things. You will get to know when your piggy needs a trim.

This is a matter of choice. For health & hygiene purposes a trim around the bottom area is all that is needed. However, I tend to give Mop an all over haircut - I actually find she is much more lively & friendly when she is trimmed all over - I don't know why, maybe she just feels lighter & more free ? However, if you have just come into ownership of a long-haired piggy who has not been looked after properly and is knotted all over & you are unable to get the knots out by grooming & shampooing then I'd probably whip the lot off and start again for the more immediate comfort of your piggy.

• A good pair of Scissors - After trying various different types of scissors I now use proper hairdressing scissors - I bought mine from Boots the Chemist - I just find them sharper & much better at cutting quickly & painlessly (without pulling) through the hair - they make the whole job easier & quicker - and as most piggies don't appreciate a haircut around their bottoms - every little bit helps ! ·
• Another thing I find useful is a plastic coated apron - I used to trim Mop (and her sister, the late Tiger) with them just sitting on my lap or a towel - the problems I found here were - 1. As they didn't appreciate my efforts they would sometimes try & nip me - Mop once got me right on the tummy & it hurt quite a bit - so wearing a plastic coated apron means if they try and nip I won't feel it. And 2. After I had cut their hair I would be covered in little bits of hair / or the towel would, and it's actually quite hard to wash off - so by wearing a plastic coated apron it's very easy just to wipe the hair off into the bin. ·
• Wide toothed comb - I have experimented with various brushes / small animal wirey groomers and the best thing I have found for grooming my pigs is a wide toothed plastic comb - the type I use on my own hair - [actually I do use mine lol] this helps to comb out the hair ready for a nice neat trim. ·
• Crocodile/grippy type hair grips - If you are not giving your piggy an all over trim then clip the hair on their backs up and out of the way with the type of crocodile grips that hairdressers use - this will hold all the hair out of the way so you can get to work underneath - you can then comb this hair over the trimmed bits afterwards so it still looks like your piggy is long-haired all over.
• Water (plant) spray - Can be useful to damp the hair down for a neater / easier trim.
• Treats - I always keep various treats eg grapes / cucumber around to give my pig to nibble whilst I am trimming her, just to try and keep her distracted. ·
• Long sleeved top - For the same nibbling reason as the apron - I also wear a long-sleeved top whilst I hair-trim - If I'm worried about a piggy 'turning nasty' and nibbling me I won't be handling her as confidently & she won't feel as relaxed - so by covering up bare skin I know she can't bite me !! (even the gentlest pig has been know to turn a bit nippy whilst having a bottom end trim)

Nice sharp scissors are a must have !

This is what I do - for an all over (3-monthly) trim [with a worst case scenario very matted piggy rear-end thrown in]: ·

• Put my apron & long sleeved top on - lay out the scissors, water spray, treats & comb. ·
• Go and get Mop and settle her, with a treat, on my lap & pet her for a few minutes just to relax her. I have tried cutting her hair with her standing on a table but it didn't work - she just kept running off all the time - some people may be able to 'train' their piggies to stand still for this type of thing but I haven't had any luck !! So, I find my lap is the most secure and safest place.
• Comb her hair all over so it is knot free - if you do this regularly it helps her to get used to it & also not to just associate it with hair trimming time. ·
• I then put my hand flat over her top end, so holding her hair flat and then slide the scissors through the hair in front of my hand [sorry, I wish I had photos !] (be really careful not to stick the scissors into her) and gently slice the hair off in sections. I find this easier & less agitating for Mop than combing sections up and holding them in the air (like human hairdressers) to trim -I guess this is because Mop can feel my hand on her back & either feels more secure, or doesn't realise I'm actually cutting her hair ?! · BUT, if you are not confident or your piggy is a real wriggler then go for the 'holding the hair up between your fingers' route as this provides a barrier of your fingers between the scissors and your piggy's skin ! Be very wary of quick, jerky, jumpy piggies !
• I work my way down in about inch sections down her back - stopping mid-riff. That will be enough for one day - I continue again tomorrow - or, if your piggy is a real fidgeter just cut one or 2 sections and stop before she gets agitated or starts protesting. · I use the 'little and often' method.
• You will probably find that your piggy will wriggle, jump around or squeak as if you have just cut *her* and play up in all sorts of ways - just do your best to reassure her, most of the time she will be squeaking for effect - it is doubtful that you actually hurt (as you will be being extremely careful not to) her unless you are trimming a very matted pig and the matts are pulling on her skin which will hurt her - in this instance you just have to be as gentle as you possibly can - the matts have to come off - it may be easier to cut them off after shampooing her. Bear in mind that a piggies skin is quite sensitive so really do try not to apply any 'pulling' pressure when holding/trimming her hair. · Like most things, how your pig reacts to having her hair cut is very much dependent on her own personality, some pigs are just so laid back and don't turn a hair, whilst some are just so very theatrical !
• So, the next day I get ready to trim the bottom half - I do exactly the same as before and work down to her bottom. I can normally trim reasonably close before she starts really protesting & jumping around - if I have someone with me I get them to hold her still for me (gently) whilst I trim what I can - a little spray of water from the plant spray often helps - I trim around her bottom with her standing on her feet and then turn her onto her back - with someone holding her - to trim up her back legs and around her 'private' parts [be especially careful if your pig is a boar]. ·
• The next step, which I do the following day - is to shampoo Mop - I either shampoo her all over if she is due - or just 'waist down' shampoo her, then, whilst she is warm & damp, I hold her in my left hand - spread eagled & supported by my palm and then gently trim around her bottom, whilst the hair is wet, with the hair-dressing scissors - it really is much easier to trim whilst the hair is wet - the scissors go through easier & you can get a closer cut - and if you have done the preparation & cut most of the hair off before - it doesn't take long at all.

So, that is the big haircut done. Remember to dry your piggy off if she is going outside or it is cold indoors.

What lovely neat haircuts Tiger & Moppie !

If you just want to trim around her bottom (as I would do every few weeks in between her big trim to prevent any problems building up) then prepare everything as above, comb your piggies hair through and clip up her hair with the crocodile clips so it is out the way and you have a clear view of the area you want to trim.

Then gently trim around her bottom with the scissors - You may find it helps to slip your left hand underneath her (from the front - so she is looking up your arm) and lift her bottom & back legs up slightly in the air, whilst supporting her weight with the palm of your hand - this can help keep her more still and allow you better access to her back end. You may find you want to finish off with a little rinse.

Piggies, as a rule don't like their hair being cut around their bottoms (they don't like any sort of interference around there..) and may jump around, squeak as if you're the nastiest person in the world or try and nip you. Really all you can do is be as gentle as you can, but be gently firm with them - it will make them feel more confident, make sure you keep a good grip on your scissors and keep your wits about you so they don't suddenly jump round and you get them with the scissors [have a barrier - your fingers - between piggy and the scissors and when you are not actively trimming hold the scissors away from your pig] - if possible ask someone to help you by holding your piggy still. If you don't have anyone to help and you have a real wriggler then you can try towel wrapping your piggies top end, leaving her head & bottom poking out and then carry out the trimming. I must admit, I tried that and didn't have much luck ! I find the easiest is as I described above - Mop very rarely protests now - only getting a bit fidgety as I get close around her bottom.

At the end of the day you need to keep your piggy trimmed for her sake and you need to do this in such a way that it is not a stressful ordeal for either of you each time - by trimming Mop as I have described above, we are now in a routine where she doesn't get stressed and I don't feel that I'm causing her any worry or pain - it is just another of those routine things we do.

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Page Last Updated: 15/03/06