Nail trimming and Grooming
If you live localy and have any worries about trimming you guinea pigs nails or grooming them please feel free to get in touch with us and we will be happy to help. At the moment we are full taking in urgent cases so unfortunately do not have space to take in unwanted pets, but will do our best to help you re-home independantly.
After a phone call yesterday a guinea pig was possibly needing to be re-homed and the owner said they had long nails. She happily popped round and the guineas nails were trimmed and the guinea pig checked for any health problems.
The sows nails were very long and the owner kindly agreed to let me take photos so I could illustrate what can happen if nails are not clipped regularly. Luckily none of the nails had grown into the feet but the guinea pigs toe nails will be permanently curved when short.
Front foot
Back foot
In all other respects the guinea pig was in very good health and being well cared for. We may not be able to help re-home pet guinea pigs at this time but will do our best to help any pet owners in the area if they have concerns about grooming or nail clipping.
Grooming long haired guinea pigs
Long haired guineas require regular grooming and trimming. Their coats can becoe matted and wee stained very quickly. If you are thinking about getting a long haired guinea pig please consider they will need extra attention to their coats. hair around their bottom needs to be regularly trimmed and their coats need brushing out and trimming at least once a week (our long hairs are groomed every other day and trimmed once a week). I have seen several cases of hair becoming matted and smelly and especially with the summer months approaching where fly strike is a concern please think carefully before getting a long haired guinea they can be a lot of work. There is always the option to keep their coat trimmed short to avoid these problems but it will still require grooming and trimming as they grow hair rapidly!
We would happily give any guinea pig that needed it a haircut and give advice on grooming.
Boar grease
Boars have a grease spot above their bottom which needs regular cleaning, we find a wash with fairy liquid does the job beautifully. The grease will stick to hair and become lumpy so should be cleaned regularly and in longer haired guineas the area around it should be trimmed. Some boars are more 'greasy' than others, but not cleaning the grease spot can result in irritation of the skin and hair loss.
Any medical problems should be attended to by a vet but for routine clipping and grooming we are happy to do this for you and teach you how to do it yourself.