LONG HAIRED CAVY BREEDS –
HARDER TO CARE FOR with MORE SPECIALIZED NEEDS
Long haired cavies are mop-like characters requiring several different grooming supplies, more skill and dedicated time on the owner’s part, and heavier bedding such as pelleted bedding or washable towels that won’t get tangled in the long coat. Pine shavings and some paper beddings should be avoided as they can become caught in the longer hairs, creating tangles and matting.

Unless you really like combing something every night, reconsider a long-haired breed.

THE PERUVIAN BREED: The Peruvian is a long-haired variety where the hair goes in several directions including over the face in a floppy forelock or frontal. The hair continues to grow until it drags the ground (picking up pine shavings which is why those are discouraged). When groomed, care must be taken to start at the hair end and work towards the skin to remove tangles and preserve both length and fullness by not pulling out individual hairs. After the coat reaches ground-touch length, it needs to be sectioned and rolled into paper towel bits called wrappers to keep it up and neat. Wrappers are only removed for the show table. Bathing is to be done at least twice a month using a quality shampoo and cream rinse… weekly if possible. Special requirements will be a pelleted bedding which is heavier to handle, because it falls away form the coat and will not get tangles up into the long hair. Show Peruvians hair coat (judged on overall length, density and texture) is not trimmed until the animals is taken off the show circuit for rest or breeding. Pet Peruvians can have the long hair banged off just above ground level with scissors to keep the dragging and matting to a minimum.

THE PERUVIAN SATIN BREED: This breed shares the same coat length and pattern of the standard Peruvian, except it may not achieve quite as long an adult coat. The coat, being hollow shafted, is very fragile and hard to keep free of tangles... experienced breeders evaluate their success on how well they can keep a Peruvian Satin in full coat. Not for beginners.

THE SILKIE BREED: The Silkie is known by this name in North America and as the Sheltie in United Kingdom countries. This is the breed with very long hair going straight back with nothing covering the face, but rather a mane that falls backwards from between the ears to rest on top of the back during judging. The side sweeps and rear sweeps are as long as the Peruvian’s, but more fragile as the Silkie tends to be a slightly finer coated animal. Comb and brush with gentle care... otherwise care for as with a Peruvian. Like the Peruvian, the hair continues to grow until it drags the ground (picking up pine shavings which is why those are discouraged). When groomed, care must be taken to start at the hair end and work towards the skin to remove tangles and preserve both length and fullness by not pulling out individual hairs. After the coat reaches ground-touch length, it needs to be sectioned and rolled into paper towel bits called wrappers to keep it up and neat. Wrappers are only removed for the show table. Bathing is to be done at least twice a month using a quality shampoo and cream rinse… weekly if possible. Special requirements will be a pelleted bedding which is heavier to handle, because it falls away form the coat and will not get tangles up into the long hair. Show Silkies’ hair coat (judged on overall length, density and texture) is not trimmed until the animals is taken off the show circuit for rest or breeding. Pet Silkies can have the long hair banged off just above ground level with scissors to keep the dragging and matting to a minimum.



THE SILKIE SATIN BREED: Challenging and beautiful, these are best left for experienced breeders. This is the finest and thinnest of hair strands and each can break away so easily. Care would be the same as for a standard Silkie, but results more disappointing as the fine hair breaks off inside wrappers, etc.

THE CORONET BREED: The Coronet is basically the same looking cavy as a Silkie. There is one rosette of long hair on the forehead that makes a large “eyebrow” effect and then all the rest of the long hair flows backwards. Consider it somewhat like a White Crested since it has a rosette or coronet in the middle of the forehead, but with long hair instead. The forehead coronet need not be white. Care and difficulty are the same as with the Silkie. All instructions about hair growth, trimming, wrappers and such are the same for the Coronet as for the other long-haired breeds.

THE TEXEL BREED: Probably the hardest coat to care for, and for that reason is probably best left to the experienced show-ring fancier, is the Texel - a long coated breed where the hair curls up on itself into long cascading ringlets which are not to be combed out on show animals in North America. The ringlets are combed out in Great Britain, but remain in natural ringlets when shown in other countries. This is absolutely NOT a breed for amateurs, as mismanaging the hair coat can cause so many problems that the cavy’s welfare is at risk. Texels are impressive when done correctly, miserable tangled messes when done wrong. The naturally curling hair strands form the ringlets from the skin outwards, and so bedding can be trapped anywhere along the hair length. Unique show animals – yes; appropriate as pets – absolutely not.

Long-haired breeds, especially the Texel, collect and hold the bedding like little magnets. This will be a big grooming problem almost immediately unless the pelleted bedding is used. Long rear sweeping hair is also likely to become urine soaked, hence the need for frequent baths for all long-haired breeds.

For the most part, avoid using hair-driers to prevent over-heating the cavy. The heat levels that seem fine for human hair-drying can be too concentrated and high for cavies, rabbits and most dogs. One of the newer hair dryers that has a heat-lamp sort of design that disperses the heat without blown air may be okay if held a distance from the guinea pig. If you must use a hair dryer, use it on a low setting, with a diffuser if available, and be careful not to over-heat the cavy with warm air...it can duplicate the conditions that cause heat stroke on warm days. Signs of over-heating include but are not limited to: white milky looking stress tears in the eyes, panting for breath, laying flat on the table top or ground with legs pointing away from the body, laying flat out on the side limp and un-moving.

All guinea pigs shed hair. I notice that my herd sheds more heavily twice a year. In spring they drop excess hair to have a sparser coat during warmer weather. When the fall weather turns cold at night and the amount of daily sunlight shortens, they seem to shed heavily to allow for a denser coat during the cold winter. This is noticeable in the overall coat length on the Americans...the smooth slick coats of spring and summer are replaced with longer coats that have a slightly fuzzier look as the longer hair grows in. On show animals housed in cold areas (under patios or in un-heated sheds) the longer winter hair can be different enough that it can cause temporary “drags” or “falls” which are disqualifications. When warm weather comes, the show cavies are back to short coats very quickly and no longer have those faults present.

OTHER GROOMING TIPS:

The cavy’s toenails should be checked and trimmed as needed. Some adults have toenails that will grow very quickly into curves that make walking difficult. Longer toenails can also get needle sharp tips that can scratch when pet cavies are being held and petted. Use a cat’s toenail scissor type trimmer rather than a squeeze type human toenail clipper…it give a cleaner cut and is easier to position on the tiny toenails. Like dogs and cats, the toenail has a “quick” which is a blood vessel filled area. Avoid cutting into this area by taking off small portions at a time. Trim white toenails first so you can see where the quick ends (it is easily seen as the pink portion of the nail on white toes.) Generally speaking the quick is in the thickest portion of the toenail, the half of the nail closest to the cavy’s toe itself.

Cleaning ears and bottoms is part of a through grooming. For this job, simply use a baby wipe or other hand wipe sold for people… some have aloe in them and are anti-bacterial. Using the wipe, wrap it around your finger and gently swab out the inside of each ear. Wiping the bottom of the cavy’s feet where there is no hair gives you a chance to inspect that area for any injury or calluses. Finally, hold the cavy on its back and gently wipe the anal area to complete your grooming job.