Making Sure Your Pet Guinea Pig is Properly Groomed
Grooming Your Pet-It Doesn’t Have to be Difficult
Their are pet owners who will not groom their pets because whenever they try the experience turns into a bad experience that leaves both the pet and the owner with strained nerves and shaken confidence. Some of these pet owners, knowing that their pet is in desperate need of a good grooming, bring their pets to a professional pet groomer, hoping that the groomer knows some magic trick that will make their unruly pet behave. Most of these pet owners are devastated when they return to the groomers to pick up their pet and find out that the best the groomer was able to do was a partial job, they send the pet home half clipped and uncombed, telling the owner that the pet is their responsibility.
The hard truth is that some pets really don’t like to be groomed. Dogs, who are perfectly happy to splash in mud puddles and swim in rivers, develop an unreasonable fear of water when their owner starts to unroll a hose. Cats who are happy to spend the entire day being stroked by their human, turn into shrieking banshees when that same owner picks up a brush.
The first thing a pet owner has to understand is that if they brush or bath their pet at home, there is absolutely no way a pet groomer is going to be able to. Professional groomers are people who know how to make a pet look good, they aren’t animal trainers. Pet owners shouldn’t expect them to turn into trainers when they drop their pet off at the pet groomers.
The easiest way to teach your pet that grooming is a pleasurable experience is to start grooming them when they are very young. Sure puppies and kittens squirm around a lot, and grooming them will be difficult, but they are still small. They are a lot easier to hold onto know then they will be a year or two down the road. And remember, part of the reason they are squirming and wiggling around is because they are so happy to be with you. If you start brushing their coats and washing their eats now, they will start to associate those activities with one on one time.
Make sure that you spend some time handling and cleaning your pets ears. The more their ears get handled at a young age the easier it will be for your veterinarian to inspect and treat any ear infections your pet might develop later in life.
Dog and cat owners all know that trimming their pets nails can be a monstrous engagement. Although you shouldn’t have to trim the nails of your new puppy or kitten, you can make play with their feet and start getting them accustomed to the feel of your fingers against their paws. This will make your life easier down the road.
When your grooming process is complete reward your young pet with treats and play time. It won’t be very long before they learn that sitting still through the grooming process means that they will get to the fun stuff faster.
If you are having a bad day, avoid grooming your pet. They will pick up on your negative energy and be uncomfortable being trapped on your lap. Instead of grooming, spend the time playing a game with your puppy or kitten. They won’t feel trapped and will still have your undivided attention which will make them happy, and you will find that watching them play will have a therapeutic effect on your mental health.
Make each and every grooming session a positive experience for both you and your new pet.
Home Pet Grooming Tips
Pet grooming can be performed by the owner or from a professional who has gone to school to learn the craft. If you are a do-it-your-self type person there are several safety tips you might want to keep in mind. The animal you are grooming is special to you and you will want to keep the animal safe and calm during the pet grooming experience. Any undue pain or injury caused by unsafe practices can cause emotional stress to your animal and damage to the trust level the pet may have with you. The following tips will ensure a safe and pleasurable pet grooming experience.
Most pets do not like this, but the excess hair that forms in the ears must be clipped. Excess hair can build moisture that will trap bacteria and cause ear infections or be a breeding ground for ear mites. These types of afflictions can cause your pet a great deal of discomfort. Infections cause the animal to scratch and shake their head. Mites can actually cause the animal to do damage to their inner canal as they stick their nails inside trying to scratch. Large eared dogs already have a predisposition for ear problems and the shaking of their ears back in forth can rupture blood vessels. Professional pet groomers have specialized equipment to remove ear hair, but the novice may use nose hair trimmers to get the same effect. The noise of the clippers may scare the pet, so stroke him with the other hand and offer soothing words to calm them.
Another novice mistake is to shave the animal all the way. Pet grooming experts will do this at the request of the owner, but it is ill advised if the animal is an outside pet. The coat protects the animal from the cold and also from the sun. Both elements can cause serious skin damage to your pet which could lead to expensive veterinarian bills. The lack of hair on the body can cause rashes. The hair in some breeds secrete essential oils that protect and lubricate the skin, while others such as Labradors have two coats that serve different functions for the animals safety. Try to shave mats as close as possible until you are able to work them out with a brush. Even shaving mat patches to the skin will leave your pet in danger of the sun and wind.
If you use a clipper, brush the hair backwards against the grain and then move your clippers with the grain. Pet grooming experts may use a variety of length of clipper combs that can be used in variance with the length and thickness of the coat. The novice pet groomer may use home hair clipper systems, but they should experiment first in one unnoticeable area before continuing the entire job. When shaving the underbelly, beware the nipples.
Even on a male pet this can a painful experience if they are cut or cut off. Home pet grooming is an inexpensive way to keep your pet healthy and happy, but it is also a way for your pet to be injured or messed up so bad that only professional pet grooming can fix the owners mistake.
Making Sure Your Pet Guinea Pig is Properly Groomed
The site of a guinea pig nosing around in a pile of fresh shavings is an image that brings a smile to both parent’s and children alike.
A large population of adults have fond memories of the guinea pig they raised as a child. It doesn’t take a lot of encouragement before they are describing the way it looked and recounting the adventures they shared. Most parents who had guinea pigs during their childhood are normally quick to make sure that their children have a pet guinea pig to call their own.
Parents like the idea of guinea pigs as a child’s first gift for a variety of reasons. Compared to cats and dogs, guinea pigs are a cheap pet. Even rescuing a kitten from an animal shelter can cost more then fifty dollars, a young, well cared for guinea pig can be purchased for fifteen dollars. The average guinea pig doesn’t need as much veterinary care as a dog or cat. A guinea pig can be kept in the child’s bedroom, it doesn’t run around the house, disrupting the entire household. In short a guinea pig is a smart choice to teach a child about the responsibility needed to care for a pet.
One of the skills that children will develop when they are raising a guinea pig is pet grooming. Despite their diminutive size, guinea pigs, like dogs and cats, need to be groomed on a regular basis.
Parents who are concerned that their child will be lax about grooming their pet guinea pig should make sure that they purchase a short haired breed of guinea pig. The short hair will not tangle and mat like their long haired counterparts. Brushes that have soft bristles are the best for brushing guinea pigs, the soft bristles wont hurt the guinea pig’s skin.
When you guinea pig comes home, teach your child how to examine its eyes and ears and nose, to make sure that they are clean and free of debris. Show them how to use a warm slightly wet washcloth to gently wipe any mucus that might be accumulating in the corners of their eyes.
Guinea pigs don’t require a great deal of of brushing, and they shouldn’t be bathed. They do need to have their nails clipped. This is an activity that the parent needs to supervise. Explain to your child that they are not suppose to remove the guinea pigs entire nail, that the only thing that is going to be removed with the nail clippers is the sharp tip of the nail. On a guinea pig that has white nails you should be able to see the tiny blood vessels that run through the nails, explain to your child that the blood vessels represent a living part of the nail, that the goal is to trim the nail with hurting the tiny blood vessels. If your pet guinea pig has dark nails your probably wont be able to see the blood vessels, on dark nailed guinea pigs the rule of thumb is to trim approximately 1/4 of an inch of the guinea pigs nail.
The biggest problem with guinea pigs is that they stink. The scent of an unclean guinea pig cage can quickly drive the entire family from the house. It is important to make sure that your child understand that it is extremely important to clean the guinea pigs cage every day. Explain that the health of their guinea pig as well as the family harmony depends on them keeping the cage clean and the bedding fresh.
