So what is 'wrapping'? Wrapping is dividing the cavy's hair into sections and wrapping each section to keep it from becoming matted, dirty or soiled. Wrapping needs to be re-done at least every other day, though I prefer to re-wrap mine everyday since I have found that mine lose less hair that way.
Materials needed to wrap your cavy's coat
- comb/brush (comb with rotating teeth is best, natural-bristled brush is best)
- paper towels (lightweight), shop towels (medium weight), material (heavy duty)
- scissors (to cut the towels/material)
- small rubber bands (the kind used for horses work great)
- spray bottle with water
Wrapping
1) Here is what the pig looks like before being re-wrapped. This in an above view of the cavy, and the wraps are messy and falling out. If you are just starting to wrap, skip the next step.
2) Unwrap the cavy's coat. The picture on the right is what it will look like when it has been unwrapped.
3) Completely comb and/or brush out your cavy's coat. I find that the combs are good for working out any tough spots, and the brush is good for rearranging the top of the coat or flyaway strands of hair. Be careful not to hurt your piggy, knots are often found around the rump area and can hurt to get out. Make sure to get all knots or tangles out, or they will only get worse, but also watch that you don't take out much coat or your cavy will not show well.
4) Now your cavy should be nice and brushed out, like the cavy in the photo above. You can use the spray bottle to mist the cavy's coat (very lightly!) during brushing. This will help the cavy's coat from getting static-y.
At this point, you need to evaluate whether or not your cavy needs a bath. If the coat feels sticky, greasy or dirty, you should bathe your cavy. Click here to go to the bathing page. After your cavy has been bathed, you can proceed with the wrapping.
5) Divide the hair into sections. Many people do not part their Silkies' or Coronet's coats down the middle, because it will ruin the mane: so you are supposed to twist the mane gently and not wrap it. That has not worked at all for me, so I part my Coronet's coats, and don't have any problems with it. I part the hair down the middle and divide the hair into five or six sections: two shoulder wraps, two hip wraps, and one or two rump wraps.
If your cavy is young, they may need only a rump wrapper and two side wrappers. I use five or six, depending on what I feel like and how the coat is. Cut the towels/material (I use the shop towels) so that they are three times wider and a few inches longer than the area of hair you want to wrap.
Tip: I have found my cavy's coat stays put better if I double the wrapping material over a few inches from the top. It seems to keep the hair from getting pulled out or coming loose as much.
6) Take the section of hair you want to wrap and lay it in the middle of one of the paper towel/material, as shown above. Make sure the section of hair lays flat and straight on the paper towel, and not bunchy or rumpled.
Tip: Make sure all the stray hairs are combed down with the rest of the hair, or when your wrap is finished there will be a bunch of stray hairs doing their own thing at the top of the wrap. I have found that these hairs are the ones that most often get pulled out by the cavy, since they drive the piggy nuts.
7) Fold over first one side, and then the other, as shown above (almost like wrapping a burrito :)
8) Begin folding the wrap up from the bottom, in square-ish sections. The wrap in the photo above will need to be folded over three times.
9) Slip the rubber bands over the wrap. I like to use one towards the top and one towards the bottom to hold the wrap in place.
Tip: Make sure that the rubber bands don't slip far up enough on the wrap to grab the cavy's coat - ouch! When re-using rubber bands from a previous wrapping, make sure there is no hair caught around them.
10) Ta-da! One nicely wrapped piggy :) She looks kind of like a little fuzzy caterpillar.
Extra Wrapping Tips
- make sure the wraps are high enough on the cavy's body so that they do not drag in the bedding/get kicked out
- make sure you change the part of your cavy's coat every few days to help prevent excessive coat breakage
- the more wraps your cavy has, the more hair it will lose. Try to stay between 4-6 wrappers for an older cavy.
- cut out new wrappers whenever the old ones get icky
- brush off all old/loose hair from wrappers before re-using them.
- wrap the wraps tight enough so that they do not fall out, but loose enough so that it does not irritate the cavy and make him/her rip out the wraps (ouch)
- make the experience more enjoyable for your cavy by preoccupying them with a nice treat while grooming
- sows are generally harder to coat out than boars because they are more fussy about having their rear end messed with
