Tiny Paws Guinea Pig Groomer has proudly partnered with globally renowned Gorgeous Guineas to bring the best skincare experiences to your piggies.
As my primary identity is as a guinea pig groomer, it is important to me that I use and recommend products that are of a good enough standard that I would use them on my own piggies, repeatedly and over the course of many years.
I first found Gorgeous Guineas as a young guinea pig keeper in around 2007, and used their shampoos pretty much exclusively for a while. I loved the concept and the products themselves; I couldn’t fault them.
And then there was a period of time where I was doing a lot of advising on the internet, and that caught the eye of a lot of people, some of whom spotted my ability to help others in any situation without judgement and without pushing them away – and also saw my potential as an advocate and educator of the species. Several people over the course of a few years took me down a number of paths, and as I grew very close to these people I allowed myself to believe everything they said was better than anything I knew or could prove. For some years, I wasn’t using or recommending Gorgeous Guineas products.
Whilst I don’t regret those times and what I learned walking down two of those paths in particular, I was deeply relieved to finally, in my late twenties, see that I needed to make the decision to walk away from all outside influences. My two major teachers were older and more experienced than me in countless ways, they could have led me onto wonderful things, things I dreamed of…but I finally recognised to do so would mean signing up to their own beliefs and agendas and plans, which of course included things that I did not align with fully or agree with at all. I chose to stop advising, stop getting involved with online education, I wanted to disappear, wipe the slate clean, and take time out to establish what was true to me.
Did I even want to keep on keeping piggies?
At one point in 2016, no, I didn’t. I was humiliated by two of the people closest to me, people I thought I could trust with anything; made to feel like the worst human and worst guinea pig owner on the planet because my pigs had a heavy static lice infestation. Apparently, it showed how cruel and neglectful I was. What I would say to the Laura of 2016! If that Laura knew what the current day Laura has seen, how widespread and common static lice are, how a massive majority of pet piggies has them to some degree and how hard they are to fully eliminate, she wouldn’t have been on the verge of giving up piggies forever. Or giving up on life.
When I knew I wanted to start grooming piggies professionally in 2018, I wasn’t under anyone’s thumb. I knew that in 99% of cases (the exceptions being any with specific medical conditions requiring prescribed treatments) I wanted products designed for, and safely used on, guinea pigs. I looked back over the many shampoos and products I’d used over 15 years of keeping piggies and I made my decision.
I placed an order with Gorgeous Guineas.
Over time Chrissie and I started talking more about what I was doing, and how much I was finding her products helpful in so many of the piggies I was seeing, whether they had dry skin, white coats, long hair, or static lice. There’s been a LOT of talk about static lice! In addition to sending me a bunch of flyers and business cards to hand to my clients, at my request, I actively use her shampoos for nearly every pig I see. We typically choose between the following:
Long-Hairs – Posh ‘n’ Go, Kind & Gentle
Boars – Just for Boars, Cedarwood & Lemongrass, Kind & Gentle
Sows – Kind & Gentle
White piggies – Lice ‘n’ Easy, Kind & Gentle
Dry skin – Aloe Melt followed by Manuka & Neem shampoo
Dry skin with extensive hair shedding – CocoNeem Melt followed by Manuka & Neem shampoo
Static or running lice – Lice ‘n’ Easy
I also stock a small range of lotions and ointments – almost always items I want to recommend as an ongoing management option when I see any skin issues with feet or ears – and I sell these to my clients at the retail price listed on the Gorgeous Guineas website. I’m not interested in making profit from stocking and selling Gorgeous Guineas products so I pay for anything I sell. It just helps sometimes to be able to provide the product and leaflet there and then when it is needed, rather than send people away with the information and they have to wait as their order is processed and posted out. A lot of the time it’s ok to do that, but if I can help in a small way, then I will offer what I can. 🙂
Last year (I know, I’ve taken my time!) Chrissie agreed to create a partnership with myself, or rather with The Guinea Pig Groomer. In videos and photos where her products are in use or have helped to reach a certain result, I add the Gorgeous Guineas watermark to my own watermark. I have an advertising banner permanently on all pages of the website which links directly to the Gorgeous Guineas homepage. I am also compiling a collection of photos and videos of everything from crusty ears to static lice, fungal feet, nose stripes, mange mites and anything vaguely skin related, so that Chrissie can use the portfolio I’ve built up over many years which show very clearly certain problems, or potential problems, helping to highlight what is and isn’t normal, what needs to be dealt with by a vet, and what visible symptoms could also be helped with specific Gorgeous Guineas products (following a veterinary consultation, of course).
This partnership is one I am proud of, because it is one I have come to through my own extensive hands-on experiences. I believe in Gorgeous Guineas, and in Chrissie’s talents and knowledge, and I also believe in myself and my judgement. Gorgeous Guineas is a brand that is true to me personally, and to me professionally as The Guinea Pig Groomer.
To explore what Gorgeous Guineas is about and has to offer, please either click the banner on any page of the website, or type in www.gorgeousguineas.com – and if you do place an order, do let her know that Laura sent you! 😉