Hairless Guinea Pig For Sale

So, if you breed two skinny pigs together, then all the babies will be hairless. But if you breed a haired with a hairless guinea pig, then the babies could be haired or hairless. Then again, when you breed two haired guinea pigs together that both carry the gene, there is a chance of skinny pig babies. However, most haired guinea pigs do not carry this gene, unless they are a part of a skinny pig breeding program. The Skinny pig or skinny is an almost hairless breed of guinea pig. Skinny pigs typically have hair on their muzzles, feet, and legs, but are hairless over the remainder of their bodies.

Some of them have a thin covering of fuzzy hair on their backs as well. A healthy skinny has skin that is mostly smooth, with some wrinkling around the legs and neck. The body is full with no appearance of spine or ribs.

Skinnies can come in a variety of skin colors and patterns, including "Dutch", "Brindle", and "Himalayan". The gene causing hairlessness in skinny pigs is a recessive gene, and breeding two skinny pigs together will always result in all offspring being skinny pigs. Breeding a skinny pig to a standard haired guinea pig will result in offspring that all carry one copy of the gene, but none will express hairlessness.

These offspring are generally called skinny carriers. Hairless guinea pigs are not significantly different physiologically than regular haired guinea pigs, although they need to eat more to maintain body heat. The optimal temperature range for a hairless guinea pig is 68 to 79 °F (20 to 26 °C), which is slightly higher than the optimal temperature range for the haired guinea pig.

You may notice that I look a little different from other guinea pigs. That's because I'm what's known as a skinny pig, a hairless guinea pig! Because I have no hair, I do require a little extra care. I will need sunscreen if I spend any time at all in the sun, and the occasional lotion for my dry skin. I also eat a little more than normal guinea pigs, so I can maintain my body temperature. I also must have blankets and proper bedding in order to make sure I stay warm in my cage.

It can get cold here in the Midwest for a little pig like me! Besides my extra care, I'm pretty much like other guinea pigs! I love to popcorn in my cage, and I'm very talkative. I love to be held and cuddled, and I'll be sure to steal your heart in no time. They also said they couldn't be kept with haired guinea pigs because they will bite the hairless guinea pig.

We have had 4 guinea pigs before so we wanted to get a few more, but we didn't want anyone getting hurt. Stunning hairless guinea pigs available in 10 days. 3 x plain black boys and 1 x pink and black female. These cuties are social animals and they love company. This isn't the first time hairless guinea pigs have become sudden stars of the animal kingdom. Hairless skinny pig size tends to be smaller than the average guinea pig.

This breed's hairlessness isn't linked to their sex. You are just as likely to find a male skinny pig as a female skinny pig. Skinny pigs are often close in size to the average guinea pig — if a tad smaller due to hairlessness. They should weigh between 1-2 lbs and measure between 9 and 12 inches from head to rear. In this article we are going to dig into all the details of the skinny pig.

We will look at why they have no hair, how they are bred, and what else sets them apart from other guinea pigs. Skinny pigs need some special care, and are not suited to many pet homes. We will help you to decide whether you are the right owner for a skinny pigs, and how to take the best possible care of them.

The modern breed of skinny pig originated from a cross between haired guinea pigs and a hairless lab strain. In 1982 they were sent to Charles River Laboratories to be bred for laboratory use and are commonly used in dermatology studies today. They are an outbred strain that has an intact thymus and standard immune system.

Though today's hairless guinea pigs are healthier now, they still require special care. Because they lack a fur coat, they get cold easily so they must be an indoor pet. If they are permitted some outdoor time on warm days, they need sunscreen to protect their sensitive skin. The Baldwin guinea pig was discovered by Carol Miller, a breeder in California, the result of a spontaneous, recessive mutation in her White Crested guinea pigs. Because this is a recessive gene, if a Baldwin is bred with any other guinea pig, including hairless varieties other than Baldwins, the progeny will have hair. In order to be hairless, they must get the recessive gene resulting in the Baldwin type of hairlessness from each parent.

If you breed two Baldwins, all of their babies will be Baldwins. There is a second type of hairless guinea pig called the Baldwin guinea pig, however its hairlessness is the result of a completely different recessive gene. Despite being a higher maintenance pet than traditional guinea pigs, hairless guinea pigs have some benefits. Because they lack hair, they are ideal for animal lovers with allergies.

For those folks who want a pet but can't be around pet hair, these gregarious, social animals are a great option. These animals tend to be messy eaters, preferring to mix water and food in their mouth. The majority of the diet should be comprised of high-fiber hay and fresh produce. A sturdy ceramic bowl or a feeder that attaches to the cage side will stop your guinea pig from tipping his food onto the cage floor. Most guinea pigs are used to drinking from a water bottle instead of a bowl.

Guinea pigs reach sexual maturity at around 3-4 months of age. If young males and females are housed together, they should be separated by this age, otherwise they are likely to breed. Sows give birth to 2-4 fully developed, relatively large, fully furred offspring with open eyes and the ability to eat solid food . These large babies have a hard time getting through the pelvic canal unless the mother's pelvic bones are relatively immature and malleable or mobile. There are actually two varieties of hairless guinea pigs.

The Skinny Pig, which does actually have a bit of hair, and the Baldwin guinea pig. While some people find their unique appearance unappealing, others find them quite irresistible. Despite what you might think, skinny pig is not the name for a skinny guinea pig. A skinny pig is actually the name for a type of hairless guinea pig!

They aren't actually any skinnier, or slimmer than a regular guinea pig. But their lack of hair certainly gives that impression. The hairless guinea pigs were originally inbred to keep the strain going, with new haired guinea pigs added into the breeding program later on. This meant that the first generations of hairless guinea pigs were prone to illnesses and immune problems.

The skinny pig is an almost hairless breed of guinea pig. They typically have hair on their muzzles, feet and legs but are hairless over the remainder of their bodies. They have friendly, outgoing personalities and are ideal for anyone dealing with allergies. Congratulations, you've just pictured a Skinny Pig, which is what many people call hairless guinea pigs.

These are just like regular guinea pigs, except they have very little hair . Long haired guinea pigs in particular may suffer from the potentially fatal disease flystrike, cause by flies laying eggs in soiled fur. To avoid this, make sure the guinea pig's home is cleaned every day and their bedding changed regularly.

Groom guinea pigs every day, checking their fur all over for any dirt, especially under the tail. If a guinea pig develops bald patches this could be the fungal disease ringworm. I am also happy to offer a fair and generous warranty on all of my guinea pigs. Please feel free to view this warranty on the "Policies and Warranties" page of this website. The diet should be supplemented with a variety of fresh, well-washed, leafy greens or colored vegetables; especially those high in vitamin C. Guinea pigs cannot manufacture their own vitamin C, therefore it is important that guinea pigs receive a vitamin C tablet or liquid vitamin C directly by mouth every day.

Provide fresh clean water in a sipper bottle and check the tube for blockages each day. The Skinny Pig was developed as a cross breed between haired guinea pigs and a hairless variety of Hartley lab guinea pigs. The Skinny Pig still has a bit of hair, especially on their nose, feet, and legs. But it doesn't mean that they are entirely as healthy as a haired guinea pig. They begin life as fully functioning, running babies.

But they have a few specific health issues due to their hairless nature. As we've seen, early hairless guinea pigs had numerous health problems. However, skinny pigs today are what is known as immunocompetent.

This means that they have a normal immune response to antigens. Their bodies now usually react properly to things that could make them sick. So they do not have the same immune issues their predecessors did. These 'house hippos' require special care due to their lack of fur. Alexandra Jursova via Getty A series of photos of hairless guinea pigs, known as "skinny pigs," went viral after being shared by the Facebook page Awkward Animals.

Their sensitive skin has very much the same appearance as human skin, but has the same needs as normal guinea pig skin. Exposed skin is vulnerable to sunburn, other injuries and fungal infections unless precautions are taken. Skinny pigs should be housed indoors, and they are usually kept with nesting materials such as a blanket or cloth bag for heat conservation. The breeding protocol for Skinny pigs require outcrossing to haired carriers at least every other generation. This is an important step in the breeding process, which makes them a poor choice for novice breeders.

Skinny pigs are born nearly hairless and must maintain the same level of hair through their life. A fur coat usually protects an animal's skin from injury, but the hairless guinea pigs lack this soft armor. So, owners need to be extra careful to protect their pets from harm. Despite their lack of hair, this breed can come in a range of colors. They can also inherit colors from haired ancestors as well!

As shown in one study on pigmentation, if you mate a red-haired guinea pig with a hairless albino guinea pig, their babies could include hairless, but red-skinned skinny pigs! So despite their lack of hair, they can still be a variety of colors. There are plenty of babies and pregnant moms in the rehoming cycle. Babies are not necessarily a great choice for a prospective guinea pig caretaker. You don't know their personality yet, some are more social than others and it takes time for that to surface.

In a couple of short months, they are going to be turning into young adults. Babies may require extra baby-proofing precautions for your cage and accessories. Babies can be harder to sex thereby increasing the chance of ending up with a lot more babies, headaches and expense. For a family with children, we strongly encourage you to adopt a pair of bonded adults and avoid the potential challenges of guinea pig adolescence.

I believe in keeping the genetic line different which means I have purchased my line of Hairless Guinea Pigs from 8 different states. I never keep several babies from one litter so that my genetic line is always different and I only keep the best of the best. I have sold babies all over the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Whether you want a hairless guinea pig for breeding or a pet, my line will not let you down. It looks like an almost perfectly clean shaven guinea pig.

It has become popular in Europe and the United States. The Skinny Pig's origins go back to the late 1970s. The breed is the result of inbreeding in laboratory Guinea Pigs, which produced a genetic mutation that caused offspring to be born with virtually no hair.

These animals were very unhealthy and had short life expectancies. But once in the hands of capable breeders, they were bred to healthier Guinea Pigs, and the health of the fledgling breed improved. They also developed a variety of colors and patterns.

Housing your guinea pig is not particularly difficult, as there are a large variety of hutches and cages commercially available. They need supervised time out of their cages each day to run around and exercise. An indoor cage size of 18" x 24" should comfortably accommodate a guinea pig.