American teddy guinea pig – photo and description of the breed

The teddy guinea pig looks like a real soft toy. The animal is strikingly similar to a teddy bear. This breed is now very popular.

The animal is distinguished by a complaisant character, very friendly, energetic and positively disposed to all households.

For an ordinary non-specialist breeder, this rodent practically does not differ from its counterparts, but if you look more closely, you can find your own characteristics in this breed.

History of the Teddy Guinea Pig

The appearance of such a large domestic rodent is due to a natural mutation. Breeding this breed was originally engaged in breeders from Canada. This started in the 1978s. Only in XNUMX, this breed was officially recognized, it had its own nomenclature and description.

Teddy guinea pigs got their name from their unusual appearance. Her image is reminiscent of a little bear named Teddy. Then this character was very popular among American kids. The coat of a pig resembles a kind of fur coat – wavy and hard.

These animals were brought to Russia not so long ago, but they have already managed to become very popular and win the love of their owners.

What does a teddy look like

The American Teddy is a short-haired breed. His coat is in the form of elastic and hard hairs, which are not located close to the body, but grow upwards. Because of this, the animal seems fluffy and rounded. Such a visual illusion is misleading – the pig seems large in size and voluminous.

The pig has a large muscular body. The physique is proportional.

The fur on the tummy is quite long. In other guinea pigs, it is much shorter.

Babies who have just been born have a very soft and delicate coat. As she grows older, she straightens, becomes more rigid.

The breeder needs to be prepared for the fact that when the animals reach the transitional age, they may have partial or even complete baldness. During such periods, the pig looks quite deplorable. When you look at him, you might think that he is ill. His fur coat is shabby at this time. This can go on for up to three months. It happens that all this happens much faster, each pig individually.

This is normal and should not be of concern to the owner. The coat will fall out, and instead of the old one, a new one will appear, even thicker and curly.

The American guinea pig can have a different color palette. The coat is both cream and chocolate. There is a tortoise ornament. There are animals with fiery colors – this is unusual and attractive.

An adult rodent of this breed reaches 1 kg. But they cannot be convicted of clumsiness or sluggishness. They prefer to actively have fun, run and poke their nose wherever they can.

What is the peculiarity of the character of the American Teddy

The nature of this breed compares favorably with other, more capricious rodents:

• they love people very much;
• almost always friendly;
• flexible, amenable to easy training;
• they don’t like to be silent – they constantly make sounds that look like cute cooing;
• they can rise on their hind legs and beg for some kind of treat;
• I like being in my arms when they stroke their belly.

All of these characteristics make this animal an ideal friend. Teddies are patient and calm in temperament, which is important for families in which children grow up.

Features of care

The care and maintenance of this rodent has its own characteristics:

• the coat of such a guinea pig requires periodic care. Several times a week it is required to carry out the so-called trimming. How it is done: the wool is clamped tightly with two fingers and a movement is made along the hairline, then vice versa. You should not be zealous, otherwise you can hurt your pig. Pets get great pleasure from this manipulation;
• This breed has an unusual structure of the auricle, so periodically you will have to clean the ears. For this procedure, there are special liquids that can be purchased at a veterinary pharmacy;
• when compared with other breeds, we can note the cleanliness of the teddy. With some effort, the animal can even be trained to go to the tray. It should be small in size, good use of wood pellets and sawdust;
• teddy should be bathed infrequently. This is usually done a couple of times a year. The procedure should be carried out in a basin of warm water. Then the pet is blotted with a towel. If the pig is not afraid, then you can use a hair dryer to dry;
• claws are trimmed once every 14 days. For this, special tweezers are purchased. Manipulation must be done very carefully, otherwise you can damage the blood vessels.

Video: American Teddy guinea pig

swiss teddy

This breed has been actively developed since the late nineties. It was bred in Switzerland, hence the name. Many sources call her CH-teddy. Despite the fact that the animal is accustomed to refer to pigs, this is erroneous. CH-teddy is the result of a mutation.

This breed is neither short-haired nor long-haired. The Swiss teddy has the same coarse hairs as the American one. The color of the coat is varied. It is monophonic, spotty. There are striped colors, which looks very funny. The size of the animal is normal, but the nose is flattened and the eyes are larger than those of the brethren. Ears droop. If you look at the animal from afar, you might think that this is a pile of fluff.

What is not very good for the Swiss Teddy is that due to uneven and thick wool there are bald patches on the back.

Feeding this animal is no different: eating a couple of times a day and constant access to clean water. The cage is also standard, the main thing is that it is light and without drafts.

Before starting a rodent of the American Teddy breed, the owner needs to know that this rodent lives about two years less than its counterparts. Life expectancy is only about six years. But there is no need to get upset ahead of time. With good care and maintenance, comfortable home conditions, it is quite possible that your guinea pig will become long-livers.

Video: Swiss Teddy guinea pig