Hairless guinea pigs Skinny and Baldwin – photo and description of naked breeds of pets similar to hippos

In people, a bald guinea pig causes ambiguous impressions. Some are sure that their hairless skin is caused by a mysterious disease and will never agree to touch a naked animal. Others believe that the Sphinx guinea pig is a charming rodent and are happy to have such an exotic and unusual pet.

Hairless guinea pig breeds

Since the breeds of naked guinea pigs were bred relatively recently. At the moment, only two types of hairless rodents are officially registered – Skinny and Baldwin.

This is interesting: there is a breed of Baldwin called a werewolf. Werewolf cubs are born completely bald, but as they grow older, they begin to grow hairy. Since it has not yet been possible to fix the breed of these unusual animals, most specialists and breeders of guinea pigs do not recognize them as an independent species.

Bald guinea pigs: the history of the origin of breeds

Despite the fact that both types of Sphynx guinea pigs are similar, each of these breeds has its own history of origin.

Skinny guinea pig

To trace the history of the appearance of these amazing animals, you should go back in time, namely to the end of the seventies of the last century. In the laboratory of Montreal, one of the largest cities in Canada, specialists carried out breeding work with guinea pigs. They tried to develop a new variety of rodents, which would differ from existing breeds in appearance and unusual color.

And the scientists succeeded, although the result surprised even the breeders themselves. In 1978, three females had cubs almost at the same time, among which experts found unusual babies, completely devoid of wool. Interestingly, all three females produced offspring from one male, quite ordinary in appearance. Breeders described strange bald cubs, but did not dare to use them for further breeding, considering their appearance as an accidental genetic mutation. And the kids were rather weak, developed slowly and died after a while.

Perhaps the world would never have known about hairless guinea pigs if history had not repeated itself in 1984. One of the females gave birth to a bald cub, and this time the scientists decided to use the hairless baby for further breeding work. The tiny naked guinea pig was named Skinny, which translates from English as “bones covered with skin.” And it was Skinny who laid the foundation for a new breed of pigs, devoid of wool, which was named after her.

Important: the first hairless guinea pigs of the Skinny breed were albinos with bright red eyes. But as a result of crossing naked rodents with fluffy relatives of different colors, it was possible to breed hairless animals with black, cream, chocolate and silver-gray skin.

Guinea pig Baldwin

The Baldwin breed originated ten years later than Skinny in the American city of San Diego, and also owes its appearance to a natural genetic mutation.

Carol Miller, the owner of a crested guinea pig nursery, chose to cross her two pets, who had an unusual Golden Solid color. In due time, healthy, strong babies were born to the female, who almost immediately opened their eyes and began to run, learning about the new world around them.

But a few days after they were born, the two cubs suddenly began to shed their fur. First, the muzzle of the babies went bald, then the fur began to peel off from the whole body, and after a week the little rodents completely lost their coat.

Puzzled by this fact, Carol was at first afraid that the cubs were sick with a previously unknown disease, but decided to leave the unusual pets to observe their development. To the surprise of the breeder, the naked babies were active and energetic, had an excellent appetite and were in no way inferior in growth and development to their fluffy brothers and sisters. Yes, and an examination by a veterinarian confirmed that the hairless cubs are absolutely healthy.

Then Mrs. Miller decided to repeat the experiment and again crossed the parents of bald babies. And to the delight of the breeder, the experience turned out to be successful, as several cubs from the new litter also began to go bald by the first week of life. Carol realized that she had accidentally bred a completely new breed of guinea pigs and the enterprising woman wasted no time in breeding them.

This is how another breed of naked guinea pigs appeared, called Baldwin, from the English “bald”, which translates as “bald”.

Appearance of naked guinea pigs

Skinnies and Baldwins are similar in appearance, but there are several characteristic features that can distinguish these breeds.

What does skinny pig look like

• the body is stocky and muscular, thirty to thirty-five centimeters long. Animals weigh no more than one kilogram. Males are somewhat larger than females;
• paws are short with movable flexible fingers;
• the animals have a large head, a short neck and large rounded ears. The eyes are expressive, round in shape. Eye color can be chocolate, black or ruby ​​red and depends on the color of the rodent;
• skin color can be any: white, cream, black, purple, brown. It is allowed, both a monochromatic color, and the presence of two or three colors on the skin of an animal;
• the skin is tender and velvety due to the soft, almost imperceptible fluff that covers the entire body. There may be short hairs on the head, shoulders and neck of gilts.

What does Baldwin pig look like?

• Rodents of the Baldwin breed are slightly smaller than Skinnies and have a more graceful physique. Their body length ranges from twenty to twenty-five centimeters. The weight of the animals does not exceed eight hundred grams;
• animals have a large head with a hump on the bridge of the nose and large hanging ears. The eyes are round, depending on the color, the color may be red or black;
• unlike Skinny, the Baldwin’s skin is not as soft and delicate to the touch, but more like rubber. Also, pigs of this breed differ from bald relatives by characteristic folds around the paws, in the shoulder area and on the crown;
• any color is also allowed – from black to lilac or light beige.

The nature and behavior of hairless animals

People who are lucky enough to become owners of these amazing rodents speak of their pets as affectionate, loyal and extremely intelligent animals.

They are friendly, curious and sociable animals. They are not aggressive and non-conflict, so they get along well in the same house not only with their relatives, but also with other animals, such as hamsters, cats or small dogs. The owners often watch with tenderness how their bald pet sleeps on the same sofa with a cat or dog, snuggling up to their warm body.

Hairless guinea pigs have a special relationship with their owner. These animals need constant communication, and the owners will have to give their exotic pet a lot of care and attention. The rodent will be happy to sit in the owner’s arms, substituting the back for stroking, while making purring sounds reminiscent of a cat’s purr.

Bald animals have a very fragile and sensitive psyche, and they cannot stand rudeness and violence. Cruelty to an animal leads to the fact that the pet begins to get sick and may even die. Also, naked guinea pigs are afraid of screams and loud sounds, so you should not frighten the rodent by turning on loud music in the room or turning on the TV at full power.

Both Skinny and Baldwin are highly intelligent and have excellent memories. Animals quickly remember and respond to their own name. At the sight of their beloved owner, bald pets often stand on their hind legs and with a quiet whistle express their joy at meeting him.

By rewarding the animal with a treat, it can be taught to perform simple tricks, for example, push the ball towards the owner or make turns around its axis on command.

Important: despite the friendliness and sociability to strangers, bald pigs are wary and distrustful and do not particularly like it when strangers stroke or pick them up.

Home care and maintenance

Basically, the rules for keeping naked guinea pigs are the same as for their fluffy relatives. But, given the fact that these animals are devoid of wool, which means their skin is more delicate and sensitive, there are several features for caring for naked pets.

Home equipment

To keep bald rodents, experts recommend purchasing not an ordinary cage, but a special terrarium. So the pet will be protected from drafts and temperature changes, which have a detrimental effect on his health. It will not be superfluous to equip the terrarium with a heating lamp, under which the pig can warm up in the cold season.

An obligatory accessory of a pet’s home is a cozy warm house.

As for the filler, it is undesirable to cover the bottom of the cage with sawdust, wood pellets or shavings, as they can scratch and irritate the bare skin of animals. As a flooring, it is better to use soft hay. Some owners cover the pallet of the dwelling with a cloth or towel, but this is not a very good solution, since the material will have to be changed every day.

Feeding

The diet of sphinx pigs is no different from the menu of their fluffy counterparts. Bald rodents also eat hay, fresh vegetation, vegetables and fruits. But due to their accelerated metabolism and the need to constantly maintain their body temperature within normal limits, animals need more food and water than ordinary pigs. Therefore, the cage should always have fresh, high-quality hay and clean water.

Rodent body care

The main question that owners of hairless guinea pigs ask is how often you need to bathe your pet and whether it is even possible to subject the animal to water procedures.

Naked rodents have special glands that produce a special skin secret that envelops their body with a protective film. This substance moisturizes their skin, so that it does not dry out and cracks do not form on it. And frequent bathing washes away the protective film, and the skin becomes dry and prone to irritation.

Therefore, water procedures should not be often arranged for a naked pet, especially with the use of shampoos. Experienced breeders and specialists generally do not recommend bathing animals and advise limiting themselves to wiping their bodies with a damp cloth or a cloth soaked in water.

Distinctive features of hairless breeds

These animals not only have an unusual unique appearance. There are several features that distinguish them from regular guinea pigs:

• Rodents have very sensitive, burn-prone skin. Therefore, their dwelling should be installed in a place where there is no access to direct sunlight, otherwise the animal risks getting burned;
• pets without wool can not stand the cold. The temperature in the room where they are kept should not fall below 22 degrees;
• body temperature in hairless guinea pigs reaches 38-39 degrees, which is normal for them;
• rodents need to be fed twice as often as their ordinary compatriots, as they have an accelerated metabolism;
• in order to maintain a comfortable body temperature for themselves, animals are forced to move all the time and replenish energy reserves, constantly absorbing food;
• as pets, these animals are perfect for people who are allergic to wool;
• although hairless guinea pigs are an artificially bred breed, their life expectancy is higher than that of normal guinea pigs. With proper care, hairless rodents can live five to nine years;
• Skinny pigs are born completely bald, but as they grow older, they become overgrown with a very thin and soft fluff;
• Baldwins, on the contrary, are born covered with hair, but by the first month of life they become completely bald.

Important: the gene responsible for the lack of wool in these animals is recessive. If you cross a hairless guinea pig with a regular one, then the cubs will be covered with fur, but in the future bald babies may be born from them.

The cost of hairless guinea pigs

Since breeds of naked guinea pigs are considered rare and exotic, their price is much higher than ordinary rodents.

A naked pig costs an average of four to nine thousand rubles.

The value of an animal is affected by gender and color. Females are slightly more expensive than males. And for an individual with a combination of two or three colors on the skin, you will have to pay a larger amount than for an animal with a single color.

Due to the strong rounded body and elongated muzzle, the bald guinea pig looks like a hippo or Eeyore from the Winnie the Pooh cartoon. But such an exotic and unusual appearance, combined with a friendly and peaceful disposition, only contributes to the fact that their popularity among fans is increasing every year.

Video: bald guinea pig Skinny

Video: bald guinea pig Baldwin