Skinny Pigs - The nearly hairless Guinea pig
Skinny pigs - though known as the hairless guinea pig, are not completely hairless. They have hair on the nose, feet and sometimes a bit of fuzz on their backs. Skinny pigs are easy to care for and a great pet for those that have allergies or have a family member that does. Skinny's are vocal pets, who thrive on love and attention.
Where did skinny Pigs come from - Skinny pigs began popping up in the late 1970's in labratories. These guys were actually a Gentetic mutation, and were very sickly and died at a very young age. A couple of breeders got their hands on these cute little "naked" pigs, and with a lot of love, and a little effort have made them into loving healthy pets.
Skinny Pig care - Skinny pigs are not much different to care for then regular guinea pigs. The big difference that is noticed is they have a higher metablolism. This just means they eat, drink and poop more. Which may mean the cage needs to be cleaned a few days earlier then you would a regular guinea pigs cage. Because they are hairless they are more sensitive to heat and cold. They must be kept out of direct sunlight, and drafts. I do not recomend taking your skinny outside for any reason other then travel or going to the vet.
You do need to keep a close eye on your skinny's skin as well. Their skin is easily scratched and cut, which leads to the possiblities of more infections. Watch for cuts. I use two products on my pigs. Vetericyn and bag balm. Vetericyn is a newer product I have just started using with amazing results. This can even be put into guinea pigs eyes with no ill effects. It is a natural product that brings oxygen flow closer to the surface speeding the healing process, while killing bacteria. http://www.vetericyn.com/ This is something I recomend all Skinny owners to keep in there pet meds box.
What we feed - Here at Little Furry Critters our Skinnys and (and other pigs) are fed quite a mix. The main diet (fed in the morning) is pelleted guinea pig food, fortified with Vitamin C. Sometimes we mix in a bag of Gerty Guinea Pig food (made by Supreme) for added variety. They do tend to pick the "yummy stuff" out and eat it first. With the dish of pellets our pigs are given a very large handful of fresh, green Timothy hay. In the evening they are given more hay if the morning pile is gone, and their piggy salad. This consists of many different things. Its usually a few different things every night. Choices are most often Kale, Spinach leaves, Romane, Carrots, Cucumber, Zuchini, orange slices, watermellon, yellow squash, and collard greens. Their water bottles are checked twice a day to make sure they are all full and all spouts are working properly.
Our cages - Currently our pigs have several cage options. The extra large super pet cages, Clear plastic tubs, and c&c cages. ( http://guineapigcages.com/ ) We drill holes int he plastic tubs and use bungie cords to attach the bottles, lids are left off for ventalation.
Where did skinny Pigs come from - Skinny pigs began popping up in the late 1970's in labratories. These guys were actually a Gentetic mutation, and were very sickly and died at a very young age. A couple of breeders got their hands on these cute little "naked" pigs, and with a lot of love, and a little effort have made them into loving healthy pets.
Skinny Pig care - Skinny pigs are not much different to care for then regular guinea pigs. The big difference that is noticed is they have a higher metablolism. This just means they eat, drink and poop more. Which may mean the cage needs to be cleaned a few days earlier then you would a regular guinea pigs cage. Because they are hairless they are more sensitive to heat and cold. They must be kept out of direct sunlight, and drafts. I do not recomend taking your skinny outside for any reason other then travel or going to the vet.
You do need to keep a close eye on your skinny's skin as well. Their skin is easily scratched and cut, which leads to the possiblities of more infections. Watch for cuts. I use two products on my pigs. Vetericyn and bag balm. Vetericyn is a newer product I have just started using with amazing results. This can even be put into guinea pigs eyes with no ill effects. It is a natural product that brings oxygen flow closer to the surface speeding the healing process, while killing bacteria. http://www.vetericyn.com/ This is something I recomend all Skinny owners to keep in there pet meds box.
What we feed - Here at Little Furry Critters our Skinnys and (and other pigs) are fed quite a mix. The main diet (fed in the morning) is pelleted guinea pig food, fortified with Vitamin C. Sometimes we mix in a bag of Gerty Guinea Pig food (made by Supreme) for added variety. They do tend to pick the "yummy stuff" out and eat it first. With the dish of pellets our pigs are given a very large handful of fresh, green Timothy hay. In the evening they are given more hay if the morning pile is gone, and their piggy salad. This consists of many different things. Its usually a few different things every night. Choices are most often Kale, Spinach leaves, Romane, Carrots, Cucumber, Zuchini, orange slices, watermellon, yellow squash, and collard greens. Their water bottles are checked twice a day to make sure they are all full and all spouts are working properly.
Our cages - Currently our pigs have several cage options. The extra large super pet cages, Clear plastic tubs, and c&c cages. ( http://guineapigcages.com/ ) We drill holes int he plastic tubs and use bungie cords to attach the bottles, lids are left off for ventalation.
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