Do you want to get a guinea pig at home, but doubt the breed? Pay attention to the teddy pigs. Perhaps you will fall in love with these cuties and one of them will become not only your friend, but also a favorite for each member of your family.
Description
Teddy Guinea Pig is from Canada. These animals appeared as a result of a natural mutation in the 60s of the last century. The animals were so similar to the famous teddy bear that such an unusual name was attached to them. Officially, this breed was recognized only in 1978. Such animals appeared on the territory of Russia only a few years ago, but this did not prevent them from quickly becoming popular.
In external characteristics, Teddy is very similar to Rex. Only a specialist can find differences. If you cross these two breeds, you will get offspring with smooth hair.
Impressive sizes are characteristic of Teddy pigs. The weight of adults can vary from 900 to 1400 grams. The body of these animals is proportional and muscular. A fairly wide muzzle has a slightly flattened shape, but the cheeks are very puffy and covered with protruding hairs. The nose is slightly bent, round eyes resemble beads. The ears are small, hanging, not covered with hair and do not have creases, by standards they should not touch the head.
Due to the rounded shoulders, a wide withers are formed. Wool can have different colors: from a light sand tint to chocolate, almost black, and fiery. You can meet representatives of this breed with three or even four tones in color. By standards in such pigs, all shades should be present on both sides of the body.
The coat has a short length, but the touch is tough and elastic. Due to such features, the hairline does not adhere to the body, but sticks out. Even if you press the wool, it will still immediately return to its previous position. In babies, the hairs are soft, even a little curly, but as the pig grows older, the hairline changes its structure.
By the number of curls, one can judge the quality of the wool that an adult animal will wear.
Character
Teddy pigs are characterized by a complaisant, friendly character. In addition, they are active and mobile, although they have impressive dimensions. These animals love communication, because they get along well not only with humans, but also with other pets. However, for the same reason, they may demand attention or even follow their master on the heels.
Aggression of guinea pigs is not peculiar in principle. They even express their dissatisfaction with something by pushing off a muzzle of a hand or an object that they do not like. Teddy does not bite or scratch. Love the calm environment. Sometimes it may even seem that the pet is sick when in fact he just does not want to actively move.
These guinea pigs can be trained in tricks, if you pay attention to them daily, be patient and restrained. Even without training, animals can stand on their hind legs when they want to beg for a treat. These pets allow you to stroke your stomach, which is uncharacteristic of other domestic rodents.
When talking with their master, pigs can make cooing sounds that look cute and funny.
Life span
In favorable conditions, with proper care and good nutrition, the Teddy guinea pig can live up to 8 years. This is the maximum rate. Usually animals live up to 6 years.
Kinds
There are three varieties of this breed of marine pigs.
American teddy looks like a teddy bear as much as possible. The body of these animals is covered with stiff, protruding hair, and villi are clearly visible around the muzzle. The ears are very large, hanging down without creases. According to experts, an elongated body is a drawback of American Teddy.
The offspring of such a variety cannot be obtained by crossing representatives of different breeds, which is explained by the uniqueness of the gene formula.
Swiss teddy is a new subspecies of this breed. A distinctive feature is a very hard coat, which can even break from mechanical stress. Hair can reach 6 cm in length. Outwardly, such pigs resemble a woolen ball.
- Longhair teddy were bred in Moscow, so another name was firmly entrenched in them - Moscow texel. Such a variety has appeared recently, because its standards are still at the formation stage. The hair of such animals is wavy, soft, reaches a length of 15 cm, which makes the appearance of these pigs original and very unusual. The hair on the head is shorter. The difference between Moscow Texel is a pretty bang.
We should also talk about the color of Teddy's guinea pigs. The most common German standard. All existing colors are divided into two large groups. The first includes recognized suits, or official ones. These include the following colors:
Agouti silver and gold;
red and black are plain;
gold with black eyes;
white with red or black eyes;
tortoiseshell plain or with the addition of white, black and (or) red shades.
The second group includes suits that have temporary approval:
gold, chocolate and cream;
Agouti gray, brown, cream or salmon;
a combination of silver and white;
golden agouti with white;
combination of four colors.
Care Tips
The content of the Teddy guinea pig is simple and no different from the conditions that are required for representatives of other breeds. If before that you did not have to deal with such animals, then you need to familiarize yourself with the care recommendations.
Due to the high activity and impressive size of the animal, a large cage with metal rods is needed for its keeping. It is undesirable to use an aquarium.
As a litter, a special filler is best suited, which can be replaced with straw and sawdust. You need to update the filler from one to three times a week.
Short-length fur requires a minimum of care, but twice a week you need to remove dead fibers. Typically, this procedure animals like. It will be necessary to comb the pig with light movements in the direction of hair growth, and then in the opposite direction.
On the wool, tangles can be formed that need to be combed out. Large formations are carefully cut with scissors, and new wool grows in a short time.
In case of dandruff, you need to moisten the comb in water with tea tree oil.
With high air dryness, you can put a humidifier near the cell. The housing of the guinea pig should not be near heating appliances, in a draft and under direct sunlight.
In calm, clear and warm weather, it is advisable to take out Teddy's pig for walks. She will be happy to run on the grass, but not on the wet. Also, the animal needs to be released daily from the cage for free movement around the apartment.
Although the pigs are called marine, they really do not like to swim. This process can even become stressful for them. Bathing a pet is possible only as a last resort and not more than once a year.
And it’s better to do without water procedures at all, because guinea pigs are large cleanlings and they always keep their fur coat in perfect cleanliness.
Periodically, you need to trim the claws of the animal. To do this, you need to adapt special tweezers. It is important not to trim the excess so that the blood vessels and nerve endings are not affected.
- The ears of the Teddy guinea pigs have a specific structure that causes some problems. A large amount of sulfur accumulates inside, which must be removed. If this is not done, then problems with the ears cannot be avoided. To remove sulfur, it is convenient to use a moist cotton pad with the addition of vegetable oil, softening pollution.
Animals don’t like this procedure, they strongly oppose it, but despite this, Teddy’s guinea pigs need to be cleaned.
Diet
Guinea pigs are herbivores, because animal products are contraindicated. The selection of the diet should be approached carefully and carefully, otherwise the animal may suffer from problems in the digestive system or even die. Follow the advice of specialists, and your pet will grow up healthy and happy.
Hay is the basis of the diet for guinea pigs. This product should always be in the cage. It ensures the normal functioning of the digestive tract and allows the animal to grind its teeth.
Vegetables and root vegetables are the second important component for the formation of a normal and complete diet for guinea pigs. The animals will be happy to eat carrots and apples, beets and celery. Useful and cherry twigs. All these pig products are sources of vitamin C. This important component is not produced by the body, so animals should get it from their diet.
Germinated cereal crops also are helpful. These may be peas, corn, wheat, oats.
Water to drink must always be present in the cage.
Sunflower seeds sunflower and sprouted wheat help prevent dandruff.
Products of animal origin, including milk and eggs, must in no case fall into the feeder. Fruits with a high sugar content should be given to pigs less often. Such foods should be perceived as goodies.
For information on keeping Teddy guinea pigs, see the next video.
