[Gpdd] MISC: Hairless Guinea Pigs

[bunsnpigs at aol.com]

I currently have 5 hairless guinea pigs. I used to have 7. They are all rescues. I decided not to adopt them out, so they are living at my house in the guinea pig sanctuary. :-)
 
Back in the late 80's, a hairless guinea pig appeared in the breeding lab, and the rest is history. Labs use them for skin experiments, mostly. (ugh)
 
Lisa B. hit it on the head. There are two types of piggies, and the ones I have are called hairless, or 'skinnies'. They have hair on their faces and on the tops of their feet and a little circle around their anus. heh. Their metabolism is high, so they eat like crazy to keep their temp up, and then they poop like crazy, so they need to be cleaned a lot every day. They are immunosuppressed and susceptible to a lot of illnesses. We are finding that a lot of them develop heart conditions and die young - usually around 4 years of age. A few of mine have also had things like hay stuck in their eyes, ears, and anus as a result of no fur being able to knock it away.
 
They are adorable, and I love them like crazy. When they shake their heads, their ears make a flapping sound. 
 
You can see some of mine here: http://hometown.aol.com/bunsnpigs/myvideos.html
 
Judi Lainer
Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue
Round Hill, Va
http://www.mgpr.org

Educator/Fosterer
HRS MD/DC/NoVA
http://www.rabbit.org
http://www.rabbitsinthehouse.org
 
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