8 Hairless Guinea Pigs That You Could Mistake For Tiny Hippos
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One of the best things about the Internet (apart from being one of the most significant inventions in the history of humankind) is that you can go on with your day and find out that there is a breed of guinea pigs that have no fur and look precisely like tiny cute hippos.
Recently, images of these hairless rodent pets surfaced online with many people noticing that they bear more than a passing resemblance to baby hippos. With photos like these going viral, many started to wonder, how is it possible for a guinea pig not have hair at all?
The most common misconception about these weirdly adorable hairless animals is that they are shaved. If you look closer, though, you can see that it is practically impossible to shave a guinea pig that way. It would be not only extremely difficult but also harmful to the small pet.
In fact, this is a breed of guinea pigs that are known as “Skinny Pigs.” A type that does not grow hair on their body, and even though the majority of their skin is hairless, there is still some fur on their muzzles, feet, and legs.
The modern Skinny Pig originated with a cross between a hairless lab strain and a haired guinea pigs. It is believed that the hairless strain is most likely related to a spontaneous genetic mutation first identified back in 1978.
A few years later, in 1982, these type of baby guinea pigs were sent to Charles River Laboratories to continue breeding them. Now they are commonly used in dermatology studies.
Despite being popular in labs, these adorable Skinny Pigs are also a lovely pet that many people have in their homes.
This breed has an intact thymus and a normal immune system; they are also not many significant psychological differences between the regular and the skinny breed. However, they do need to eat more to maintain their body heat. Imagine being called “skinny” but having to eat more, what a dream.
Despite being a relatively new type of pet in the household (introduced in the 1990s), skinny pigs became pretty popular in Canada, Europe, and Russia.
Of course, people were amazed by this adorable breed
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I used to have one that I actually named Hippo. Very cute creatures, and not very skittish either, they make good pets but it is worth mentioning that their skin needs to be specially cared for because it’s sensitive and peels very easily
Good to know. My guineas are getting old so I was considering getting skinnies after they die
It can be as simple as rubbing them with safe moisturizing oil regularly as long as you make sure the skin doesn’t dry. I live somewhere cold so also I had little “sweaters” for mine in the winter but that may not be necessary
Just be careful. They are expensive to buy and feed. They need much more food than a furry guinea. They literally can't eat fast enough and quantity enough to maintain their body heat. It's a real struggle for them as they are continually ravenous and they eat with a real sense of desperation. Their lifespans are much shorter. I have bred them but don't have them anymore and am sticking to furry pigs.
Aww! Adorable! My two have little Christmas hats my mom made them for Christmas and crocheted bunny ears for Easter! Where I live it goes subzero in the winter and breaks 100 in the summer so their cage is equipped with fans, space heater, draft screens...
I love the adorable noises that Guinea Pigs make when they're happy. ♥
HOUSE HIPPOS ARE REAL? This brings a whole new level to that old commercial that shows this fake video of tiny hippos and then says "that's why it's good to think ... and ask questions" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TijcoS8qHIE). Heh. That's awesome.
This is exactly the comment I was going to leave. 😆
yes, they're adorable. But why do we keep breeding animals with handicaps, just for our pleasure ? Like pugs, nude cats, etc. it's a cute that makes me ashamed and sad.
They're not handicapped. It doesn't affect their health negatively or restrict them from doing anything, they just have to be kept a little warmer.
I used to have one that I actually named Hippo. Very cute creatures, and not very skittish either, they make good pets but it is worth mentioning that their skin needs to be specially cared for because it’s sensitive and peels very easily
Good to know. My guineas are getting old so I was considering getting skinnies after they die
It can be as simple as rubbing them with safe moisturizing oil regularly as long as you make sure the skin doesn’t dry. I live somewhere cold so also I had little “sweaters” for mine in the winter but that may not be necessary
Just be careful. They are expensive to buy and feed. They need much more food than a furry guinea. They literally can't eat fast enough and quantity enough to maintain their body heat. It's a real struggle for them as they are continually ravenous and they eat with a real sense of desperation. Their lifespans are much shorter. I have bred them but don't have them anymore and am sticking to furry pigs.
Aww! Adorable! My two have little Christmas hats my mom made them for Christmas and crocheted bunny ears for Easter! Where I live it goes subzero in the winter and breaks 100 in the summer so their cage is equipped with fans, space heater, draft screens...
I love the adorable noises that Guinea Pigs make when they're happy. ♥
HOUSE HIPPOS ARE REAL? This brings a whole new level to that old commercial that shows this fake video of tiny hippos and then says "that's why it's good to think ... and ask questions" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TijcoS8qHIE). Heh. That's awesome.
This is exactly the comment I was going to leave. 😆
yes, they're adorable. But why do we keep breeding animals with handicaps, just for our pleasure ? Like pugs, nude cats, etc. it's a cute that makes me ashamed and sad.
They're not handicapped. It doesn't affect their health negatively or restrict them from doing anything, they just have to be kept a little warmer.