It is common knowledge that guinea pigs have thick lips, cute noses, and floofy fur that you may style into long tresses, delicate rosettes, or perhaps curls that resemble wool. But what about a guinea pig without hair? Are there any guinea pigs that lack hair? Yes, and they also make cute pets!
The tiny, hairless companions are referred to as thin guinea pigs or skinny pigs; they should not be mistaken for full-size pig dieting. Although every prospective bald guinea pig owner must look it up on skinny pigs’ skin care, other than their odd look, these charming pigs aren’t all that unusual from their furry siblings.
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Where Did Hairless Guinea Pigs Come From?
Sad events led to the development of the bald guinea pig. Several floofs live their entire existence in the unfriendly confines of laboratories where they are utilized for research and other experimental endeavors. A lab cage may not be the comfortable setting that our pets are accustomed to, but it is where the slender pig was conceived.
According to legend, the origin of thin guinea pigs was an unintended genetic condition that occurred in a Canadian laboratory in 1978. The fluffy pals have existed for more than 40 years! Sadly, slim pigs are even more beneficial for research because they lack hair, particularly in dermatological research on goods that are directly applied to the skin.
Types of Hairless Guinea Pigs
Bare Pigs
Nowadays, when people refer to slim pigs, they usually indicate hairless guinea pigs. They might have a thin pig or a Baldwin guinea pig without realizing a distinction, but there is a difference if your acquaintance informs you about the newest member of their small herd.
Skinny pigs are completely bald hairless guinea pigs except for a small amount of fluff on their feet and legs and a small hairy spot on their nose resembling freckles. As their furry relatives, slender pigs have a variety of shades on their bodies and occasionally even distinct hues on the same pig.
People call slender pigs with additional tufts of hair all over their adorable bodies “werewolves.” Although research on whether these sweet pets are more energetic under a full moon is lacking, it is safe to presume that they won’t start howling.
Baldwin
Baldwin guinea pigs are another variety of bald guinea pigs, albeit they vary slightly from their skinny pig counterparts in appearance. Unlike the thin guinea pigs, the Baldwin guinea pigs have hair from birth, slowly dropping out within the first months of their life. You can all picture how shocked the parents of piglets could be if their hairy floofs unexpectedly became hairless!
The Baldwin guinea pig eventually goes completely bald, which is another way to distinguish them from the slim guinea pigs. Baldwin guinea pigs are completely hairless from top to foot, unlike thin pigs with hair patches on various body areas, such as their feet and faces. The Baldwin guinea pig is an unintentional genetic mutation, just like skinny pigs are.
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