Unique Traits
Hairless guinea pigs are not significantly physiologically different than regular haired guinea pigs, although they may need to eat slightly more to maintain body heat. The optimal temperature range for a hairless guinea pig is 75 to 79 °F (24 to 26 °C), which is slightly higher than the optimal temperature range for the haired guinea pig.
Their sensitive skin has very much the same appearance as human skin, but has the same needs as normal guinea pig skin. Exposed skin is vulnerable to injuries and fungal infections unless precautions are taken. Skinnies are housed indoors and they are usually kept with nesting materials such as a blanket or cloth bag for heat conservation. The breeding protocol for Skinnies requires out crossing to haired carriers at least every other generation. This is an important step in the breeding process, which makes them a poor choice for novice breeders. Skinnies are born nearly hairless and develop more hair as they mature, they can have varying degrees of hairlessness at different life stages. Haired Skinny carriers remain haired their entire life but carry the hairless gene. Even though the Skinny is a relatively new breed among pet owners and cavy fanciers, it is gaining popularity in Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, and Russia as well as in the United States where it was introduced in the late 1990s.
Read more about this topic: Skinny Pig
Famous quotes containing the words unique and/or traits:
“I feel free as a bird. I’m in a unique position because I’m the boss. I buy what I like. I initiate things. I can experiment with all kinds of things I think the kids might be interested in. Nobody interferes. For me, it’s no chore to go to work. Most people never get to do this at any time in their lives.”
—Sarah Houghton, U.S. librarian. As quoted in Working, book 9, by Studs Terkel (1973)
“... the first reason for psychology’s failure to understand what people are and how they act, is that clinicians and psychiatrists, who are generally the theoreticians on these matters, have essentially made up myths without any evidence to support them; the second reason for psychology’s failure is that personality theory has looked for inner traits when it should have been looking for social context.”
—Naomi Weisstein (b. 1939)