Black and white guinea pigs have black heads and limbs, while their bodies are black and white mixed color. They are also known as Dutch pigs, Dutch guinea pigs, rainbow pigs, piggy pigs, and Guinea pigs. Their ancestors came from the Andes Mountains in South America and were brought to the West by European merchants in the 16th century. At that time, people liked this small animal very much and kept it as a pet. They are gentle, cute, relatively easy to care for, and are still common household pets. Some organizations around the world are dedicated to breeding guinea pigs and have bred various breeds with different fur colors and diverse forms.
Black and white guinea pigs are a branch of guinea pigs, whose ancestors came from the Andes Mountains in South America. As early as the 16th century, they were brought into Asia by European traders and later bred by breeding experts. Their name comes from the color of their fur, with a black and white mixed distribution being their most distinctive feature. Their English name is Black Dutch. Black and white guinea pigs have become the most common household pets due to their gentle and adorable nature and easy care. Their appearance is relatively easy to distinguish, with a medium body size: about 22-34cm in length and weighing 400-700g. They have a large, round head that is proportionate to their body. Their eyes are large and round, and black in color. The upper lip is divided, and the ears are small. They have short limbs, with 4 toes on the front feet and 3 on the hind feet, without dewclaws. Their fur is black and white in color with a mixed distribution. Like most guinea pigs, black and white guinea pigs are intelligent, lively, gentle, chubby, easily frightened, and sometimes make squeaking screams. They prefer a dry and clean living environment. They love to eat, sleep, and groom themselves, which is similar to regular pigs in a sense. Black and white guinea pigs are easy to raise, have a high reproductive rate, strong disease resistance, early maturity, short reproductive cycles, and start eating and moving after giving birth. The biggest characteristic of black and white guinea pigs is their all-white body with a crest on the top, and they are named White Crested Guinea Pigs because of this feature.
It is recommended to keep guinea pigs for pet lovers. Guinea pigs belong to small-sized pets that are suitable for home breeding. Black and white guinea pigs, which originate from South America, have thick fur, are not prone to fleas and skin diseases, and are relatively easy to breed.
Scurvy—caused by a low intake of vitamin C in the diet. This results in defects in collagen formation, immature bone formation, and increased bone resorption. Fractures, most commonly in the proximal tibia, and swelling, deformity, and flattening of the joints can occur. Bleeding can be seen throughout the body due to vascular collagen defects. Animals become lethargic, anemic, and reluctant to move. Joints may be swollen and fractures may occur, requiring supplementation of vitamin C in the water and diet.
Streptococcal lymphadenitis—the lymph nodes in the neck become swollen with pus and eventually rupture and excrete. It has a high infection rate and high mortality rate. It can cause bacteremia and systemic infection that cannot be resisted. Streptococcus zooepidemicus is the main culprit (but other pyogenic bacteria can also be seen). It is recommended to replenish clean animals into the population.
Antibiotic Toxicity—like most rodents, almost all antibiotics cause diarrhea and eventually death. Traditionally, it was believed that death was caused by moderate proliferation of Gram-negative bacteria. Recent research shows that the toxins produced by clostridial bacteria, which belong to Gram-positive bacteria, are also important factors in death. Therefore, antibiotic treatment can only be continued for a short period of time (not exceeding seven days).
Spontaneous diabetes mellitus—this disease is common in Abyssinian guinea pigs and may be caused by a retrovirus. C-type retrovirus particles have been detected in the urine of infected animals.
Guinea Pig Leukemia—found in two strains of animals, infected animals are in poor condition and can have splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and lymphadenopathy. The white blood cell count in the blood can be as high as 250,000/mm3. It is a lymphocytic leukemia and the animals progressively weaken before dying from the virus.
Pododermatitis—foot injuries caused by flooring materials or walking on excreta. It is difficult to treat effectively. Prevention is the key.
Pneumonia—Bordetella bronchiseptica is the most common pathogen. Do not mix guinea pigs with rabbits, pigs, dogs, and other carriers of latent Bordetella in the same housing.
Ringworm—very common. Trichophyton mentagrophytes is the major pathogen causing guinea pig ringworm.
Food. Black and white guinea pigs mainly eat grass, green leaves, etc. These are the favorite foods of guinea pigs. If the owner wants her to grow faster, she can add some high-nutrition feed to help her gain weight quickly. In winter, crushed corn stalks, wheat stalks, straw, peanut straw, etc., are enough to meet their growth needs. You can also buy special vegetarian feed for feeding. Environment. It is best to keep black and white guinea pigs as pets, which is safer. If they are kept outside, they may go outside and get lost, stepped on, or confused by people. The cage should be placed in a well-ventilated and sunny area. Pay attention to adjusting the temperature when the seasons change. Care. To keep the guinea pigs beautiful, the owner needs to clean the cage regularly. The best way is to line the bottom of the cage with wood chips, which can keep it warm and prevent odor. Regularly put some bath sand in the cage for the guinea pigs to take a bath. Black and white guinea pigs are very affordable, similar to the price of general guinea pigs, about 15-45 yuan. Prices may vary in different regions, for reference only. White crested guinea pigs have a large appetite, but they are particularly sensitive to spoiled feed, often resulting in reduced or discontinued eating, or even miscarriage. They are also particularly sensitive to antibacterial agents, and medication can easily cause death and enteritis. For example, the use of penicillin, regardless of the dosage or route of administration, can cause small intestine and colon inflammation, even leading to death. Their sensitivity to penicillin is 1000 times higher than that of mice, so special care should be taken when using penicillin for treatment. Unlike rats and mice, they eat less and move less at night.
After washing, spread a towel on yourself after drying a small amount of water, hold the guinea pig in your arms and blow. Students who have prepared food in advance can feed them at this time. The reason for spreading the towel on the body is that the guinea pig is still warm, which can prevent the guinea pig from getting wet. It can also help absorb the water under its belly. We often can't dry the water under the belly, but doing so is afraid that the guinea pig will catch a cold. If the guinea pig is turned over blow, the guinea pig will also be very uncomfortable. So it is useful to spread a towel on it. Giving food to the guinea pig is because it can focus on the food. Many guinea pigs are not used to hair dryers and are afraid of the sound of the hair dryer, so they will burrow into their clothes or run away. With food, the guinea pig will divert attention, so it won't run away. When the guinea pig finishes eating, its brain will naturally adapt a little bit to the hair dryer, and it won't run away so fiercely, or even not run away at all.
If you are blowing a hair dryer for an ambidextrous guinea pig, try to dry it completely, because the hands of an ambidextrous guinea pig are longer than those of a right-handed guinea pig, and there may be water hidden at the junction of the ambidextrous and right-handed parts of the body. Be careful not to let it catch a chill.
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