Tuscan Guinea Pigs have an entire body that is golden in color, with a silky satin-like fur. They are also known as Dutch pigs, Dutch guinea pigs, rainbow pigs, guinea pigs, or Guinea pigs. Their ancestors come from the Andes Mountains in South America.
Nature: Guinea pigs are clever, active, gentle, cute when they are fat, easily frightened, and sometimes make a squeaking scream. They like to live in a dry and clean environment. They love eating, sleeping, and reproducing, which is similar to pigs in the usual sense.
Physical characteristics: The entire body is golden in color, and the fur is silky like satin.
Diet: They mainly eat weeds, and they also like to eat grass and vegetable leaves. Adding some concentrated feed can increase their weight by half. In winter, crushing corn stalks, wheat stalks, straw, and peanut sprouts and adding some bran can meet their growth needs.
Sexual maturity: Every 35 days
Pregnancy: Every 60-65 days
Number of offspring per litter: 4-8
Mating throughout the year: 6 times a year
Tuscan Guinea Pigs have an entire body that is golden in color, with a silky satin-like fur. They are also known as Dutch pigs, Dutch guinea pigs, rainbow pigs, guinea pigs, or Guinea pigs. Their ancestors come from the Andes Mountains in South America.
Their ancestors come from the Andes Mountains in South America and were brought to the West by European merchants in the 16th century. People have always liked these small animals and kept them as pets. They are gentle, cute, and relatively easy to take care of, making them a common house pet. Some organizations around the world are actively breeding guinea pigs, and they have bred various breeds with different hair colors and forms.
They have gentle habits, are timid and easily startled, and sometimes make a squealing scream. They like a dry and clean living environment. If you see a Tuscan Guinea Pig in its own feces, don't panic, because their soft feces often contain undigested nutrients. Some Tuscan Guinea Pigs eat their own or their companions' feces to absorb nutrients, especially young ones that eat their mother's or companions' feces to supplement their digestion. The health of a Golden Satin Guinea Pig is mainly reflected in its behavior. It's simple, as long as they don't run or jump when facing strangers, and don't squeal or bite people, then there won't be much of a problem. But if you tease them with food for a while and they don't react, and they just hide inside, then you should also be cautious as this type of guinea pig is too unusually timid. If their feet have obvious bumps when running and jumping, that's also undesirable, as it may be due to damage to their foot bones.
1. Cold and flu. Tuscan Guinea Pigs may experience fatigue, nasal congestion, shivering, as well as sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, and loss of appetite. At this time, attention should be paid to providing Tuscan Guinea Pigs with some warm materials such as cotton, and giving them 1 or 2 tablets of Banlangen mixed with water until it turns slightly yellow and let them drink it.
2. Diarrhea. Tuscan Guinea Pigs suffering from diarrhea mainly show wet tails, listlessness, and reduced appetite. You can use the medication Qing Da (injection), add 4 drops into a 80ml water bottle, and add a few more drops for severe cases.
3. Dysentery. Symptoms of gastrointestinal inflammation caused by the consumption of unclean food are obvious, that is, the feces are not well-formed. If such symptoms are found, immediately seek medical treatment. Diarrhea is quite dangerous for Guinea Pigs because sometimes we do not know what food caused it. If it is a common fecal contamination, taking medicine can help. However, if diarrhea is caused by chemical poisoning from food consumption, even if we seek medical treatment immediately, it is difficult to save their lives. So we must be careful.
4. Flatulence. It is caused by the consumption of unsuitable food, such as pears. Flatulence can lead to dyspnea and cardiac failure. Therefore, if the condition is severe, seek medical attention as soon as possible.
5. Constipation. It is caused by excessive consumption of dry food and insufficient water intake. Simply increasing water intake and providing fruits and vegetables with high water content can cure it.
6. Excessive hair loss. Guinea Pigs shedding hair is normal, just like humans shedding hair. However, excessive hair loss is abnormal and is caused by a lack of vitamin C. The treatment method is to mix powdered vitamin C into the food or water to supplement it. Vitamin powder is sour, so some Guinea Pigs may avoid eating it. In this case, it needs to be fed to them with a syringe.
Because Tuscan Guinea Pigs are a breed with relatively weak resistance, in addition to providing a dry living environment and a balanced diet, as the owner, you don't have to do the following every day to ensure their health:
Remove leftover food in a timely manner to prevent illness caused by consuming stale food.
Clean the dirty parts of the cage. If using bedding, discard the soiled portion and replace it with new bedding.
Observe the health of their eyes, nose, fur, anus, etc., and check if their activity is normal.
Check their feces. The feces of the Tuscan Guinea Pig are usually slightly dry, shaped like long strips, and sometimes softer.
Tuscan Guinea Pigs have a well-developed sense of smell and hearing, with a very high response to various stimuli, such as sound, smell, and sudden changes in temperature. Attention should be paid to issues such as temperature and noise. The diet of the Golden Silk Fur Guinea Pig is mainly omnivorous and should not be oily or meaty, as this can cause gastrointestinal discomfort. They like to eat carrots, grass, wheat straw, corn, apples, bananas, and other foods, which can be used as staple food for feeding. But some owners are busy and don't have time to prepare such a rich variety of ingredients. In this case, you can buy special guinea pig food, which is also nutritious and convenient.
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