Hedgehog, also known as Dutch pig, Dutch guinea pig, rainbow pig, pig, and Guinea pig, their ancestors come from the Andes Mountains in South America. In the 16th century, they were brought to the West by European merchants. At that time, people liked this small animal and kept it as a pet. They are gentle, cute, and relatively easy to care for, and are still common pets today. Some organizations around the world are actively breeding guinea pigs, and people have bred various breeds with different fur colors and shapes.
Guinea pigs have a rich variety of breeds, all of which were developed after being transported to Europe and North America. The main differences are reflected in the fur and color. The most common pet breed is the English guinea pig, which has short and smooth fur, while the Abyssinian breed has erect and unsmooth fur. The Peruvian and Silkie breeds are also common pet breeds, with straight and long fur, while the Texel breed has curly long fur.
If the space you live in is too small and there are no conditions for cats and dogs to move around, or if you are afraid of being scratched or bitten, then choose a small and gentle guinea pig! It looks chubby, clumsy, and cute. Although it is a rodent, it is more popular than traditional mice. It has a gentle personality and rarely bites people unless it is provoked (remember that even rabbits bite when they are angry). Guinea pigs are vegetarians and have no special requirements for food. They are strong and rarely get sick. They are very smart, and if you treat them well, they will recognize you and play with you. They are of moderate size, neither too small like mice nor grow too large like rabbits, making them easier to hold in your hand (about 15-20 centimeters). They are cute and clumsy in their movements, unlike mice or squirrels that run away and can't be caught. They are suitable for children or the elderly to keep as pets. They are not expensive and do not require professional breeding equipment. As long as you prepare a suitable cage, provide fresh water and food every day, play with them often, regularly clean their nests, they can grow up healthy and happy. When you get used to keeping them, they will come out to greet you when you come home from work and run to you to ask for food.
The lifespan of a guinea pig can be as long as 10 years, so you must be prepared before keeping one. Make sure there are no other animals such as cats and dogs in your home that may harm it. It must be supplied with water and food every day, and its excrement may have an odor. Sometimes it will make noises and chew on things.
The Cream Agouti Guinea Pig has a body length of 22-34 centimeters and a weight of 400-700 grams. It has a short and thick body, a large head, big and round bright eyes, round ears, cleft upper lip, and small ears. Its limbs are short, with 4 toes on the front feet and 3 toes on the hind feet, without an external tail.
Natural creamy hedgehog, similar to most hedgehogs, the only difference is its coat color, the whole body of this mouse is creamy in color, its appearance is as beautiful as its name, people also call it Dutch pig, Dutch guinea pig, rainbow pig, pig, and Guinea pig, originally from South America, it looks very cute and gentle. Today in the 21st century, it is still loved and appreciated by countless people! The natural creamy hedgehog is medium in size, covered with thick and dense creamy hair all over its body, with a body length of about 30cm and a moderate weight. It can be clearly seen that the mouse's head is larger, with a pair of round and small ears on both sides of the head. Its upper lip is slightly divided and it has a pair of round and black eyes, which looks very delicate and irresistible. In addition, the natural creamy hedgehog has well-developed and strong foot claws, which are really excellent! Like all hedgehogs, the white-black eyed hedgehog is very clever, lively, gentle, fat and cute, timid and easily frightened, sometimes making squeaking screams, and it prefers dry and clean living environment. Hedgehog is also known as guinea pig and Dutch pig. Therefore, the white-black eyed hedgehog is also known as white-black eyed Dutch pig and white-black eyed guinea pig. Hedgehog is a small pet that is suitable for home keeping and the white-black eyed hedgehog, which comes from South America, is well-fed and not prone to fleas and skin diseases, and it is also relatively easy to raise.
It is recommended to keep hedgehogs for pet lovers. If a hedgehog is cuddled and comforted from a young age, it will behave affectionately towards humans when it grows up, without biting or scratching. They are shy and timid towards the outside world and rarely attempt to escape from the cage. Even if the cage door is open, they will not go out on their own. After becoming familiar with the owner, when the owner approaches the cage, they will whistle. If they hear the rustling sound of a plastic bag or the opening sound of a refrigerator door, they know that the owner is going to feed them and will also whistle.
Streptococcal lymphadenitis—The lymph nodes in the neck become swollen with pus and eventually rupture. It has a high infection rate and high mortality rate. It can cause bacteremia and systemic infections that cannot be resisted. Streptococcus zooepidemicus is the main culprit (although 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, ultimately leading to death. It is traditionally believed that death is caused by moderate proliferation of Gram-negative bacteria. Recent studies have shown that toxins produced by spore-forming bacteria (Clostridial bacteria) belonging to Gram-positive bacteria are also important factors leading to death. Therefore, antibiotic treatment can only last for a short period of time (no more than seven days).
Spontaneous diabetes mellitus—This disease is common in Abyssinian guinea pigs, and it may be caused by a virus (retrovirus). C-type retrovirus particles have been detected in the urine of infected animals.
Guinea Pig Leukemia—It can be found in two strains of animals, and infected animals are in poor condition and may 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 animal gradually weakens before virus-induced death.
Feeding environment. Overall, the feeding difficulty of the natural creamy hedgehog is not great, and the requirements for the feeding environment are not high. For it, parents do not need to spend their thoughts on professional feeding. Parents only need to prepare a moderate-sized cage for it, and place some fresh fruits, vegetables, and other foods in it. Honestly, the key to raising a creamy American crested hedgehog lies in the owner's company. Only in this way can its physical and mental health be fully developed! Food points, the food of natural creamy hedgehogs is relatively complex, but the main food is still rodent feed, such as bread, mealworms, etc. If you want to raise this hedgehog well, these foods alone are far from enough. In order to ensure the balance of its food, parents may as well give it some fresh fruits, vegetables, etc. Sometimes they will also go around to find food. If you hear its stomach growling, it means they are hungry. At this time, they should be fed promptly. It is not good for the natural creamy hedgehog to be hungry! White-eyed guinea pigs mainly feed on weeds, and they like to eat vegetables such as greens. However, with the popularization of scientific feeding now, the simplest and most convenient way is to feed them professional forage and feed. Feed made mainly from Timothy hay, in terms of nutritional intake, has no significant difference from Timothy hay. However, in terms of grinding teeth and promoting intestinal peristalsis of white-eyed guinea pigs, the role that the fine fibers of the feed (the red fibers cut off and intercepted in the processing) can achieve is far from the long fibers of the hay. Therefore, no matter what kind of feed is fed, hay is one of the indispensable foods.
1. Bathtub for bathing. It is recommended to use a higher bathtub, because many hedgehogs are not used to bathing and will try to jump out. For bathing, it is recommended to use natural shampoo or special shampoo for small animals. If not available, use a less stimulating one. Soft towel and hair dryer, connect the hair dryer to the power supply first. A clean box, the height of the box should prevent the hedgehog from jumping out. You can prepare the food that hedgehogs like to eat. You can also not prepare.
2. Fill the bathtub with warm water and wet the hedgehog, but do not wet the head. Apply shampoo. If using human shampoo or shower gel, be sure to rinse the hedgehog thoroughly with clean water several times, because it is dangerous if not completely cleaned. After bathing and drying the hedgehog, it usually bathes itself again. If these shampoos and shower gels are licked into the hedgehog's belly, it will not be good.
3. After cleaning, quickly wrap the hedgehog with a towel. Put it in a clean box and use a hair dryer that has been connected in advance to dry a small portion of the water. Pay attention to the temperature of the hair dryer. When blowing, you can put your hand next to the hedgehog to know the temperature of the wind, so as not to be too cold or too hot.
4. After drying a small portion of the water, spread a towel on yourself, hold the hedgehog in your arms, and blow it. Students who have prepared food can give it to them to eat at this time. The reason for spreading the towel on the body is that the hedgehog is still warm. It can prevent the hedgehog from getting wet and also help absorb the water under its belly. We often can't dry the water under the hedgehog's belly, but doing so will make the hedgehog uncomfortable if it is turned over and blown. So spreading a towel is very useful. Giving food to the hedgehog is because it can divert their attention to the food. Many hedgehogs are not used to hair dryers and are afraid of the sound of hair dryers, so they will burrow into clothes or run away. With food, the hedgehog will shift its attention, so it will not run away. After the hedgehog finishes eating, its brain will naturally adapt to the hair dryer a little bit, and it will not run away as fiercely, or even not run away.
5. If it is a hedgehog that is against the hand, be sure to blow it dry, because the hand of the hedgehog against the hand is longer than the hand of the hedgehog with the hand, and there is also water at the junction between the hand against the hand and the hand with the hand. Be careful not to let it catch a cold.
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