The Black Barleytown Guinea Pig, also known as the Dalmatian Guinea Pig, has a black fur on its head, with a white stripe in the middle of its face, and a white body with black spots, just like a Dalmatian dog, hence the name. It is also known as the Dutch pig, Dutch guinea pig, cavy, or guinea pig. Their ancestors came from the Andes Mountains in South America, and were brought to the Western world by European merchants in the 16th century. People liked these small animals as pets at that time. They are gentle, cute, relatively easy to care for, and are still common household pets. Some organizations around the world have been dedicated to breeding guinea pigs, and have developed various breeds with different fur colors and appearances.
Black Barleytown Guinea Pig, belonging to a variety of guinea pigs, is different from other guinea pigs in that its entire body is black. Its head is black, with a distinct white stripe from the head to the mouth. Like other guinea pigs, they originated from the Andes Mountains in South America. People also call them Dutch guinea pig, Dutch pig, Dalmatian pig, piglet, and Guinea pig. They are very popular small pets with high popularity. The Black Barleytown Guinea Pig is of medium size, with black and white fur all over its body. Its head is relatively large, with a vertical white stripe from the top of the head to the mouth. There are also some black spots on its body, just like a Dalmatian dog, hence the name. In general, the body of the Black Barleytown Guinea Pig is about 33cm long, with a moderate size. Its body is round and short, and it has a pair of black eyes. Its ears are small and round, with well-developed and very short limbs. The name "Guinea Pig" may have originated from the past when one was sold for a "Guinea" (an old British copper coin), and because it looked fat like a pig, it was called Guinea Pig. Some people believe that it comes from Guinea in West Africa, while others believe that it comes from Guyana, which had frequent contact with Europe in South America at that time, and later wrote it as Guinea. The Chinese name for it is speculated to be "Guinea Pig" may have been brought into China from the direction of India and was called "Guinea" mouse.
It is recommended to keep the Black Barleytown Guinea Pig for pet lovers. It always leaves a cute and clumsy impression, looking very adorable. If you don't provoke it, it won't get angry with you. Generally speaking, it is very gentle and lovely. Not only that, the Black Barleytown Guinea Pig is also an easy-to-keep breed of guinea pig. It does not have strict requirements for the environment and food. However, because of this, parents should take care of it carefully and take good care of it. In this way, it will regard you as its owner, and be loyal to you. But it is better for the owner to play with it frequently, which will also enhance the bond between you.
Black Barleytown Guinea Pig (also known as the Dalmatian Guinea Pig) has a black fur on its head with a white stripe in the middle of its face, and a white body with black spots, just like a Dalmatian dog, hence the name. It is also known as the Dutch
Scurvy—caused by a low vitamin C intake in the diet. This results in defects in collagen formation, immature bone formation, and increased bone reabsorption. Fractures (most commonly proximal tibia) and swelling, deformity, flattening of the joints. Bleeding is seen throughout the body (due to vascular collagen deficiency). Animals become lethargic, anemic, and reluctant to move. Joints may become swollen and fractures may occur, requiring supplementation of vitamin C in water and diet.
Streptococcal lymphadenitis—lymph nodes in the neck become filled with pus and swollen, eventually rupturing and oozing. Has high infection and mortality rates. Can cause septicemia and widespread disseminated infection. Streptococcus zooepidemicus is the primary culprit (but other pyogenic bacteria can also be involved). Recommeds reintroducing clean animals into the population.
Antibiotic Toxicity—similar to most rodents, almost all antibiotics cause diarrhea, leading to death. Traditionally, death was believed to be due to moderate growth of Gram-negative bacteria. Recent studies show that toxins produced by Gram-positive bacteria (Clostridial bacteria) are also important factors in death. Therefore, antibiotic treatment should only be continued for a short period of time (no more than seven days).
Spontaneous diabetes mellitus—common in Abyssinian Guinea Pigs, this disease may be caused by a retrovirus. C-type retrovirus particles have been detected in the urine of infected animals.
Guinea Pig Leukemia—can be found in two strains of animals, infected animals are in poor condition and may have spleen enlargement, liver enlargement, and lymph node enlargement. Blood white cell counts can be as high as 250,000/mm3. Belongs to lymphocytic leukemia, progressive weakness occurs before virus-induced death. Foot skin disease—foot injuries are caused by floor materials or walking on excrement. Difficult to treat effectively. Prevention is the key.
Pneumonia—Bordetella bronchiseptica is the most common pathogen. Do not cohabitate with guinea pigs with rabbits, pigs, dogs, and other species that are asymptomatic carriers of Bordetella in the same housing.
Ringworm: very common. Trichophyton mentagrophytes is the primary pathogen causing guinea pig ringworm.
Before raising a Black Barleytown Guinea Pig, a very spacious cage should be prepared for it. Like most hamsters, it also has a habit of biting, so the material used to build the cage is best not easily chewed. In addition, a small pet-specific carpet can be placed on the bottom of the cage. In the summer, try to avoid it being exposed to air conditioning for a long time because it is a very cold-intolerant animal and can easily catch a cold. Of course, in the winter, warmth and cold protection work must also be done. The food for the long-haired guinea pig should be determined according to different age groups. Of course, for it, hay is its favorite, but be careful not to feed it too much. In addition, parents can also give it some fresh fruits, vegetables, and special feed for guinea pigs. Note that the food for the Black Barleytown Guinea Pig should not be too monotonous. In other words, it is best to mix other different foods in one type of food, provided that it is beneficial to the health of the guinea pig, so as to maintain a good appetite for the Black Barleytown Guinea Pig. If your guinea pig is young, you should also spend more time with it to let it get used to your presence and the current living environment. You can make a paper tube for it to hide in. If you let it out for activities, besides running around, it will also look for hidden places to hide. This is its nature. Because the size of a guinea pig is much larger than that of a golden hamster, a maple leaf fan, and other rodents, there is less worry about not being able to find it, but be careful whether there are mouse poisons or other drugs placed on the ground to prevent it from eating them by mistake.
After drying a small amount of water, lay a towel on yourself and hold the guinea pig in your arms. If you have prepared food beforehand, you can feed them at this time. The reason for laying the towel on yourself is that guinea pigs are still warm, which can prevent them from getting wet. It can also help absorb the water under their bellies. We often can't dry the water under their bellies, but this is afraid that the guinea pig will catch a cold. If you turn the guinea pig over and blow it, the guinea pig will be very uncomfortable. So laying a towel on them is very useful. Feeding guinea pigs is because it can divert their attention to 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 clothes or run away. With food, guinea pigs will shift their attention, so they won't run away. After the guinea pig finishes eating, its brain will naturally adapt to the hair dryer a little bit, and it will not run as fiercely or even stop running.
If you are blowing a hair dryer for a Black Barleytown Guinea Pig, try to dry it as much as possible, because the hands of a Black Barleytown Guinea Pig are longer than those of a regular guinea pig, and it is easy for water to be hidden where the hands cross. Be careful not to let it catch a cold.
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