![]() So what exactly does a Teddy guinea pig need in a cage?įirst of all, bigger is simply better when it comes to cages. There's also quite a few terrible cages, though. Fortunately, there are many guinea pig cages out there that were designed with the environmental needs of guinea pigs in mind. With such an active and curious little creature, you'll need a cage that is able to contain all of that excitement. There are some foods that should never be fed to your Teddy guinea pig, such as processed foods, food with very high water content, food with sugar, and downright dangerous foods like rhubarb, tomato leaves, and raw beans. A healthy mix of several different foods provides your Teddy with a diverse array of nutrients and works to keep their diet interesting and tasty. In addition to hay, a good mixture of pelleted food, fresh fruits and vegetables, and the occasional healthy treat work to round out a Teddy guinea pig's diet. Providing a steady supply of Timothy hay in their cage will help keep their teeth the correct length and will give them most of the nutritional content that they need. Therefore, your Teddy guinea pig's diet will also need to be made up of about 80% hay. This has resulted in their bodies becoming fine-tuned for this exact diet. However, an overwhelming majority of a wild guinea pig's diet consists of grass and hay, with a few random vegetables thrown into the mix if they can be found.įor thousands of years, this is what guinea pigs have been eating. Guinea pigs are herbivores, meaning that they are able to get all of their essential nutrients from a variety of plant matter. Teddy guinea pigs enjoy diets that are the same as any other breed. Combining these three things will increase the chances of you keeping your guinea pig around for a very long time. You can also feed your Teddy an optimal diet in addition to making sure their environment is exactly what they need. First of all, you can purchase a Teddy from an experienced breeder that raises very healthy guinea pigs. To give your Teddy guinea pig the best chance of living past their expected lifespan, there's a few things that you yourself can do. However, there have been a good amount of outliers, with a few specimens reaching double digits! Fortunately, these guys have decently long lifespans, ranging on average from 4 to 8 years old. With such a great personality, it makes sense that you'd want your Teddy guinea pig to live for as long as possible. In return, you'll be rewarded with very happy and affectionate guinea pigs. You should also provide your Teddies with a very large cage in which they can run around an play. It's recommended that you keep your Teddies in same-sex pairs, and they have no problem living with other breeds of guinea pigs. Like any other kind of guinea pig, Teddy guinea pigs do need a good amount of companionship from other guinea pigs and their owners. Since Abyssinians are one of the most active breeds, Teddies are right up there with them! This breed is very energetic, easy-going, and loves to interact with humans and other guinea pigs. This breed is technically 50% Abyssinian guinea pig, so there's going to be a good amount of overlap with personality. There's a reason why Teddy guinea pigs are experiencing such a surge of popularity among guinea pig owners. Aside from being kept as a pet, Teddy guinea pigs are also bred for shows to show off their adorable appearance. From this point on, Teddy guinea pigs have exploded in popularity due to their unique coats. In 1978 they were recognized as an official breed by the American Cavy Breeders Association. Teddy guinea pigs didn't just stay a random mutation, though. This gene caused the already short hair of Teddies to stand up and out, giving them that trademarked look. These offspring, now known as Teddies, also possessed a recessive pair of genes, tt, that results in a kink at the base of a hair. What happened when these two species bred was the offspring were given dominant genes for short hair, making all offspring of this pairing short-haired. ![]() So how exactly did this happen? It's suspected that Teddy guinea pigs first came around when American guinea pigs were cross-bred with Abyssinian guinea pigs in animal testing laboratories. In fact, they first came into existence through sheer luck due to a genetic mutation! This doesn't mean that Teddies are damaged or unwell in any way - it simply means that their genetic makeup has resulted in them having a different appearance from standard guinea pigs! Teddy guinea pigs haven't always existed. First, a brief history about this adorable little cavy.
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