Does Anyone Own Guinea Pigs, Post Pictures Of Your Guinea Pig Or Other

[fluttermoth]

Yes, for breeding stock you're definitely right! It would be like crossing black and blue Dobermans.

One interesting thing about genetics, which is especially relevant to dilution, is the presence of what are called 'poly genes'. These 'stack' up to modify the colour; usually to make it deeper and richer. Crossing breeds/strains that have many poly genes modifying the colour reduces them and that's what causes the poor colouring in them.

Oddly enough the Belgian Hare (I saw one on 'Animal Hospital' once and everyone on there, including the vet, thought it was an actual hare #63### ) is a perfect example of the effect of poly genes, as they're genetically a 'yellow' rabbit, like a yellow Dutch! It's only the masses of poly genes that have been built up over years of selective breeding that make them that gorgeous mahogany colour. One day I'll have a hutch big enough for Belgian Hares...

 

[MBOU]

I have a soft spot for rabbits and guineapigs with odd markings and that look...well... different!

A dont really like the 'beige' kind of guinea pigs but we had a satin one and it was just gorgeous! Same as the rex gene changes the colour too because of the way the far lays, its like velvet.

I love the belgian hares because they are so different and majestic looking, been a long time since i looked at them! Havent seen much about colour mutations. I got to stroke one at the london champs show and it was all muscle! Not like these flabby rabbits.

I know i have had lots of dwarf lops because i am such a sucker for the colours!! I love the harlequin colouration! But as far as personality goes, i really cant stand lops, they've all been really evil or just a non entity lol.

I do have to say I really love the 'blue' and 'lilac' in any species. My knowledge of genetics is really awful!! Its taken so long to get even the vaguest grasp on hamster genetics, i never got beyond well.... not much on rabbits and guinea pigs. I learn better by experience though to be fair. Poly genes has cropped up three times now in various posts, i think thats a sign that i need to do some research!

I dont know if you get it in rabbits but in mice, my housemate was breeding black tans and loved them (black with tan bellies and inner ears so same as black otter in rabbits) but I adored the Black Foxes that were black with silver/white bellies. It generally involved a lot of blues and chocolates too but were were breeding for pretty colours more than we were show type (the mouse group of people were worse than the hamster people for bing so rude!)

 

[fluttermoth]

Honestly, MBOU, if you can do hamster genetics, most other animals are the same (cats and horses being the two big exceptions).

That 'black and tan', for instance is the same in rabbits, mice and dogs (it's the Doberman/rottweiler markings), although annoyingly for my argument, I don't think it's present in hamsters .

There is a breed of rabbit called the 'black and tan'; genetically they're the same as silver foxes, but foxes also carry the 'chinchilla' gene that prevents formation of yellow pigment, so their 'tan' markings go white; I assume it's the same in otter rexes as well. Nowhere near the same build for showing, of course; the black and tan is meant to be quite small and lithe compared to the fox.

I once used a yellow dalmatian rex and a silver fox to breed a 'fake' white rabbit by combining the chinchilla gene (which prevents the yellow pigment from forming) from the fox with the 'yellow' gene (that prevents black pigment from forming) from the rex. Unfortunately the 'yellow' gene (e) doesn't always completely stop the black pigment, so he had tiny black tips to his fur, in a dalmatian pattern, so he looked like someone had picked him up with oily hands! He was beautiful though (he didn't go to the pet shop ).

Blimey I've waffled; it's one of my favourite subjects

 

[MBOU]

Been a long while since I have been so curious!! Like.... years maybe!

I dont get the Chinchilla gene thats the main problem!! lol. I say I don't... I ought to be rushing off to double check the genetics online but tbh after most of a bottle of wine, its one thing typing... something else trying to figure out genetics!

Cant get the flipping word 'mendalian' out of my head. Stupid peas! Was the only thing I ever remembered out of genetics lessons! lol

I shall do my research tomorrow! I am sure you are right lol

The only thing i vaguely get the follows between cats and syrian hamsters is the 'yellow' gene

Tortoiseshell is a funny one, its not the same in both species... though the yellow gene is certainly sex linked.

You get Ginger Tom cats but not females (with very rare exception!), though introduce the black gene or the genetics for black + white and you get male ginger (yellow in hamsters), blacks, + whatever other genes crop up and female 'tri colours' (tortoiseshell = black and ginger + small amount of white or calico = black and white and ginger equals).

Eh... does that make sense to anyone who didnt already know? Bear with me ... Bear or Bare with me? Oh dear!

Yellow Hamsters you get male or female but when you cross a yellow and a black, the babies show the difference (this all depends on other genetics too so its not completely reliable!) you would get yellow male and female, black male and female, (now the difference in syrian hamsters!) ou get Yellow Blacks they are black all over if you part the fur and yellows on top but with dark hint to them, a colour that fascinated me! but the tortoiseshells which are a literal swirl of yellow and black are all female.

Introducing white (banded, dominant spot etc) into hamsters makes the tortoiseshell gene far more interesting!

One of my favourite hamsters (my golden oldies Hamlet, *moo*, Mr Squishy and now SmoJo) was a Banded Black Tortoiseshell Dominant Spot. Combining the banded and the dom spot gene is dangerous as it hasa very high risk of eyeless white babies but that was the previous genetics to Moo whom i bought. So she was Black, Yellow and White in a completely spotty mess, though less messy as she had a slight band of white spots and 'glowing eyes' under direct light (sure sign of carrying the wh wh or eyeless white gene).

I will rereadthis tomorrow (most likely seriously cringe!) and rewrite it completely. God.. why did i need to write this after drinking!?

I half half a glass of wine left of the bottle

 

[Bettasforever!]

Dumpy, my other tree frog.

cool tree frog! thanks for the pictures of your two tree frogs

 

[crazyforcordoras]

Haha, hes not exactly cute, but hes a great pet.

 

[Bettasforever!]

Ahah!! Found photos in a different file!

This is Pigapig!! He was the ultimate guinea pig! He lived until he was just shy of 8 and he had a stroke, we had to have him put to sleep.

He was *the* most affectionate soul, he loved human attention, wouldnt live with other guinea pigs, loved the rabbit sometimes but on h is own terms.

He was a proper pet, I was about 13 when we got him lol, we would bath him and carry him around wrapped in towels for hours, we had a harness and he walked really well as he just followed out feet, i used to walk him round the village (yeah... i really wanted a dog lol) and i used to sometimes bring him indoors (only for 10-15 minutes as he overheated, he was a proper outdoors kinda pig) and he would play with my hamster (i seriously dont advise this, it was a bit stupid! However... they actually played and squeaked with each other and groomed each other!)

Drowned Pig (this photo and the next created a 94 page bashing on my cruelty to animals on some stupid american pet forum... petshub i think... it was epic!! LOL)

I know people frown on keeping rabbitsand guineapigs together and i doubt i would do it again unless the need arised, but neither would tolerate their own species and as they lived in a hutch and run outside (hutch in shed over winter) it was still often hitting -7 sometimes! They needed each others body warmth. Besides... the rabbit loved grooming the guinea pig and the guinea pig...well... i wont repeate what he liked the rabbit for!

RIP Pigapig my lad.

bettasforever said:
R.I.P. pigapig he must have been a good guinea pig, thank you for the post,

 

[Bettasforever!]

My pigs, Daphne and Ravage

those guinea pigs are so cute! thanks for the great picture!

Here are Moley and Ratty, sadly no longer with us (this picture was taken years ago) sitting in the bureau drawers when they were very, very young.

I still keep three guinea pigs, two rabbits and a collie dog.

sorry to hear that , well they were cute and good guinea pigs. thank you for post

 

[Bettasforever!]

My chinchillas, Charlie and Lola

My degus gus and Rodney

Got 3 guinea pigs too (soon to be 4) - bella, jake and grace but can't find any pics

chinchillas? i hear they make great pets, but i've never heard of anyone caring for one, since this is the first time, i would like to ask
you a question, "which one makes a better pet, a guinea pig or chinchilla? do they seem to act in a different way, is one more loving, is one more sneakier?" i was thinking about getting a chinchilla as a pet, but i can't decide, please answer back please reply back

 

[dbanner]

Hi Bettasforever chinchillas do make great pets but then so guinea pigs which is why I chose to own both lol which age group will the owner/handler be for the chosen pet? That plays a big part in deciding which to get...

For example if it's primarily a pet for a young child (say around 8-10 years old) to care for then I'd definitely say to get a guinea pig as they tend to sit still from a young age and let you stroke them as they sit beside you (or on you lol) they are also less demanding than chinchillas, needing smaller cages, less exercise in general and you get a bit more leeway with their diets.

Chinchillas on the other hand can be very nervous when you 1st get them and they don't like to picked up and/or handled at that stage. They can how ever be trained to do some amazing things... Getting them to sit still in your hand is just the beginning. To do that the best thing to do is just put your hand in their cage next to them and let them come to you. They may nibble on you but never with the intention to hurt, they are just getting to know you. Then start hand feeding them. Before you know it they will be bouncing all over you iv learnt mine to run up the ladder and lie down in his house when I say BED. It's so cute. They need a lot more exercise than guinea pigs, I let my chinchillas loose in the house (in a room where their cage is and where they can't escape elsewhere) for around an hour a day, sometimes longer. Their cage is in the same room as its a lot easier for them to just go back in their cage themselves when they are tired rather than trying to catch them. This will only scare them and plus they are soooo quick when they don't want to be caught lol chinchillas are nocturnal but their sleeping patterns can be changed easily. They also need metal cages at around 3-4 levels high for them to climb (their teeth grow constantly so they will chew through wooden or plastic cages), wooden chew toys to file down their teeth, they have to have special sand to "bath" in for 10-15 mins a day (they can't be in water as their fur coat is so dense they won't dry properly), and they should have a good quality hay as bedding (on bottom of the cage)

I'd say chinchillas are definitely more sneeky but also more loving than your average guinea pig but like I said chinchillas are better suited to older children or/and adults. There is nothing better than russling a bag of raisins across the room and you see your chinchillas run across to you and stand on their back legs waiting for some (they love raisins but they only allowed a couple per week) . If you get a chinchilla please be aware that can live up to 30 years so you have to be committed. They are awesome little pets though they can be kept alone but they do better in pairs as I found after owning a single one for 5 years. I know have 2 (that i bought together) and they are so playful.

 

[Bettasforever!]

Hi Bettasforever chinchillas do make great pets but then so guinea pigs which is why I chose to own both lol which age group will the owner/handler be for the chosen pet? That plays a big part in deciding which to get...

For example if it's primarily a pet for a young child (say around 8-10 years old) to care for then I'd definitely say to get a guinea pig as they tend to sit still from a young age and let you stroke them as they sit beside you (or on you lol) they are also less demanding than chinchillas, needing smaller cages, less exercise in general and you get a bit more leeway with their diets.

Chinchillas on the other hand can be very nervous when you 1st get them and they don't like to picked up and/or handled at that stage. They can how ever be trained to do some amazing things... Getting them to sit still in your hand is just the beginning. To do that the best thing to do is just put your hand in their cage next to them and let them come to you. They may nibble on you but never with the intention to hurt, they are just getting to know you. Then start hand feeding them. Before you know it they will be bouncing all over you iv learnt mine to run up the ladder and lie down in his house when I say BED. It's so cute. They need a lot more exercise than guinea pigs, I let my chinchillas loose in the house (in a room where their cage is and where they can't escape elsewhere) for around an hour a day, sometimes longer. Their cage is in the same room as its a lot easier for them to just go back in their cage themselves when they are tired rather than trying to catch them. This will only scare them and plus they are soooo quick when they don't want to be caught lol chinchillas are nocturnal but their sleeping patterns can be changed easily. They also need metal cages at around 3-4 levels high for them to climb (their teeth grow constantly so they will chew through wooden or plastic cages), wooden chew toys to file down their teeth, they have to have special sand to "bath" in for 10-15 mins a day (they can't be in water as their fur coat is so dense they won't dry properly), and they should have a good quality hay as bedding (on bottom of the cage)

I'd say chinchillas are definitely more sneeky but also more loving than your average guinea pig but like I said chinchillas are better suited to older children or/and adults. There is nothing better than russling a bag of raisins across the room and you see your chinchillas run across to you and stand on their back legs waiting for some (they love raisins but they only allowed a couple per week) . If you get a chinchilla please be aware that can live up to 30 years so you have to be committed. They are awesome little pets though they can be kept alone but they do better in pairs as I found after owning a single one for 5 years. I know have 2 (that i bought together) and they are so playful.

Hi dbanner, thank you thank you thank you! with the experience that you've had owning both, you cant really beat an answer like that, and how did you train him to go to his house when you say bed? The only thing is that I cant seem to find a chinchilla here in Los Angeles,California