Himalayan Guinea Pig: Pictures, Info, Traits & Care Guide – Nirantara

The Himalayan guinea pig is a particular and inserting breed with distinctive coloration and a gentle, lovable temperament. Though they’re harder to hunt out than their American or Abyssinian counterparts, the Himalayan is a breed worth considering for those who occur to’re looking for to undertake one different piggy in order so as to add to your herd. As we communicate, we’re going to analysis each factor you may want to find out about this breed so that you presumably can resolve if it’s the right match on your family members.

No matter what the breed title would have you ever ever think about, the Himalayan doesn’t come from the Himalayas of India. As an alternative, this breed originated in South America. These piggies are recognized for his or her albino look and distinctive coloration components on their nostril, ears, or toes.

Himalayan piggies have reasonably extra to produce than their distinctive coloration, nonetheless. Be taught on to check additional regarding the temperament and care requirements of this beautiful guinea pig breed.

Himalayan Guinea Pig Breed Traits

How So much Do These Guinea Pigs Worth?

Himalayans are a relatively unusual breed, which can make discovering one to undertake an issue. When you may have your coronary coronary heart set on adopting one amongst these beautiful piggies, you’ll probably wish to take motion by the use of a breeder instead of a pet retailer. It’s best to rely on, then, to pay a bit additional in your pet than you’d a breed that’s additional merely accessible.

Alongside along with your upfront adoption costs, you’ll produce different expenditures, along with housing in your new pet and toys for his or her enclosure.

Temperament & Intelligence of the Himalayan Guinea Pig

The Himalayan could possibly be very very like totally different guinea pigs in temperament. They’re often very delicate and affectionate, thriving in households which will current a great deal of human interaction. Himalayans are social and intelligent and may research to love being handled with time and endurance.

As with totally different breeds, you’ll have to find methods to keep up them for them to answer positively to your advances. Keep in mind, guinea pigs are prey animals, to permit them to be very timid and afraid of individuals until they’ve had a possibility to warmth as a lot as you and research your intentions.

Do These Guinea Pigs Make Good Pets?

Himalayans is also barely a lot much less skittish than totally different breeds and further inclined to benefit from a snuggle and pets from their favorite folks. For that purpose, we think about they’re a implausible breed to ponder adopting when you may have accountable (ideally older) youngsters who will respect boundaries and are eager to find methods to take care of and care for a guinea pig properly. They make nice and loving pets, notably as quickly as they’re comfortable with interacting with folks.

Does This Guinea Pig Get Alongside With Totally different Pets?

Himalayans, like totally different guinea pigs, are very social creatures and might fully thrive in households the place they’re typically with additional of their selection. Wild guinea pigs reside collectively in herds, so it’s best to do your biggest to duplicate this setting in your home. In spite of everything, you don’t need a literal herd of piggies working spherical in your individual residence, nonetheless it’s finest to keep up them in pairs to verify their social needs are being met.

Because of guinea pigs are prey animals, they’re naturally skittish spherical totally different species. When you may have canine or cats inside the residence, your Himalayan’s enclosure have to be closed in to keep up them protected.

Points to Know When Proudly proudly owning a Himalayan Guinea Pig:

Meals & Weight-reduction plan Requirements

Guinea pigs are true herbivores, requiring solely plant supplies to survive and thrive. The vast majority of your Himalayan’s weight reduction program ought to incorporate timothy or one different low-calcium hay. They need 24/7 entry to hay in limitless portions. Timothy-based pellets designed notably for guinea pigs are one different important a part of your pet’s weight reduction program. Hay and pellets must be supplemented with up to date and vibrant veggies. Place a specific emphasis on these bigger in vitamin C, equivalent to bell peppers and collard greens, as guinea pigs have a extreme vitamin C requirement. Prohibit fruit to specific occasions as its extreme sugar content material materials may end up in an imbalance of intestinal micro organism.

Habitat & Hutch/Enclosure Requirements

As with most small critters, the bigger the enclosure you presumably can current, the upper. Guinea pigs require a rather a lot bigger habitat than you might assume.

Discovering an adequately sized enclosure from the store can be tough. Sadly, a lot of the ready-made cage decisions at your native pet retailer are far too small in your piggy to reside luckily.

For that purpose, we advocate DIYing a “C&C” cage fabricated from metal cubes and coroplast. Use gridded cubes meant for storage cupboards to create the cage and coroplast sheets out of your native ironmongery store for the underside of your piggy’s residence. Amazon moreover sells pre-made coroplast cage liners, nonetheless you’ll need to measure to verify they’ll match with the grids you buy. We moreover advocate using fleece on prime of the coroplast for comfort. As soon as we had guinea pigs, we sewed transferring pads between layers of fleece, as doing so made the material additional absorbent in your piggy’s urine. We had a lot of items we would change out and wash after they turned soiled.

The correct enclosure for a pair of guinea pigs shall be, at minimal, 30 inches by 50 inches. The extra room your pigs need to maneuver spherical, the happier they’ll be. They need room of their enclosure to engage of their pure behaviors, equivalent to climbing, digging, and burrowing. Furthermore, the edges of the cage must be, at minimal, 12” extreme to verify your piggy doesn’t climb or fall out.

Prepare & Sleeping Desires

Prepare is as important for Himalayans because it’s for one more animal. Part of the rationale it’s useful to have such an infinite enclosure in your pet is to verify they’ve a great deal of space to maneuver about and get their every day bodily train needs met. You might also ponder allowing your piggies to spend time exterior of their cage, provided you’ve gotten a protected space for them to find with no stairs or totally different pets shut by.

Teaching

Himalayans are intelligent creatures with docile temperaments which will make teaching them a threat. You presumably can educate them ideas like pushing a ball, spinning in circles, and even coming when generally known as. Some owners want to potty put together their piggies to utilize a particular house of their cage to do almost all of their peeing and pooping, too!

Grooming

Himalayans have temporary fur, so grooming obtained’t require loads of your time. You could possibly wish to help them clear their toes and once more end generally. Nail submitting is one grooming half you’ll have to do most likely as quickly as a month. Improper nail care could trigger them to curve and may even lead the nail to turn into the foot pad. Furthermore, skipping out on trims could trigger discomfort and may make the nails additional extra more likely to get caught and ripped out.

Guinea pigs don’t need baths. You presumably can, nonetheless, do a light-weight bum wash within the occasion that they get messy.

Lifespan and Effectively being Circumstances

The Himalayan is vulnerable to creating the similar circumstances as one other guinea pig breed.

Your pet’s delicate respiratory system may make them vulnerable to creating pneumonia. They’re moreover recognized to get inside ear infections and gastrointestinal sicknesses like gastrointestinal stasis or intestinal parasites that lead to diarrhea. Guinea pigs may even get a variety of tumors, along with mammary and pores and pores and skin tumors and abscesses.

As talked about inside the “Weight-reduction plan” half, guinea pigs have a extreme vitamin C requirement. If this isn’t met, they may develop scurvy. Lack of vitamin C might make your Himalayan vulnerable to creating totally different sicknesses and infections.

Totally different points to be looking for embrace dental points and bladder factors. Dental sickness is relatively frequent in piggies and can be attributable to a vitamin C deficiency or a poor weight reduction program. Piggies are vulnerable to creating urinary stones, which can set off life-threatening obstructions.

Male vs Female

Male Himalayans are often greater than their female counterparts. Males are inclined to weigh nearer to 2 to 2.5 kilos, whereas females are sometimes inside the 1.5-to-2.25-pound range. Ladies and men might need barely fully totally different social dynamics. In case your goal is to have a herd of Himalayans in your home, females is also additional open to dwelling in greater group settings and are a lot much less extra more likely to have fallouts amongst each other that require separation.

Nonetheless, if you want two to a couple piggies, an all-male herd is also splendid. Males are inclined to not do as correctly in greater groups nonetheless can often reside okay as a duo or trio.

3 Little-Acknowledged Info About Himalayan Guinea Pig

1. They’re considered albino.

Though they’ve colored markings typically referred to as “components”, Himalayan guinea pigs are actually considered an albino breed. They’re born totally white and with the trademark albino red-tinted eyes.

2. They’re typically referred to as the Siamese cats of the guinea pig world.

As a result of the Himalayan ages, they’ll develop colored components, most ceaselessly seen on the ears, nostril, and toes. The components are often brown or black. It’s these components that earn them the “Siamese cat of the guinea pig world” title. It might truly take as a lot as three months for the Himalayan to realize its final coloring.

3. They’re unusual.

Himalayans are one in all many unusual guinea pig breeds. You’ll probably have to find a breeder to amass your piggy, as discovering one in a pet retailer may present to be an issue.

Final Concepts

The Himalayan guinea pig is a unique-looking animal which will make a fantastic pet for the right family. They’re often additional docile and fewer skittish than totally different piggy breeds, nonetheless on account of they’re comparatively unusual, discovering one to undertake is also tough. Chances are you obtained’t uncover a Himalayan in your native pet retailer, so that you simply’ll need to evaluation to hunt out breeders in your house who specialize on this unbelievable breed.

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