Last updated on January 22nd, 2023 at 07:02 pm
Guinea pigs are wonderful animals that have beautiful hair. But are guinea pigs born with hair, or does it grow later?
Yes, guinea pigs are born with hair and have hair all over their bodies. In addition to hair, guinea pigs are born with teeth and can walk immediately after birth.
And what about guinea pigs with long hair, are they born with hair or not?
In today’s article you will find out whether guinea pigs are born with long hair, whether baby guinea pigs are born with fur and other interesting and related questions.
Are long-haired guinea pigs born with long hair?
No, long-haired guinea pigs are not born with long hair. Long-haired guinea pigs still have much more hair than an average baby guinea pig.
Guinea pigs with long hair will have the size of their parents’ hair, but it will take some time. However, they are a breed that will undoubtedly have long hair.
There are several species of long-haired guinea pigs; here are some of them:
- Abyssinian Guinea Pig
- Peruvian Guinea Pig
- Lunkarya Guinea Pig
- Texel Guinea Pig
- Merino Guinea Pig
- Silkie Guinea Pig
- Coronet Guinea Pig
- Sheba Guinea Pig
- Alpaca Guinea Pig
Are baby guinea pigs born with fur?
Yes, baby guinea pigs are born with fur. When guinea pigs are born, they have hair all over their body, and therefore they are born with fur.
Guinea pigs can be divided into several types due to their hair and fur.
Here are three types of guinea pigs divided according to their fur:
- Guinea pigs with short hair: they have thick fur, but not too much length; that is, they have short hair.
- Long-haired guinea pigs: they have long hair or fur.
- Hairless Guinea Pigs: This group of guinea pigs has no hair.
No matter which group of guinea pigs you choose, they are all beautiful and you will not make a mistake in your choice.
Feel free to take a guinea pig to keep, regardless of whether they are long-haired or hairless.
What do guinea pigs look like when they are born?
As we said, guinea pigs are born with hair, but there are also those born without hair.
Baby guinea pigs weigh about 50 grams when they are born, while larger babies weigh 100 grams, and their body length is about 10 cm.
The advantage of baby guinea pigs is that they can survive independently, even at birth.
They immediately have their eyes open, which is very significant to directly hearing and seeing everything around them.
Another advantage of baby guinea pigs is that they can move quickly, even at the same speed as adult guinea pigs.
All of this is important for guinea pig owners who will get baby guinea pigs, because it will be easier to take care of the little newborn guinea pigs.
Do baby guinea pigs get mites from their fur?
It is essential to check the fur of baby guinea pigs as they may have mites.
Mites are most common in long-haired guinea pigs.
If you notice redness, lack of fur in certain places and itching, these are signs that they have mites.
That’s why you should check the fur of baby guinea pigs more often, so that you can react promptly if they have mites.
Read more: Why Are Guinea Pigs So Cute? (Find Out Now)
How do we know how old a guinea pig is?
There are several ways to determine the age of guinea pigs, so let’s look at a few ways you can resolve their age.
We can calculate it ourselves
We can easily calculate the age of guinea pigs ourselves if we start counting and if we know the exact date of their birth.
You can note and calculate their age on a calendar. Here is a chart for calculating the age of guinea pigs.
| Human Age | Guinea Pig Age |
| 1 month | 8 month |
| 3 months | 2.5 years |
| 6 months | 5 years |
| 9 months | 7.5 years |
| 1 year | 10 years |
| 2 years | 20 years |
| 3 years | 30 years |
As can be seen from the table, their age is calculated as almost ten times more than the human age, but that is their metabolism and way of aging.
Determine the age using certain signs
Apart from using a calendar or a vet, there are other ways to find out how old your guinea pigs are.
Here are some signs and their meaning for the age of guinea pigs:
- young guinea pigs – have short nails, which are pointed and transparent in color
- thick nails – which are opaque and yellowish mean that the guinea pig is about a year old
- young guinea pigs – have white teeth
- older guinea pigs – have yellowish teeth
- the appearance of testicles – after six weeks from the birth of the guinea pig
- a guinea pig that is three months old – weighs about 500 grams
- a guinea pig that is one year old – weighs about 1000 grams
Here are some interesting signs by which you can judge the age of the guinea pig, especially when you want to buy or take it to keep in your home.
A veterinarian can determine the age of a guinea pig
If you are in doubt or need to know how old the guinea pig is that you bought or want to buy, go to a veterinarian who will help you and tell you how old your pet is.
With the help of a veterinarian, you will also learn several other important things about the guinea pig, such as:
- will help you find out the gender of the guinea pig
- They will tell you what breed the guinea pig is
- They will tell you if the guinea pig is crossed with other breeds.
- The veterinarian will tell you if and how healthy the guinea pig is if it suffers from any diseases.
- They will help you with advice on the proper nutrition of the guinea pig.
- They will help you with tips to care for him and properly start holding him in your hands without scaring him.
All these ways will help you determine the age of your guinea pig more efficiently, which will help you in the future to know how to keep and feed it according to its age.
Read more: Guinea Pig Broken Nail Bleeding? (Fix And Care)
What happens in the first weeks of a guinea pig’s birth?
When the guinea pig is born, it should be with its mother for the first three weeks. She will take care of him, nurse him and give him strength so he can develop properly.
Baby guinea pigs will start playing with their peers but will still prefer to be near their mother.
In the first six weeks, it is crucial how the baby guinea pig learns specific social skills from its mother that will help it in its future.
That is why it should not be removed earlier than 6 weeks, if such a thing happens the guinea pig may have consequences when they are older, both for their health and for the way they will live when they are alone.
After six weeks, the guinea pigs can gradually move away from their mother, start eating hay, grass and dry food. After six weeks, you can take the guinea pig to your home.
