Tip 1: How to determine the age of a guinea pig
Tip 1: How to determine the age of a guinea pig
Choosing a guinea pig needs a long and meticulous. And the point here is not even that you should like it and be healthy physically. Since the life expectancy of these animals is not very high, it is best to buy young guinea pigs, so that the joy of communicating with them can last much longer. But how do you know how many weeks, months or even years the guinea pig lived before you went to the pet store?
You will need
- scales, attentiveness and a keen eye
Instructions
1
The simplest thing is to ask the seller or the breeder. Of course, in this case, one can only hope for the honesty of a person and believe that he does not try to shove you in place of a young animal of an aged veteran. If the seller can not answer your question or begins to evade - better buy the animal elsewhere. From scammers or breeders who do not very accurately represent the age of their animals, it is better to stay away.
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One of the most accurate indicators of ageguinea pig is its weight. Do not hesitate to bring your balance with you or ask the seller to weigh the piggy on the store scales. The fact is that from the age of 3-4 weeks (namely, from this moment these animals start to go on sale) guinea pig, no matter how much she ate, can not weigh more than 400-500 grams. Therefore, if the seller assures you that the animal is only four weeks old, and the scoop pulled out a kilogram - you are deceived. Complete puberty in pigs occurs at the age of 15 months, the maximum weight of females at this time is 700-1000 g., Males - 1000-1800 g.
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Sometimes it happens that with age the guinea pigbegins to lose weight. This is already closer to old age, when metabolic processes are slower and the animal begins to eat less food, refusing large pieces. An unscrupulous seller can give you such an old man for a young animal. That's why, in addition to weight, it is necessary to pay attention to secondary signs of youth. In young guinea pigs, the coat is thicker, has a characteristic color, does not fall out and does not grow dull. In guinea pigs, retired people may have problems with the skin and claws on the hind legs. Usually the front legs of the animals are handled themselves, but they can not reach the rear only. If you keep the animal at home, you need to treat the claws with special scissors, but in the store, of course, there is nobody to do it, so the back of the claws in the adult look not very aesthetically.
Tip 2: How to determine the sex of guinea pig
When buying an animal, you always want to besure that it will be the right sex for you. Especially it concerns those people who plan to get offspring. The sex of guinea pigs is difficult to identify at an early age, with time, sex becomes visible to the naked eye. Buying a guinea pig, do not hesitate to examine it from all sides, because you buy an animal that must be healthy and the right sex.
Instructions
1
Take a neat little pig and put it on the palm of your hand. If the pig is large, then hold it with the other hand at the back.
2
Gently push down the tummy (do needso that the animal is not hurt) or move the animal's skin to the chest. If you inadvertently make the animal hurt, then further clarification of the sex will be impossible, the guinea pig will become nervous.
3
With a slight pressure on the lower abdomen, in malesunder the skin you can feel the flagellum, this is the penis. During pressure, it can come out, but it's not scary. In adult males everything is extremely clear, the scrotum, which is located near the base of the tail, is clearly visible. It looks like a small bag of round shape.
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In females, you will see a sexual organ resembling the letter Y, which has an extension in the lower abdomen and narrows toward the base of the tail.
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It is worth noting that the sexual organs of females are always smaller than in males.
Tip 3: How to Identify Pregnancy in Guinea Pig
If you have a heterosexual pair of guinea pigs in your living area, learn how to recognize pregnancy females. This is necessary to timely move the expectant mother into a separate equipped cage and prepare everything necessary for the moment of appearance of the offspring. Usually pregnancy This pet lasts 10 weeks, and it is important to know the signs of each physiological stage. The owner of the sea mumps it is necessary to carefully study the biological features of this species.
You will need
- - scales;
- - separate equipped nesting house;
- - information on the anatomy and physiology of guinea pig;
- - consultation of a veterinarian.
Instructions
1
3 week. Identify pregnancy nautical mumps at such an early time can only very muchattentive and experienced cattle breeder. Try the following manipulations: • Place the female on the hard surface with the front paws, tightly grasping it by the belly with both hands • your thumbs should support the back of the animal • gently push the abdomen mumps and begin palpation of the area from the ribs to the pelvis. Usually after the 20th day of pregnancy in the marine mumps You can feel fruit eggs the size of a coin. Keep in mind that these pets rarely carry more than 1-4 calves.
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4 week. Weigh the home pet. Starting from this period of pregnancy, a healthy guinea pig begins to gain weight quickly. Be careful - if at a certain stage it drastically decreases, it can talk about pathological processes in the animal's body. After an independent attempt to distinguish pregnancy mumps (especially if you suspect a positive result!) be sure to visit an experienced veterinarian.
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7 week. Carefully follow the pregnant guinea pig. By this time, little pigs in the womb often move, and you can feel and even see their wiggling. At this time, do not notice that the animal is waiting for the addition, it is almost impossible - his stomach is swollen, especially in multiple pregnancy.
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9 week. Be sure to weigh the guinea pig on reaching this period of pregnancy and compare the result with the original weight. Under normal circumstances, the weight of unborn piglets (depending on the number of fruits) can reach up to 50% of their mother's weight. You can also evaluate the expansion of the symphysis (syphysis) - the place of convergence of the pelvic bones. To do this, it is enough to put a finger in front of the genitals of the animal and compare its anatomy with the appearance of other females. According to veterinarians, during the day before childbirth the symphysis expands by about two fingers.
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Finally, by the 10th week of pregnancy, your petwill be inactive and lazy; she at this time should have a great appetite. Put the male in a separate cage; disinfect the nesting house; put a fresh litter of hay into it and prepare for the appearance of small guinea pigs.
Tip 4: How to determine the age of an animal
It is important for any owner to know the age of hisAnimal - for breeding work, for the purpose of proper treatment and simply out of curiosity. If you find a dog on the street, or documents that indicate the date of birth of the animal, were lost, it is necessary to determine the age by external signs.
Instructions
1
Pay attention to the teeth of the animal, because it is through them you will determine the age.
2
With puppies easiest, because in teeth their ageliterally up to weeks. At birth, puppies do not have teeth at all, they begin to erupt for 20-25 days, and the incisors and canines on the lower jaw appear several days later than the upper ones. When the puppy turns month, he already has all the front teeth.
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When the puppy is very small, on the crowns of itIncisors there are three protuberances, each resembling a shamrock. Later, "trefoils" on the milk teeth begin to disappear. On the hooks (that is, the front incisors) of the lower jaw they disappear in two and a half months, on the middle teeth of the lower jaw - at the age of three to three and a half months, and on the margins (rear incisors) of the lower jaw - to four months. These terms may vary slightly depending on the quality of nutrition of the puppy and the nursing bitches.
4
Between four and five months in puppies beginto change milk teeth. All teeth on both the upper and lower jaws change almost simultaneously. Change of incisors usually occurs within a month, and by five to six months canines appear, and the mandibular ones 10-12 days later than the maxillary. When assessing the age of a puppy, do not forget that large dogs outstrip small ones in development. Also, from a meager diet, the puppy may be delayed by a change of teeth.
5
So, at about the age of a year the dog has a fullset of teeth. Teeth white, shiny, not yet begun to wear off. However, by the eighteen months, the hooks of the lower jaw are beginning to wear off. By the age of two they have already been erased, and the middle ones begin to wear off. For two and a half years, the middle incisors are also worn out, teeth begin to fade.
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From the age of three, the jaws of the upper jaw begin to wear off. You can see that the surface of the erased teeth has a quadrangular shape.
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At the age of four on the upper jawThe middle incisors begin to wear off, and in five years they wear off and become blunt fangs. In six years, the margins on the upper jaw of the dog no longer have protrusions. Fangs turn yellow, covered with dental calculus at the base.
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In seven years, hooks on the lower jaw againtake an oval shape. At the same time, the fangs become completely dull. In the eight to nine years of the oval form, middle incisors on the lower jaw become, and in the nine to ten years - hooks on the upper jaw. Fangs of an animal at this age are yellow.
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From the age of ten to twelve, the teeth begin to fall out of the dog. However, this may also vary depending on the diet and conditions in which the animal was kept.
Tip 5: How to determine the breed of guinea pig
Guinea pigs are smooth and fluffy, curly and completely bald. And there are a lot of variants of their coloring! These differences and help you determine the breed of your pet.
Instructions
1
Short-haired guinea pigs Ridgebacks onback wool is collected in a kind of scallop along the ridge, and on the sac you must have an outlet. They are monophonic, they can be practically of any color, t.ch. colorful. If the pig has a short stiff, slightly curly hair - this is rex. Wool is of a different color, both spotty and monophonic. Sockets should not be on either the head or the trunk.
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There is also a separation according to the type of coloring of SELF- smooth-haired monochrome guinea pigs. There are a lot of color variations: black, white (with dark or red eyes), gold (with dark or red eyes), beige, brown, red and even cream. mask. All over the body spots are scattered no larger than a pea, contrasting with the main color. but the paws and ears of the Dalmatians are evenly colored. The crestedets are distinguished by a section of white wool on the forehead with complete absence of any spots on other parts of the body.
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Long-haired guinea pigsPeruvian, or Angora - needs a thorough daily care, t. a long silky coat grows throughout her body. Also, from the middle of the back they have a special "parting". The color of the pigs is varied, the animals are both spotty and monophonic. The Texel is a breed of curly guinea pigs. Their hair grows from the muzzle down, and on the body there is not a single outlet. There are different colors. In Abyssinian guinea pigs, the whole body is evenly covered with fluffy bundles of long and thick wool. The Peruvian guinea pigs are recognized recorders for the length of the hair - it can reach 30 cm! A peculiar round view from above of the mumps becomes due to the fact that the hair on the head grows forward and completely covers it.
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Bald guinea pigs Skinny skin almost bald -only on the nose and paws is a little wool. They are derived as a result of mutation, in their time often used in various laboratory studies. And now skinnels are gaining increasing popularity all over the world. There is a variety of skinnels - werewolves, in which wool can grow randomly throughout the surface of the body. The naked remains only the stomach. A baldwin - completely bald. At birth, they can still have a small "coat", but growing up, they reset everything - to the last hair.
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In addition to the classification of wool and color,guinea pigs are distinguished by size. For example, the giant guinea pig guinea pig. At birth, they weigh 100-150 g, in three months - 700-800 g, and at the age of 4 months their weight is more than 1 kg. In adulthood, their weight can reach 3 kg.
Tip 6: How many live guinea pigs
Guinea pigs are popular pets. They are smart enough, they can recognize the owner, they will sit on their hands with pleasure and let them pet themselves. Thus small animals are small enough and are content with a cage. Another plus - live pigs for quite some time, almost like a cat or a dog.
The Long Age of a Little Guinea Pig
Choosing a pet, the future owner does notthe last worry is how long the animal can survive. After all, a small animal, even a small one, is able to become a member of the family, and its loss will be very painful. In this regard, the guinea pig is a pet quite comfortable. Unlike small rodents, such as mice, rats and hamsters, it is able to live from nine to thirteen years. In the Guinness Book of Records, there is a mention of a domestic guinea pig, which died at a very venerable age - in the sixteenth year of life.How to make the life of guinea pig even more long
The life of guinea pig is influenced by manyfactors, and in the first place - is heredity. If the animal was lucky, his parents were long-livers, and the genes formed into a successful combination, the chances of a pet to live to a very old age are high. Of course, when choosing a beast, you will not be able to recognize its genotype, but you can ask the breeder how old your parents are, how long his grandmothers and great-grandmothers lived. There is a high probability that your guinea pig will live no less. Diseases, even successfully cured, can shorten the life of the animal. The healthier your pet will be, the longer it will stay with you. Pay attention to disease prevention. Make sure that your guinea pig's diet contains all the necessary substances, give the animal vitamins and regularly take it to the veterinary clinic for preventive examinations. So you can be sure that the pet is healthy, and there is nothing to worry about. Marines are herd animals, and living alone can negatively affect the health of your pet. To the animal is not bored, it is better to start them in pairs. If you do not plan to receive offspring, choose animals of the same sex - they will perfectly get along together and will please you with their antics. You do not have to take animals from the same litter, you can even have guinea pigs of different breeds. If they know each other from childhood, they will make friends. In order to be healthy, the guinea pig needs to move. These animals are kept in spacious cells, but toys such as wheels designed for rats and hamsters do not fit the pigs - they have a very fragile spine. Periodically release the pig to run around the apartment, but at the same time, make sure that it does not bite the wires or get stuck under the sofa or closet.Tip 7: Guinea pig: how she looks
Guinea pigs are considered unpretentious domesticpets. They are not aggressive, very funny in behavior, suitable for children's games. Because of their small size, they are comfortable to hold, iron or caress. Guinea pigs were tamed by Americans, so they are called more overseas or guinea pigs. There are many kinds of guinea pigs, among the variety of which it is sometimes difficult to make a choice.
