How Many Guinea Pig Breeds Are There?

By Chris Short

The question of pedigree is a hard one to answer. Just as with domestic cats and dogs, there are a lot of different breeds of guinea pigs, but not all are recognized by governing organizations. In North America, the American Cavy Breeders Association holds power, while the UK has its British Cavy Council. There are a few more such bodies, but to the ordinary pet keeper those things do not particularly matter. What most people want to know when asking about guinea pig breeds are the different descriptions and aesthetic characteristics.

There are about a dozen or so named breeds. Because many of these breeds have "ideal" characteristics in contrast to the natural variability of actual characteristics, confusion may arise. For the sake of argument, we will skip most of the talk on rosettes and focus on the hair length and characteristics as the main points of differentiation.

The body shapes of guinea pigs are similar across all breeds, unlike with dogs and cats where one breed can look vastly different from another. Colors can vary also, and colors are not particularly associated with most guinea pig breeds.

The first on our list is the Rex. The Rex's hair is short and fuzzy, and stands on end uniformly across its entire body.

The Teddy looks kind of like a teddy bear, due to its dense, fuzzy, erect coat. The coat is moderately long, enhancing the huggable appearance much like the stuffed toy it is named after. This breed is quite popular, especially with younger pet owners.

The Abyssinian is another common breed. Its hair varies in length across its body, standing up in clumps or ridges. This creates a messy but rather amusing appearance that lots of pet owners like.

The Peruvian is the original long-haired Cavy. The hair falls like a curtain all around, even in front of the face, and can grow longer than 20 inches (50 centimeters). Trimming and grooming are essential for the best appearance. Such additional maintenance reduces its popularity as a pet, so it is more popular as a show breed.

The Silkie or Sheltie also has long hair, except it tends to flow backward, and never falls forward onto the face like the Peruvian.

Texels are strongly similar to Silkies, except for the addition of corkscrew curls. Mild grooming is required to keep the curls from tangling.

There are a few relatively rarer breeds too, like the following:

· The Alpaca is a curly coated Peruvian. Many of these are first-generation Peruvian hybrids.

· The Crested breed has a singular rosette on the head, giving it the eponymous crest.

· Coronets are long-haired like Silkies, but with crests like the Crested.

· A Ridgeback is genetically similar to the Abyssinian, but with a more uniform coat, with the exception of a ridge of hair running down the spine.

· Abbyruvians or Sheba Mini Yaks are also quite similar to Abyssinians, but with longer hair. The hair tends to curl up and clump, giving rise to the nickname "Bad Hair Day" Cavy.

· There are also hairless guinea pig breeds, but they require a different set of care conditions, and as such are not popular as pets.

There are even more breeds, but these are the most well known ones. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled!

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Easy Pet Care Tips For You

By Penelop Jones

We all love our pets. We love to play with them all day long. A pet is a domestically owned animal basically kept for companionship. So, if you are an absolute pet lover then this article could really help you a lot. Further in this topic we are going to talk about some of the simple tips to care for your pets. Caring for your pets is very important. You must regard your pet as a part of your family. Your pet certainly deserves your love and affection.

Now, given below are some of the tips that one should follow. Make sure you implement all these tips in your daily life.

1. Caring for your beloved cat

We all know that cat is one of the most popular domestic pets worldwide. They are certainly liked in most parts of the world. Playing with a cat is great fun and I can assure you that you would love the company of your cat. If you want you can surf the net and look for some good tips to care for your cat.

2. Caring for your dog

Dogs are certainly the most well behaved pets any one can ever have. So, you really need to care for them. They not only provide you safety but really become your best friends. When you're sad you can play with your dog and be rest assured that it would sway all your worries away. Dogs are one of the oldest friends of man.

3. Caring for your rabbits

Some of the people love to keep rabbits as their pets. This is certainly a great idea for you to pursue. These are one of the most social animals in the world. Everyone loves to play with them in his/her backyard. If you keep rabbits as pet then I can assure you that it would be a great experience for you.

Besides, all these you need to follow some general tips as well. The best way to treat your pet is through lots and lots of love and affection. You should also provide them good quality food and water. Their drinking and eating utensils should be properly cleaned. If you want you can even consult a veterinary specialist for this purpose. This was all about pet care tips in detail. Don't forget to check out this article once. It could really help you a lot. Have Fun!

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How to Choose Pet Identification Method

By Penelop Jones

A pet is a domestic animal which is owned for companionship. There are several types of animals available as pets in the market. You can choose from any one of those. We all love our pets and really enjoy playing with them all day long. So, if you are in love with your pet then this article is simply meant for you. You must read it once as it could really help you a lot. Further in this topic we are going to talk about pet identification in detail.

Identification is very necessary as it is of utmost importance that everyone has a distinctive identity. Your four legged friend should be absolutely different from other pets. So, a pet identity is provided for this purpose. It becomes very easy to locate your lost pet if you do have your pet's identity. The pet identity card should have your pet's complete name and house address. Such cards are created through automatic machines. There are a huge number of choices available with you when it comes to choosing a perfect identification tag.

These tags are available in different sizes and colors. If you want you can even personalize them as per your choice. Such things are not very expensive. However, you just need to visit the right place. Such identity cards are also being manufactured by big companies such as Gucci. If you can afford a gold pet identity card then Gucci offers you a wide variety of such products. You just need to do adequate amount of market research. If you want you can even place an order online. Through online shopping you can certainly avail a lot of offers.

So, if you really love your four legged friend then you must apply for a brand new pet identity card. This card would certainly ensure that your pet lives with you forever. While purchasing a pet identity card, its resilience must be made certain and under some kind of guarantee. Understandable cards are indispensable in finding missing pets. Such identity cards could be of great help to you. So, make sure you go for such products.

Pet identification tags certainly make sure that you always have a fair probability of recovering your lost pet. Pet tags help ensure that you will have a good chance of retrieving your four legged friend should it get lost or run away. If you wish you can even modify the look of your card to your taste so that your four legged friend remains in style!

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Living With Pets

By Brenda Williams

Living with pets can be a dream come true or a nightmare depending on your experience with pets and that particular pet's natural tendencies. For example, there are a lot of people in the United States who adamantly prefer to adopt dogs over cats because dogs are more easily trained than their feline counterparts. However, with a little training and some creative thinking, owning a cat can be just as gratifying.

The first thing that you will naturally want to consider before you adopt a pet is the layout of your home as well as the things that you own inside of your home. Will you allow your pet to have free reign of your house? Will the pet be restricted to just one room of the house? What sorts of restrictions will you impose (if any) when it comes to the safety and well being of not only your pet but your furniture as well? There are many things to consider.

Once, when I went over to one of my friends houses, she had two cats and a small dog and wall to wall carpeting. I would usually be ok for the first five minutes before I started wheezing and then it would go downhill fairly quickly after that to the point where I absolutely could not breathe. It's one thing if you own pets, but it is quite another thing to consider the guests that you may or may not have over to your home. For instance, not everyone is fond of animals, and even those who are fond of animals cannot necessarily tolerate them due to the pet dander that is left behind as well other factors. Remember, if you are going to live with a pet, you have to be even more diligent about keeping things clean and organized. The more crevices and clutter that you leave out, the more dust, pet dander and opportunity that your pets will have to get into something that they shouldn't.

If you live in an apartment building and own a pet, you may not necessarily have a say when it comes to trading in your wall to wall carpeting for some nice, shiny hardwood floors. If this is the case, you may want to invest in a couple of hepa filters to throw around the apartment. Additionally, a good vacuum is a must. The vacuum should also state somewhere on it that it has or uses a hepa filter. Hepa filters are specially designed to trap pet dander, dust, and other allergens that are in the air, making it a little easier to breathe. Vacuuming should be done the day before you are expecting company- not the day of. If you have to vacuum on the same day that you are expecting company, try to vacuum as many hours in advance, and then exit the apartment if you have allergies because you would have stirred up a lot of airborne allergens.

Living with an animal means lots of training and even more patience. For example, I used to own a leather couch. I had just bought it at a time when I was sharing a town home with one of my friends. Shortly after I got the leather couch, her mother gave her a puppy. Suddenly, we had to train a puppy to not tear up the furniture. This required a lot of patience as well as crate training before we were able to leave the dog out in the house while no one was home; however, it can be done.

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Maintain Your Pet's Health and Weight With These Tips

By Cheryl Stevens

In some ways our bad habits have transferred to our pets. As with us humans the amount of overweight or obese pets has been significantly increasing. Some pet health experts suggest that about half of our dogs and cats are overweight.

Maintaining An Optimum Weight

There are a few factors that lead to overweight pets: lack of exercise, too much food, low quality food, and too many unhealthy treats. But these are things we can easily control to keep our furry friends healthier and happier.

With dogs it is easy to take them out for a walk every day. But you can also play with them indoors, for example you can play fetch with their favorite toy or play a game of tug of war. If your cat goes outside she will get exercise roaming around, climbing trees and chasing leaves, but there can be dangers outside too. If your kitty is an indoor only cat you can find a variety of toys that will provide a fun way to get more exercise. Cats can get bored if you play with the same toy over and over so it is a good idea to rotate favorite toys.

The other vital key to keeping your pet at a healthy weight is to feed healthy, high quality pet food and pet treats. Yes, you can buy healthy treats too. Unfortunately some of the pet food produced today is kind of like junk food. Companies use by-products and fillers to make a cheap food, but some cats and dogs don't react well to these foods.

Keeping Your Pet Healthy

Unfortunately when they are overweight or eating a low quality pet food they are at a much greater risk of contracting a variety of health problems. Common problems include diabetes, arthritis, digestive problems, problems with the heart and kidneys and an overall decreased immune system.

If you have ever had to deal with pet health problems you know how stressful this can be, not to mention expensive. In the long run it is well worth it to spend a little more on better quality food so you have lower chance of weight problems and other health problems.

Many of the higher quality cat foods and dog foods even have added ingredients like probiotics, omega fats, antioxidants and supplements to help with aging joints. Keeping your pet healthy will improve his or her quality of life and after all our pets give to us that is the least we can do for them.

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Flea Control Precautions For Your Pets

By Farah N

The real nuisance for any pet keeper is fleas. They not only disturb your pet but also give you a lot of discomfort when you see your dear pet in troubles created by these harmful creatures. The first thing you need to get rid of fleas is a proper flea control solution.

When you are looking out for a good flea control solution, you will become a victim of problem of choice. There are many programs and solutions available but only few of them are workable. It is very important to know your exact need and then find the right solution for it. Many products available in market vary in nature and effect. Some provide short term effectiveness and some work for longer periods. Some are convenient to use, and some are hard to apply. Some come with safety measures, and some result in adverse affects.

A good program covers a larger canvas. You must not only treat your animal for flea control, but the whole environment should be protected from flea growth. It includes your home, your car, your yard, your garden, and all of your pets.

There are a lot of powders and sprays available for flea control. A powder can bring good results if you apply it according to precautions and safety directions. It is only good if your pets are older than 8 weeks of age. You can apply the powder on your pets after every four days. The powder kills the adult fleas within 15 minutes of first application. Always remember to dilute the powder for puppies and kittens. You can mix talcum powder in flea control powder to reduce its strength which is harmful for small animals when applied directly.

The flea control sprays are also effective to quickly kill the adult as well as the growing fleas. It contains alcohol. Sometimes it is also effective in killing flea eggs.

Another good option is use of herbal insecticides. Eucalyptus oils, clove, pennyroyal, and citronella are good herbal solutions. Always mix them in shampoo while cleaning your dog. A direct application will not only disturb your dog due to its toxicity, but will badly affect the coat.

There are many other good and bad solutions available for flea control. You must learn about them properly before applying on your sensitive pet.

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Bathing Your Pet the Appropriate Way

By Damian Cross

Selecting the proper setting for bathing your pet is essential for a successful grooming session. For example, choosing a sink or tub for bathing may prove difficult if proper measures are not taken to prevent slipping. Any kind of door mat, or rubber mat used for bathing can be used as a safety measure and allow for a much more effective bathing experience. Precautions should not only be made for the animal, you must also make sure you are not in danger of slipping if water where to splash all over the floor.

In the event that you are using a hose to bathe your dog outdoors, make sure he is well restrained, and that you have contemplated the possibility of him getting loose.

An important part of the bathing process is selecting the right shampoo for your pet. These days there are so many products out there, you are likely to find a shampoo made precisely for your species and breed of pet. Shampoo made for pets is especially formulated for them; they allow them to keep certain oils in the skin which are crucial for their health. In case there is no other option than a shampoo made for people, try using a baby shampoo, which contain the least amount of scents and other additives. Dogs will repel any kind of scent being applied to their coat.

Bathing your pet is a step by step process. Start by setting the mood and playing a few pet games with him. Get him in the mood, by starting the grooming session with brushing his coat. It is very important to brush your pet thoroughly, in order to rid him of debris and any dead hair which will only end up clogging the drain.

Before putting your pet in contact with water, make sure the water is neither cold nor hot. Hot water will burn the skin and cold water will give him the chills. Lukewarm water will yield best results, and provide for a pleasurable experience. Keep in mind that too much water may frighten your pet. Sprinkling some water on him may prove to be easier than sinking his entire body in the tub.

It should also be kept as a high priority in your list to avoid letting water into the animal's ears, mouth or nose. Letting water get into these hard to reach places will not only prove to be unpleasant for the pet, but also liable to produce infections.

A good method for bathing is to start around the ears and work your way towards the tail. Apply the shampoo with circular motions as if giving your pet a massage. Once applied, soak thoroughly with water. Any shampoo left on the skin to dry will turn into a flaky shed which will end up all over your furniture and carpet.

Finally, take the time to dry off your pet properly. Once he's done remember to play a few pet games with him. Keep bathing a fun experience that he will be willing to come back to.

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