The Silkie Guinea Pig – All About Silkie’s

The Silkie Guinea PigThe Silkie is a very attractive guinea pig. It has long hair, and is very popular as a pet, and even more popular in pet shows. Unlike all other types of Guinea pigs, Silkie’s have beautiful locks of hair making them look very cute.


A silkies hair is very soft and shiny. If you see a silkie at a show, it would be very hard to resist petting it.

Unlike some other breads of guinea pigs, a Silkie is a high maintenance guinea pig. This means that it is not the ideal pet for young children, or people with very busy schedules. If you own a silkie, you will need to regularly groom it, and trim its hair.


The Background Of The Silkie
The Silkie guinea pig is a somewhat newer verity of guinea pig. The Silkie was first bread in the 1970’s by cross breading the Peruvian Guinea Pig, and the Self Black Guinea Pig. Because of its unique and adorable look, it started to gain popularity very quickly. Today the Silkie is a common bread of guinea pig. In great britian the Silkie is also known as the “Sheltie Guinea Pig” The name Silkie was given to the bread in the United States.

Description Of The Silkie Guinea Pig
If you take a quick look at a Silkie guinea pig, you will notice that it looks very similar to the Peruvian guinea pig. Both breads have long hair, however on closer inspection you will notice that there are in fact many differences between the two.
A silkie’s hair is actually shorter than a peruvian’s hair, and it falls in a different pattern on the guinea pigs body. The hair will actually grows back from the neck of the guinea pig, and looks like a main (leaving the face uncovered). The hair of the silkie also begins to get longer towards its rear. If you look at it from above you will likely notice that its shape resembles a tear drop.
Silkies can be found in satin coats, which means that the coat is dencer, and shinier than normal guinea pig hair.

Colors Of The Silkie Guinea Pig
Like many other breads of guinea pigs, Silkies will come in a large variety of colors.

Keeping A Silkie Guinea Pig
The Silkie Guinea Pig 2Like all other guinea pigs, the most important thing to do for ou guinea pig is to insure it has a clean and safe environment to live in, and a proper diet. Doing this will make your guinea pig happy.

Make sure that you have an area for your guinea pig to exercise in. They love to run and play, meaning that you should have an area to let them roam free in (under supervision) for short periods every day. Guinea pigs love to explore so it is even better if they have a larger area to run around in.

If you pick up the guinea pig, make sure you dont pick it up by its shoulders. Pick up the guinea pig evenly with both hands. Picking it up with one had can actually hurt your guinea pig. Also be very careful not to drop it.

Guinea pigs are great companions, and if you treat yours right, it will be with you, and care for you for many years.


Silkie Guinea Pigs Availability
A silkie guinea pig is usually harder to find than other breads. Large pet stores, however, will usually carry them, and their price will range between $20 and $30. By doing research online it is usually easy to find a breeder close to you that will have this type of guinea pig.
Since guinea pigs come in a large variety of breeds, you can usually find the perfect guinea pig for you in a pet store, from a breeder, or even from the local animal rescue. If you believe a Silkie is the right guinea pig for you, then call around and find out where you can get one!

Giving your Silkie Guinea Pig A Hair Cut
The videos below will show you how to properly groom your silkie guinea pig.


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