The Teddy guinea pig breed is a vibrant and lively breed that are very affectionate and sociable with their owners. These guinea pigs have a lifespan of around 7 to 11 years and usually weight around 3 pounds fully grown. Teddy guinea pigs have a very thick coat that is soft and shiny often resembling that of a teddy bear, which is where they get their name.
The tight and dense fur on a Teddy guinea pig is a genetic mutation. This mutation doesn’t affect it’s overall health or wellbeing. These guinea pigs do not require as much maintenance as others, such as a Silkie guinea pig or Peruvian guinea pig but they do want affection and their owner to be sociable with them.
Key Facts on the Teddy Guinea Pig
| Length: | 10 to 12 inches |
| Weight: | 1 to 3 lbs |
| Lifespan: | 7 to 11 years |
| Color: | Black, cream, gold, lilac, beige & brindle |
| Temperament: | Friendly, affectionate and very needy |
| Best Suited For: | New & slightly more experienced owners |
Teddy Guinea Pig Colors & Fur
The Teddy guinea pig has a very dense and compacted fur. It often resembles that of a teddy bear, which is where their name came from. The tight and dense fur is due to a genetic mutation while breeding guinea pigs. This mutation is not life threatening and has no real affect on the guinea pig’s health.
There are several color variations of Teddy guinea pigs but most are a solid color, such as black, or combined colors mixed in such as brown and white. The most common colors of a Teddy guinea pig are: Black, White, Red, Lilac, Cream, Gold, Beige and Brindle.
How to Care for Your Teddy Guinea Pig
The Teddy Guinea Pig is cared for much like other animals and other guinea pig breeds. A majority of the guinea pig breeds will follow the same daily care checklist that you should work through, however, being long-haired, there is a little more maintenance for these animals than others.
To maintain a healthy Teddy Guinea Pig you’ll want to:
- Give them fresh vegetables and fruits daily.
- Give them fresh water and keep the water flowing.
- Clean their cage daily and clear out any soiled bedding to avoid sickness.
- Make sure they have tons of hay throughout the day.
- Make sure they have fresh pellets rich in vitamins and others to keep them healthy.
- Make sure they are given the appropriate living space to exercise and play.
- Engage with your guinea pig and show them affection.
- Do health checks weekly to make sure they aren’t gaining or losing too much weight.
- Keep their nails trimmed.
- Brush and clean their fur thoroughly to ensure none of it gets matted.
Teddy Guinea Pig Health
The Teddy Guinea Pig suffers from all the common health problems guinea pig’s get, such as pneumonia, diarrhea and scurvy. These guinea pigs are pretty basic for their health needs and routine care, unlike other popular brands.
Prevent Health Issues with Your Teddy Guinea Pig
The best way to prevent health issues with your guinea pig is to maintain a healthy environment, feed them the appropriate food and properly groom your guinea pig.
Follow these guidelines to as a basic care routine:
- Feed them plenty of clean and fresh hay.
- Keep the cage and living environment free of urine buildup or other waste.
- Make sure your guinea pig is getting adequate vitamin C.
- Minimize their contact with other animals as other animals can transfer disease and vermin.
- Keep them properly groomed with their teeth and nails.
- Provide plenty of space for the guinea pig to roam, lay and rest.
- Make sure you’re keeping your guinea pig in the correct temperature for their breed.
- Keep an eye on any abnormal behavior or weight gain or loss.
To learn more, read our guinea pig checklists for a wide range of things you should be doing for your guinea pig on a daily and weekly basis. To keep the lifespan of the guinea pig as long as possible you’ll want to get in the habit of proper care and maintenance.
What is the Lifespan of an Teddy Guinea Pig?
The lifespan of a Teddy Guinea Pig is 7 to 11 years, beating the average lifespan of most guinea pigs. Most guinea pig breeds will live an average of 5 to 7 years. The better care you give your guinea pig the longer their life expectancy will be. Their lifespan is affected mainly by genetics, environment and their diet.
How Much Should Teddy Guinea Pigs Weigh?
There is no “healthy” weight for a guinea pig. Most guinea pigs should be within a range of 1.5 pounds to 3 pounds as a full grown adult. If your guinea pig is below 1.5 pounds or above 3 pounds it’s likely you are not caring for them correctly. If your guinea pig is looking too skinny or too heavy you’ll want to speak with your veterinarian as an active guinea pig will typically keep it’s weight in check and any excess weight gain or loss could be the start of health problems.
The Teddy guinea pig is one of the heavier breeds so it’s not uncommon if your guinea pig weighs over 3 pounds. You’ll want to just make sure to monitor their weight gain and loss and look for any abnormalities as it could be a sign of diseases or illness.
Do Teddy Guinea Pigs have Good Personalities?
The Teddy guinea pig is a very affectionate but timid guinea pig. If they are not handled by humans regularly they will become very timid and shy. It’s important that you spend time with your guinea pig so they open up to you. If given the opportunity, Teddy guinea pigs can have a very outgoing personality.
A Teddy guinea pig may call out in excitement when they see their owner. It is also known for Teddy guinea pigs to make a lot of sounds and chatter with other guinea pigs in their cage throughout the day.
These guinea pigs love to play and hide. They will almost always be playing with toys so it’s important to get your guinea pig toys when you can. They are very playful in this retrospect.
The Teddy guinea pig makes the perfect pet for more moderately experienced guinea pig owners and kids as they are fairly easy to take care of compared to some other guinea pig breeds.
Are Teddy Guinea Pigs Good with Kids?
Yes, the Teddy Guinea Pig is great with kids who have owned pets before as they have a very affectionate nature. These guinea pigs love to be handled and enjoy affection. The Teddy guinea pig is very active and sociable if their owners spend time with them. These guinea pigs don’t come with much more maintenance than doing standard care making them great for younger kids.
How to Train an Teddy Guinea Pigs
The Teddy Guinea Pig can be trained just like any other animal and other guinea pig breeds. They may not be able to fetch a stick but they can be trained to listen to commands. The guinea pig is a very intelligent animal and most breeds are very active and love to engage with humans. The Teddy Guinea Pig is smart enough to learn a few tricks and commands if you have a lot of patience.
You shouldn’t try to train them early and should wait until they are around 9 to 12 months old.
You should try to train your guinea pig to use the litter box and obey basic commands like stop, stand up, come here, etc. The key is to pair the training with a reward of some sort like a treat or petting from the owner. By properly training your guinea pig you can get them to use the litter box to pee and poop instead of their cage along with making sure they listen to you when they are out of the cage.
Things to Know Before Buying an Teddy Guinea Pig
If you’re considering adoption or buying an Teddy Guinea Pig you should really know the basics of care, diet and their habitat. Guinea Pigs are pretty robust animals but it’s very easy to make them feel depressed or cause health issues without proper care.
Food & Diet Requirements
The Teddy Guinea Pig requires the same basic diet all guinea pigs need. You want to make sure there is a good supply of high-quality timothy hay for them to eat. The hay will wear down their teeth and is high in fiber to help them with their digestive system.
According to the Humane Society, your guinea pig should eat around 1 cup of vegetables per day. They should have leafy green vegetables like romaine lettuce, kale, cilantro and parsley. You should provide a variety of vegetables for your guinea pig and change it up each day.
Some of the best vegetables for guinea pigs are rich in vitamin C such as broccoli or bell peppers.
Your guinea pig can consume fruit but you will want to be careful as most fruit is high in sugar which can make the guinea pig sick. You will want to keep the portion of fruit small and avoid fruits high in sugar and prioritize fruits high in vitamins and antioxidants.
Some of the best fruits for guinea pigs are oranges, apples, blueberries and strawberries.
Exercise
Your guinea pig will need quite a bit of room to roam and exercise. Some guinea pigs can remain active for up to 20 hours a day. You should try to get the largest guinea pig cage possible. Make sure your cage has as much open area as it can so they can run around. Guinea pigs don’t like to climb so a larger and single level open space with things to do is more appealing to them.
Care & Grooming
The Teddy guinea pig requires basic grooming and maintenance. You should build a daily and weekly care and grooming checklist for your guinea pig. You’ll want to spot check all of their health signs, such as weight, and handle all grooming. Before you bring a guinea pig home you’ll want to make sure you understand how to trim their nails, how to brush their hair and proper cage maintenance.
Guinea pigs ultimately don’t require a lot in their home to stay active but you should look into the basic supplies needed for a guinea pig such as a water bottle, food dish, toys and gnaw sticks.
Common Questions About Teddy Guinea Pigs
How Much are Teddy Guinea Pigs?
As pets, guinea pigs are one of the cheapest domesticated animals you can buy or adopt. The price of a Teddy guinea pig is lower than other breeds as they don’t require more maintenance and are not considered a show breed.
A Teddy guinea pig is around $30 to $50. In some cases, such as adoption, you can get a guinea pig for less than this range or even free. The one thing to keep in mind is that it’s cheaper to purchase an Teddy Guinea Pig but the real cost comes with proper care and housing.
To properly care for a guinea pig you’re looking at around $100 to $500 per year per guinea pig on the lower end. This includes cages, toys, food, bedding and more.
Are Teddy Guinea Pigs Intelligent?
Guinea pigs are very intelligent creatures and want to learn and explore. They do not want to sit in their cage all day long and need interaction and exploration to remain happy. The Teddy guinea pig is no different than any other guinea pig except that they will require more engagement than others.
You should expect to entertain your guinea pig often by changing up their cage layout, letting them roam the house and spending quality human interaction time with your guinea pig. You can begin to teach your Teddy guinea pig several tricks and habits at a young age.