'Happy Hairless Cavies'

Flintshire, North Wales, UK

Email: anne.cavies@googlemail.com

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Hairless Guinea Pigs, Lakeland or Gene Carrier Guinea Pigs

Welcome to Happy Hairless Cavies

I am Anne from North Wales, I am a hobby breeder of Hairless Guinea Pigs. They are also known as 'Skinny Guinea Pigs' though some people just call them 'Skinny pigs'. My purpose is to increase awareness and to improve this very special breed. Cavies is the latin name for guinea pigs. They were given this name because their natural habitat is in the caves of South America. This breed is rarely completely hairless as they do have tough wiry fur on their heads, faces and feet. Completely hairless guinea pigs are called Baldwins but they tend to have weak immunity and don't live very long.

I got my first Hairless Guinea Pig (Tulip) in Feb 2009 who at the moment is my main breeding sow, soon followed by a pair of 'Hairless Gene Carriers', also known as 'Lakelands'.  I had Jasmine in July 2009 who is also a hairless (or skinny) guinea pig sow. I have 3 pairs of pigs altogether and they are kept indoors at all times.

I started breeding hairless guinea pigs in May 2009 and I had my first litter on 30th June to Lattifa, my Lakeland sow. My most recent litter was in August 2010.

I have found that hairless guinea pigs make wonderful pets as they don't smell, bite or moult. They each have a character of their own and are less nervous and feistier than standard Guinea Pigs. Their skin has a soft velvety texture with a small amount of hair on their nose and feet. You either love them or hate them but I fell in love with them the first time I saw them on the internet.

On the right is Tulip again, one of my breeding sows.

  On the left is my latest litter of baby skinnies that were born on 13th August 2010. The photograph was taken when they were just 3 days old. 2 boys and 2 girls and they are all doing well. Aren't they gorgeous!

Here they are again having a good feed from their mother. They were 10 days old in this picture and all doing very well.

Tiger, below,  (Hairless/Skinny Guinea Pig Boar) was born on 30th June 2009. He has now gone to a new loving home. He was 12 weeks old in these pictures and quite a handful!

Lakeland Gene Carrier Guinea Pigs

Lakeland or skinny gene carrier guinea pigs carry the 'hairless guinea pig' gene in their DNA which they have inherited from their parentage. This gene has nothing to do with genetic modification but is a naturally occurring gene that on a few very rare occasions turns up quite naturally in guinea pigs. By selective breeding these rare natural occurring hairless guinea pigs have been developed into the 'hairless guinea pig breed'. Lakelands (sometimes known as carriers) are very important because they can be used to breed hairless or skinny guinea pigs by mating them with a skinny guinea pig. This makes them a means of introducing a wider gene pool into the hairless guinea pig breed and lessens the problems of in-breeding sometimes found in new breeds. Sometimes Lakelands will produce a hairless guinea pig baby even when mated with an ordinary guinea pig!

Here is Boris, my Lakeland (or skinny gene carrier) adult boar.

He's quite a handsome chap isn't he!

Like many of the lakeland (or gene carrier) guinea pig breed he has quite straight hair.

This is Lattifa, one of my 'Lakeland' or 'Skinny Gene Carrier' guinea pigs, she looks just like an ordinary guinea pig doesn't she! She has a lovely calm and gentle nature and makes a wonderful mother