The skinny pig is a nearly hairless breed of guinea pig; it has smooth skin besides fur on its nose, feet, and legs. Since they lack fur, owners will need to keep extra bedding to ensure they don’t get sunburnt or ill.

Skinny pigs grow up to 8-11 inches long and vary in skin color with patterns such as black, brindle, Himalayan, and more.

Their bodies are mostly smooth with some wrinkles around their neck and legs.

Skinny pigs  crossbred in 1978 with regular guinea pigs and a hairless lab strain to test dermatology products, but they are now kept as pets in Europe and North America.

Skinny pigs need to eat more than guinea pigs so their metabolism burns higher to keep them warm. Owners should keep a constant supply of grass for their skinny pig so they can chew constantly and grind their teeth down. Fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C are important for skinny pigs since they don’t produce it naturally which could lead to scurvy and other illnesses.

Since the hairlessness in skinny pigs is a recessive gene, if you breed two, all pups will be skinny pigs. If you breed one skinny pig and one guinea pig, all will have hair. But since the Baldwins’ hairlessness is caused by a different gene, if it is bred with a skinny pig, all pups will have hair! Skinny pigs will remain pregnant for 59-72 days before giving birth to 1-8 pups which are able to see and run straight after birth!

A sign of good health in a skinny pig is a nice, plump body where you can’t see its spine or ribs.

Skinny pigs are often confused with the totally hairless variety of guinea pigs, which are the Baldwin guinea pigs.

Not realizing how much a traditional guinea pig’s hair protects it, skinny pigs often get scratches and scrapes from everyday things. Their sensitive skin requires SPF 50 sunscreen if they will be in direct sun of a while and baby lotion at least once a week.