Guinea Pigs

White Crested Guinea Pig

Stacy Mantle 15 years ago

The White Crested has a short, smooth coat with a distinctive white, circular rosette on the top of its forehead. White Crested guinea pigs have a crest the same color as their body color, whereas American Crested have a crest that is merely a different color to their body color (and almost always it’s a white crest on a solid colored body).

Except for the crest, there should be no other white spots on the animal. Crested guinea pigs can only be found in the Self colors, which means it can come in colors from red to white to black. They do not include Dalmatian, Himalayan, Dutch, Roan, or Tortoiseshell and White, or other varieties which have white coloring elsewhere on the body.

White-Crested Guinea Pigs are often quite shy, but tend to warm up to you the more attention you give to them. For the most part, they are quite easy-going and if you treat them well, they will become very affectionate towards you.

Like most guinea pigs, Crested cavys are very good starter pets because they are quite easy to look after.

Grooming

Crested guinea pigs are low maintenance guinea pigs so do not require the maintenance that longer haired cavies need.

[bt_taglinebox style=”top” width=”500″ font_size=”12″ text_color=”#5b5b5b” title=”Trimming Nails” title_color=”#259b9a” align_center=”no” bgr_color=”#f6f6f6″]Clip their nails once a month to stop them from growing too long.[/bt_taglinebox]

Colors

White Crested guinea pigs can be found in a wide variety of colors, but are always a single color with a (usually) white crest of hair. They can be grey, white, red, black, or blue.

[bt_taglinebox style=”top” width=”500″ font_size=”12″ text_color=”#5b5b5b” title=”Breeding” title_color=”#259b9a” align_center=”no” bgr_color=”#f6f6f6″]The crested gene is dominant to non-crested, so that a smooth guinea pig bred from a crested parent cannot be a crested carrier. [/bt_taglinebox]

Diet

White-Crested guinea pigs eat a standard guinea pig diet of fresh hay, vitamin c pellets, fresh water, veggies and fruit. Guinea pigs need to be fed twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

Improper diet is the leading cause of illness in guinea pigs. Be sure you’re feeding them a high-quality pellet food that is specifically designed for the breed, such as Oxbow Cavy Cuisine Adult Guinea Pig food. Commercial guinea pig pellets should make up the bulk of your pet’s diet as they are nutritionally complete, easily found at pet supply stores, and made from plants, seeds and veggies.

Research the needs of your guinea pigs as they all require different things. Fresh fruit and raw vegetables should be offered to your guinea pig each day, as they make great chews and your guinea pig needs plenty of things to chew on as their teeth grow continually.

Guinea pigs need fresh hay available at all times. Timothy hay makes a good edible choice and can be found in the form of cubes or loose bags of hay.

[bt_taglinebox style=”top” width=”500″ font_size=”12″ text_color=”#5b5b5b” title=”Fresh Vegetables & Fruit” title_color=”#259b9a” align_center=”no” bgr_color=”#f6f6f6″]Always make sure to remove any leftover fresh food before it spoils. [/bt_taglinebox]

Housing

Guinea pigs need at least eight square feet of floor space in their cages. They must have solid flooring as wire flooring can injure paws and break legs. Since guinea pigs are “prey” animals, they have two responses to a threat: Freeze in place or run away. This is why it’s very important that your guinea pig be able to move quickly without fear of being caught up on a wire. Your guinea pig will chew, so avoid cardboard boxes and be sure to inspect cage periodically.

Paper or pine bedding should be provided to allow your guinea pig plenty of comfortable nesting. Clean the cage at least once a week (twice a week is better) to remove any soiled bedding, food, or droppings. Each week, you’ll need to remove the old bedding, scrub the cage with warm water and rinsing thoroughly. This will help reduce odor and eliminate possible health problems.

[bt_taglinebox style=”top” width=”500″ font_size=”12″ text_color=”#5b5b5b” title=”Bedding” title_color=”#259b9a” align_center=”no” bgr_color=”#f6f6f6″]AVOID cedar shavings as they contain phenols which can be toxic to your guinea pig.[/bt_taglinebox]

Training

White Crested guinea pigs can be slightly more difficult to train than their other cousins, but if you take your time to be affectionate towards them and let them get to know you, they will warm up to you and work hard to please. Never leave them unattended or take them outside without watching them like a hawk (or it’s likely a hawk will get them).

Be sure you keep them mentally stimulated with plenty of toy, raw blocks of wood they can chew on, and offer plenty of ways they can get exercise. They are very sensitive to heat and cold, so be sure you keep them in an area that is away from windows and near a consistent form of heat or air-conditioning, without having it blowing on them.

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