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Is my Guinea pig satin?

Oinkpiggies

Oinkpiggies

Junior Guinea Pig
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I am concerned because I’ve always noticed his coat was shiny. I really can’t tell if it’s just a healthy coat or if he is satin because of his dark fur. I got him from petco, not sure if they sell satins there. Am i being paranoid or could he be satin? Thank you ♡
 

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Also here is another pic and a video.
 

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He doesn't appear to be, to me. The best way to tell via photos is to place them in natural light and take a picture of the face, the nose will pretty much always have a distinctive sheen of light around it with a darker area right at the end of the nose.
Not the best picture to use to explain but you can kind of see it on my satin Finley here.

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If you're at all concerned your vet can confirm either way for you as all satins have hollow hair shafts when looked at under a microscope, this is what gives them the extra shine as opposed to just a regular shiny coat on a healthy animal.
 
He looks like he is in lovely condition.
Both Ruby and Eddi always got comments about being super shiny, and one vet we saw was convinced Ruby was a satin so she did the test for free.
Ruby wasn't - she just had a really shiny coat.

If you want to know for sure then next time you are at the vet ask if they can check a hair under the microscope - it sound't be expensive, and if it puts your mind at rest it would be worth it.
 
Eriathwen said:
He doesn't appear to be, to me. The best way to tell via photos is to place them in natural light and take a picture of the face, the nose will pretty much always have a distinctive sheen of light around it with a darker area right at the end of the nose.
Not the best picture to use to explain but you can kind of see it on my satin Finley here.

View attachment 218222

If you're at all concerned your vet can confirm either way for you as all satins have hollow hair shafts when looked at under a microscope, this is what gives them the extra shine as opposed to just a regular shiny coat on a healthy animal.
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Thank you so much for the tip :) your piggy is so cute AW. I have noticed most satins are one solid color. He’s very unique and i hope he is doing well health wise :)
 
Swissgreys said:
He looks like he is in lovely condition.
Both Ruby and Eddi always got comments about being super shiny, and one vet we saw was convinced Ruby was a satin so she did the test for free.
Ruby wasn't - she just had a really shiny coat.

If you want to know for sure then next time you are at the vet ask if they can check a hair under the microscope - it sound't be expensive, and if it puts your mind at rest it would be worth it.
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Thank youu I hope my vet is knowledgeable about it. I have heard apparently in the US some vets have no idea. He has been to the vet once and it never was mentioned but i will definitely look into the microscope idea. Thank you for the peace of mind lol after watching Scotty animals on YouTube i got so paranoid about satin syndrome.
 
Oinkpiggies said:
Thank you so much for the tip :) your piggy is so cute AW. I have noticed most satins are one solid color. He’s very unique and i hope he is doing well health wise :)
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You're welcome and thankyou! So far he is very healthy, I've had 2 other satins and 2 satin carriers, and all 4 suffered very badly with satin syndrome, so it's very refreshing to have one in good health. Fingers crossed he stays that way for a long time yet.
 
Eriathwen said:
You're welcome and thankyou! So far he is very healthy, I've had 2 other satins and 2 satin carriers, and all 4 suffered very badly with satin syndrome, so it's very refreshing to have one in good health. Fingers crossed he stays that way for a long time yet.
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That’s horrible :( but just know you provided them with the best quality life possible for them. Good thing Finley is healthy, manifesting he stays that way :) Do you look for satins specifically to raise or is it just a coincidence? It’s unfortunate what happens with them but it’s nice to know they are being cared for and loved :)
 
I think he just looks shiny... I have a pig with similar coloring and she is also shinier-looking than my other pig, but I think that the black fur just reflects light nicely. You can definitely have a vet check fur under a microscope to be sure.

Here is my similar-looking pig, Tomie. You can see she has glossy fur too, but she's not a satin.
297936265_10166505088350557_238466810783427122_n.jpg
 
He just looks like a shiny healthy pig and not a satin. Because the hair shafts of satins are hollow the colour usually stays looking bright right down to the skin. The fur of most nonsatin piggies, however shiney, is usually duller in colour nearer the skin than at the ends, which can be seen when you part their fur.
 
Oinkpiggies said:
That’s horrible :( but just know you provided them with the best quality life possible for them. Good thing Finley is healthy, manifesting he stays that way :) Do you look for satins specifically to raise or is it just a coincidence? It’s unfortunate what happens with them but it’s nice to know they are being cared for and loved :)
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Thanks! A bit of both really, I go out of my way to find piggies who have special needs or long term health issues to make sure they get the care they need. Finding Finley however was a coincidence, I wasn't looking for another piggy, I had literally just walked in from collecting one of my satin carriers ashes after he passed and saw Finley up for sale online due to being aggressive. I was worried his aggression may be due to pain but it was because they had put him with females then tried to put him back with his brother.
 
Freela said:
I think he just looks shiny... I have a pig with similar coloring and she is also shinier-looking than my other pig, but I think that the black fur just reflects light nicely. You can definitely have a vet check fur under a microscope to be sure.

Here is my similar-looking pig, Tomie. You can see she has glossy fur too, but she's not a satin.
297936265_10166505088350557_238466810783427122_n.jpg
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what a pretty piggy - she looks extra long in that pigture
 
Posyrose said:
what a pretty piggy - she looks extra long in that pigture
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Thank you! Our neighbors were having a campfire, she was all stretched out sniffing because the smoke was something new and alarming!
 
Freela said:
I think he just looks shiny... I have a pig with similar coloring and she is also shinier-looking than my other pig, but I think that the black fur just reflects light nicely. You can definitely have a vet check fur under a microscope to be sure.

Here is my similar-looking pig, Tomie. You can see she has glossy fur too, but she's not a satin.
297936265_10166505088350557_238466810783427122_n.jpg
Click to expand...
She’s so pretty ♡ thank you so much for the pic this gives me some peace of mind. I’m not able to take mine outside into natural light because it’s impossible to grab him lol
 
Eriathwen said:
Thanks! A bit of both really, I go out of my way to find piggies who have special needs or long term health issues to make sure they get the care they need. Finding Finley however was a coincidence, I wasn't looking for another piggy, I had literally just walked in from collecting one of my satin carriers ashes after he passed and saw Finley up for sale online due to being aggressive. I was worried his aggression may be due to pain but it was because they had put him with females then tried to put him back with his brother.
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Wow that is so sad omg but that definitely seems like it was a sign to get him. I love when people take in those animals despite their health issues and give them the love they deserved in the first place. ♡
 
Freela said:
Thank you! Our neighbors were having a campfire, she was all stretched out sniffing because the smoke was something new and alarming!
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That’s so cute omg. Piggies are so much like dogs sometimes lol Is she full grown? I’ve always wondered how big mine will be. I love her coloring ♡
 
Oinkpiggies said:
That’s so cute omg. Piggies are so much like dogs sometimes lol Is she full grown? I’ve always wondered how big mine will be. I love her coloring ♡
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This is her adult size, she's about a year old in this pic (it was last summer.) She's a pretty compact and solid little meat brick but she is pretty long when she stretches out. She's got a really pretty coat and a lot of personality! She is kind of our wild child guinea pig. LOL!
 
Pound Shilling & Pig said:
He just looks like a shiny healthy pig and not a satin. Because the hair shafts of satins are hollow the colour usually stays looking bright right down to the skin. The fur of most nonsatin piggies, however shiney, is usually duller in colour nearer the skin than at the ends, which can be seen when you part their fur.
Click to expand...
This was so useful thanks so much for letting me know. I couldn’t find many videos on YouTube about satins so i didn’t know what to look for, but after looking towards his skin when i part it it does seem duller in color. Almost like a gray
 
Freela said:
This is her adult size, she's about a year old in this pic (it was last summer.) She's a pretty compact and solid little meat brick but she is pretty long when she stretches out. She's got a really pretty coat and a lot of personality! She is kind of our wild child guinea pig. LOL!
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I definitely relate to the personality thing lol my other piggy is so sweet and licks me and holds my finger it’s so cute. But the one i posted about; just now after 4 months has begun to trust me and comes up to the cage instead of hiding. I’m waiting to see his personality lol
 
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