• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Satin Guinea Pigs

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sasco

Sasco

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 3, 2017
Messages
74
Reaction score
114
Points
250
Location
Essex
Hi,

Does anyone know of any link between Satin pigs and growth problems? I have a 4 month old that I suspect is satin (crossed with teddy). She is perfectly healthy and lively in every way other than that she is extremely small and struggles to gain weight.
 
Wiebke said:
Please have her seen by a piggy savvy vet in case she has got osteodystrophy (satin disease) and/or dental issues.
Guinea Pig Vet Locator
Guinea Pig Welfare » Symtoms, Diagnosis and Prognosis…
Click to expand...
I am really lucky to have a vet who has had guinea pigs her whole life. She is monitoring her closely and so far there are no signs of osteodystrophy and her teeth are good. Fingers crossed she will continue to be healthy and just tiny, but hopefully with regular check ups at the vet too we will spot anything as soon as she shows any signs.
 
Sasco said:
I am really lucky to have a vet who has had guinea pigs her whole life. She is monitoring her closely and so far there are no signs of osteodystrophy and her teeth are good. Fingers crossed she will continue to be healthy and just tiny, but hopefully with regular check ups at the vet too we will spot anything as soon as she shows any signs.
Click to expand...

It can of course be another issue that is nothing to do with satin disease. Satins seem to be sadly making a bit more of a comeback in breeding circles again recently, and then there are those that have made it into the pool of mass breeders, so you can never be quite sure where one may be popping up. :(

You may be interested in following the story of a rescue born satin girl in an Australian sanctuary on facebook; neither parent is a satin. She has sadly recently been diagnosed with satin disease.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=595681320640834
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=617794925096140
 
She is from a litter that was entirely teddy pigs other than her (probably satin but with a teddy nose) and her sister Ethel who is just unique (white, rosette, huge ears), so I guess there were satin genes hiding in there somewhere. At least I know that I will give her the best care she can possibly have. Its interesting that the pig in the story you linked also had growth problems. Mabel has got to 600 g ish and just isn't getting any bigger. Her sister is 800 g already.
 
Sasco said:
She is from a litter that was entirely teddy pigs other than her (probably satin but with a teddy nose) and her sister Ethel who is just unique (white, rosette, huge ears), so I guess there were satin genes hiding in there somewhere. At least I know that I will give her the best care she can possibly have. Its interesting that the pig in the story you linked also had growth problems. Mabel has got to 600 g ish and just isn't getting any bigger. Her sister is 800 g already.
Click to expand...

Satins and lethals are one of the reasons why we do no support breeding on this forum.
 
I think that my 9 week old Cutie is a satin shorthair, and her coat is very, very soft. Her sister is a Rex but seems to have a slightly shinier coat than my other Rex piggies.

I was wondering if the satin gene also caused issues in piggies as it can in hamsters, as it was advisable to never breed from satin hamsters, especially those who's lines were unknown. If memory serves me right, a double satinised hamster leads to one with no fur, but I could be wrong.
 
I had no idea there were satins in hamsters too. It's terrible disease. So glad you guys are all on the ball, can you imagine the suffering without caring owners
 
I used to have a beautiful satin female hammy called Cinnamon. She was so sweet!

But I will keep a close eye on my littlest piggies, just in case.
 
We had a satin girl born from a roan mother, bought her pregnant from a petshop poor sausage! But she had 2 teddy babies, a roan and a red and white, and Snowball, a satin sheltie, possibly lethal too. She ate like a horse but she was a tiny little piggy, hard to get weight on too. She lived a happy 7 years though in spite of being small. We never found out exactly why she was so dinky, we assumed just probable inbreeding but not sure.

FB_IMG_1484952465753-1.webp
 
I did wonder whether my rescue piggy Sukie had Satin genes when we got her. She is black/white & has the shiniest black fur but it is the type of fur that is like hair & is grey at the roots but the ends are black. Her back is extremely shiny, I've never had a piggy with such shiny fur.
 
Like others have said above, satins can be linked to osteodystrophy, so it's good that the vet is aware and is not seeing any signs of that problem. She may just be small in stature but otherwise healthy. I had one piggie who was just a tiny little girl- never hit two pounds in her entire life and had a tiny little face, tiny paws, and just really delicate bone structure. She was normal otherwise. She wasn't a satin, she looked abyssinian but probably was some kind of mix. Hopefully your satin is just little!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top