types of guinea pigs

Question
I recently bought two hairless guinea pigs at an exotic animal sale. It was the first ones I have seen. They are very cute in a special sort of way.They are the only ones I have ever seen. How common are they?

Answer
Marilyn,

Hairless GPs are very uncommon if bred from normal parents. The gene that makes them go "hairless" is a recessive and I am not sure if it is gender biased (i.e. the female ONLY can carry it or the male). This particular mutation has been around for some time and if two hairless are bred, the outcome will most likely be hairless as well. I doubt the line will ever disappear now as there are many hairless out there.

You tend to pay more at a pet store or a breeder for this hypoalergenic little guys but they are just GPs without the coat. In fact, no uncommon maladies are known only to hairless GPs. Chances are you will have many healthy, happy years with them.

Good luck and thanks for the question,
Ryan
PS: If you found this info helpful, please rate me.