Teddy guinea pig care in India: coat, health and the heat

All pet guinea pigs trace back to South America. A 2020 study of ancient DNA from archaeological guinea pigs found people were eating wild guinea pigs as early as 10,000 years ago, identified a likely second centre of domestication in the eastern Colombian Highlands, and traced the first guinea pigs in Europe's exotic pet trade to Peru.

The Teddy was not one of the three breeds whose standards the National Cavy Club adopted in 1888, and we could not find a breed society or veterinary source that records when or where it was first bred, so we do not give a date. It is recognised in both Britain and North America: the British Cavy Council keeps a full standard for it among the rough, short-coated varieties, and WikiVet's list of breeds recognised by the American Cavy Breeders Association includes the Teddy and a Teddy Satin. The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognises 13 cavy breeds in all.

The British standard puts most of its points on the coat: 30 for appearance and 35 for feel, split between density, bounce and a plush but slightly harsh texture. Head, eyes and ears carry 20 and body shape 15, and no points at all are given for colour.

There is no documented history of the Teddy in India: we found no record of when it arrived and no count of how many live here. Where guinea pigs are sold, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2018 apply, since they list the guinea pig as a pet animal. A seller needs a State Animal Welfare Board certificate, must give a receipt, and must not sell un-weaned or underage animals.

Teddies in India live as indoor pets. The months that test them are March to June, when the India Meteorological Department says heat waves mostly occur, because guinea pigs risk heatstroke above 26 °C according to the RSPCA.

A Teddy's diet is built on hay. PDSA says hay and grass should make up 85 to 90% of what a guinea pig eats, available around the clock, since guinea pigs graze through the day and night and need to wear down teeth that keep growing. Alongside it go fresh vegetables and herbs every day and a fresh daily portion of grass-based guinea pig pellets.

Guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C, and Merck says a shortage shows as a poor appetite, a rough coat, swollen joints and weight loss. Merck also notes pellets lose vitamin C with heat, light and moisture, so keep them sealed in a cool place. The RSPCA says growing, pregnant, nursing or underweight guinea pigs may need more pellets; ask your vet.

Meals a day: every guinea pig, hay and fresh water without limit; adult, fresh vegetables and a fresh portion of pellets daily; growing, pregnant, nursing or thin, the same, with more pellets if your vet advises.

The British Cavy Council groups the Teddy with the Rex and the Abyssinian as rough-coated short-hairs, and calls its coat rexoid. The standard asks for a short, raised coat of even length, dense all over with no flat areas, lying from the rump towards the head so that a fringe or cap shows at the front. Coat feel carries the most points: thick, bouncy when brushed with the hand, and plush but slightly harsh. Guard hairs are removed for showing, and rosettes disqualify.

WikiVet's breed list, drawn from the American Cavy Breeders Association, describes the Teddy's hairs as kinked so that they appear to stand on end, and says the coat should return upright immediately after being disturbed. A satin variety has a softer, shinier coat. Teddies come in any colour, and the standard gives no points for colour at all.

We could not find a breed society or veterinary source that records where or when the Teddy was first developed, so this page does not guess. What matters for care is the coat type, and that is well described.

Its short coat does not protect it from heat. The RSPCA says guinea pigs are most comfortable at 17 to 20 °C and risk heatstroke above 26 °C, and PDSA describes overheating as very dangerous. From March to June most Indian plains cities pass that line indoors unless the room is shaded and cooled, and a long power cut in the afternoon can undo a morning's preparation.

Before you travel, choose the coolest room, close curtains on sunny windows, and put stone or ceramic tiles under a box in the enclosure as PDSA suggests. Freeze several bottles for the sitter to wrap and place just outside the cage at each visit, and show them which fan runs on the inverter. Ask for visits in the cooler hours and a note of the room temperature with the daily photo.

In the monsoon a dense coat stays damp longer if bedding is wet. Merck links soiled bedding to sore feet in guinea pigs, so the sitter should take out wet bedding at every visit and keep hay and pellets in closed containers. Merck also notes that vitamin C in pellets breaks down with heat, light and moisture, which is a good reason not to leave a large open bowl of pellets for days.

Keep to the food they already eat. Guinea pigs graze day and night, so hay should never run out; PDSA puts hay and grass at 85 to 90% of the diet and warns that changing food too quickly can stop a guinea pig eating, which is very serious. Leave enough of the same hay and pellets for the whole trip and a few days over.

Because guinea pigs cannot make vitamin C, the fresh vegetables are as important as the hay. The RSPCA suggests rotating vegetables and herbs each day, with parsley, celery, bell peppers and cucumber among the everyday choices and citrus fruit, potato and iceberg lettuce on the avoid list. PDSA advises against vitamin C drops in the water, so do not leave them as a shortcut.

Petym is a pre-launch marketplace: no city is taking bookings yet, and each opens only after its sitters pass Petym's checks, including a PAN identity check and pet first-aid training. A named 24-hour vet within reach is part of every sitter's set-up.

Your first step will be a free meet and greet, so the sitter can meet each Teddy and see your routine. Payment goes through Petym, and the sitter is paid after the booking. The sitter keeps to your plan, logs meals, weigh-ins and anything unusual, sends a photo update daily, and in an emergency calls you and goes to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list.