Fur darkening on nose/face area.

[JackSpicerRules]

This started at the beginning of the summer.

The fur on Sammy's nose started getting a bit darker; more a light brown than a tan. The last month or so, it seems her fur is getting darker near her ears and farther up her nose. I have a picture, but it's not really clear enough, I don't think:

[I'll post a better picture when I get the camera.]

It looks a little duller and darker than the rest of her fur.

It seems to only be the tip-to-middle of each hair that's darker. She's gotten a bit of sun; could that be a factor? My piggies go outside just about every day to eat grass and lay in the sun. Their outdoor pen is covered 3/4ths of the way with a blanket, usually, but they get sun.

I'm probably being paranoid, but is this natural? Is she fine, or is it something wrong?

Thanks.

 

[Guinea_Piggin]

My Oliver's fur changes colors around his face too. As long as she's healthy, eating, drinking and pooping I wouldn't worry about it.

If you look closely, it's darker orange around his eyes, and as it grows out it gets lighter orange.

 

[MissCin]

Maybe it's normal? I have no idea, sorry. Both of you guy's piggies are adorable!

 

[clotho]

As my little girl Muffin has gotten older (she's 4 months now) her fur has gotten darker. She was pure white with patches of light gray around her eyes and on her bottom. Now the gray patches are very dark gray - almost black. I think a lot of people's guinea pigs change colour like that. I've also heard it said that a darker coat means a healthier guinea pig - that you are feeding them a very good diet.

 

[thalestral]

This happened to my Rosie just recently, it's fairly common with red (this includes brown looking shades) piggies and can be something that happens with age or good health

 

[Ly&Pigs]

I know in Himalayan pigs the smut will darken/lighten depending on the seasons. In the winter, a himi's smut will be darker and will really fade out to almost nothing in the summer. I used to have a himi and during the later summer months she was a PEW wannabe.

I wonder if other pigs lighten/darken depending on the seasons too. It sure seems that way

 

[JackSpicerRules]

Things that helped.

Thank you!

I got a better picture of her:

She looks quite angry...
But, anyway, that's what the fur looks like.

I guess it happens just because it's summer.

 

[aqh88]

I would think if it was due to weather they would all get lighter in the summer instead. While I know lots of animals are different colors from summer to winter I've never run into one that got darker instead of lighter aside from extreme examples like snowshoe hares that evolved specific coat changes. I think it's partially a method of keeping cooler. Darker colors absorb more light and faded colors absorb less light and therefore heat so light in the summer dark in the winter.

I'd actually lean more towards extra grass in the summer and the vitamins and minerals that come with it causing darker coats. A study done on horses, rabbits, and other herbivores fed on mostly grass versus pelleted/grain and hay diets found they had higher levels of vit A, vit E, omega 6, and omega 3 so the grass must contain more of these or in a more easily digestible form. Incidentally those vitamins are some of the main ones involved in a healthy coat and skin and some of the first ones to breakdown when grass is dried into hay.

It could also be an inbetween coat. Most animals shed out at the end of winter and end of summer. Their new coat will often be darker before fading over the next month or 2. I have a horse that goes through extremes like that. She sheds out nearly black twice a year and even without sunfading by her next major coat change, especially at the end of summer, she'll be a very pale tan color.

 

[JackSpicerRules]

I'd actually lean more towards extra grass in the summer and the vitamins and minerals that come with it causing darker coats. A study done on horses, rabbits, and other herbivores fed on mostly grass versus pelleted/grain and hay diets found they had higher levels of vit A, vit E, omega 6, and omega 3 so the grass must contain more of these or in a more easily digestible form. Incidentally those vitamins are some of the main ones involved in a healthy coat and skin and some of the first ones to breakdown when grass is dried into hay.

They get grass just about every day in the summer, and all throughout the year, although it's in smaller amounts in the late fall/winter/early spring.

This makes sense, though. Thank you very much. :]