I’m sure you have heard the term “teacup” Chihuahua. Maybe you’ve heard of a “micro” Chihuahua, or a “mini” Chihuahua. What exactly do all these terms mean? Where did these terms come from? And what is the difference? Keep reading for answers!
what is a teacup chihuahua?
Teacup Chihuahuas, what are they? A teacup Chihuahua is not a smaller breed Chihuahua. There is only one breed and two types — deer head & apple head; long-haired & short-haired — which is simply a Chihuahua. Chihuahuas are the smallest breed of dog already.
Although the AKC standard is that they should weigh no more than 6 pounds (for show dogs) a purebred Chihuahua can weigh anywhere from 2 lbs. to 10 lbs. Size variations are normal within the breed. A teacup, mini, or toy Chihuahua is like the mythical unicorn. There simply is no such thing.
why is there so much confusion?
The smallest and the weakest of the litter used to be called “the runt” of the litter. The term “runt” pulls on people’s heartstrings. It makes us want to save and take care of them. Teacup is the most popular term used today, but you will also hear them called mini, miniature, micro, pocket, or toy. But all of them are misleading terms and a reputable, responsible breeder would never use any of those terms.
how did the misleading term "teacup Chihuahua" become some popular?
In almost every litter there is a “runt”, or the smallest of the litter. This does not mean that they are unhealthy or weak. It’s just the smallest one of the litter. The smallest one was usually the most popular one for Chihuahua breeders.
Although there are many responsible breeders that love the breed and would never call the smallest one of litter a “teacup”, there are unscrupulous breeders that are only interested in how much money they can make.
They soon determined that the smallest or “runt” of the litter was the most popular. So, they began calling these smaller ones “teacup” and priced them higher than the other ones of the litter. Soon everyone wanted a “teacup” Chihuahua. These same breeders began breeding the “runts” together to produce smaller and smaller dogs and the prices went higher and higher.
If all that did was produce small dogs that would be fine, however, that is far from the truth. Even healthy Chihuahuas are a risky pregnancy. The smaller the dog the greater the risk. This is a risk that these breeders are willing to take because it makes them more money. They don’t care that they are risking the mother’s life and many die in childbirth.
The high price that you pay for these tiny dogs is nothing compared to the price the puppies pay with their health. These poor puppies are often unhealthy puppies. Common health issues are:
- Ectrodactyly (split hand/split foot malformation)
- Trisomy (born with XXX sex chromosome rather than the normal XX, down syndrome)
- Heart Problems
- Very large and open soft spot on the skull (soft spots are normal, not very large ones)
- Seizures
- Respiratory problems
- Digestive problems
- Blindness
- Limb deformities
This list goes on, many of which are life-threatening and very expensive to treat.
Not all “teacup” puppies are a result of breeding very small puppies together. Some unethical breeders sell premature puppies as “teacups”. They will even lie about their age to make it appear that the puppy will be very small as an adult, but are actually too young to be adopted. Taking a puppy away from its mother too early creates all kinds of social problems as well as health problems.
In conclusion:
As already stated the Chihuahua is the smallest breed. They come in many different sizes. Although a two-pound Chihuahua (if not bred to be small) can be very healthy, it is uncommon to find one under 4 pounds when fully grown. (My little Lily weighs 4.6 lbs.).
