Guinea pigs are fluffy, kind harmless creatures with a pleasant smooth coat and an intelligent look. Once in Europe from South America, they quickly spread throughout the world. At one time, the meat of guinea pigs was even eaten. Today, these are pets, the care of which is minimal, but the emotional return is very high. For their warmth and good-natured disposition, pigs are very fond of children. And if you set a goal to breed these animals, you can get up to a hundred cubs a year.
History of guinea pigs
Many people wonder why guinea pigs are called that way. They have nothing to do with the sea or pigs. However, there is a version that they were called marine because the animals spread from west to east, and were brought to Russia by ship. This name came to Russian from Germany, while in other countries rodents are called "Indian". And they were called pigs by the Spaniards, who first appeared in Peru and saw animals on the market that, in their opinion, looked like milk pigs. These animals came to Europe in the 16th century, according to one version they were very expensive, and according to another, on the contrary, they were cheap and even used for food. The facts are reliable that many owners in those days lowered poor pigs into water jars and aquariums, assuming that these animals would swim.
Guinea pigs are native to South America. According to scientists, the history of these animals has more than thirty-five million years. The Incas sacrificed animals to the sun god, and some tribes used the meat of pigs for food. Modern pigs in their natural habitat live in marshy lowlands and in rocky places. They are more active at night, going for food. There are different breeds of guinea pigs, each with its own coat type. The most common are American, or short-haired animals, shelties with long hair, coropets with a rosette on their heads, tessels with wavy hair. Each breed is represented by many color variations. Red, yellow, chestnut, apricot, brown and black - the choice of coat color is huge.
Rules for keeping and caring for guinea pigs
All guinea pigs, regardless of breed, are non-aggressive, which is why children love them so much. Animals do not bite, they love affection and attention, they are friendly and quick-witted. You can feed them grass and cheap plant foods. However, like any other animal, guinea pigs also have their drawbacks, such as the presence of a specific smell and the need for careful care if the pet has long hair. But they easily endure separation if the owners suddenly went on vacation and temporarily gave the pet into the wrong hands. Guinea pigs must be kept in specially equipped cages. In the first few days, the animal is likely to hide in a corner and hide under the straw, which is understandable in an unfamiliar environment. Guinea pigs are very shy and quickly panic, so it's worth waiting until the animal gets used to the new home. It will not be long before he begins to recognize his owners, especially those who will feed him.
Do not forget that guinea pigs do not tolerate bathing. Dip them in water only in exceptional cases, using a mild baby shampoo. These animals need to cut their nails regularly, otherwise they begin to grow incorrectly, forming bends and sagging, and sometimes even curls in the form of a corkscrew. Those who are thinking about breeding guinea pigs should keep in mind that these animals are very prolific. Already a month after the birth, the females become sexually mature, and the gestation period for pets is about seventy days. During the year, one female guinea pig can bring up to a hundred cubs. Best of all, two females get along in one cage. They behave calmly, without showing any aggression. But two males will definitely fight, inflicting severe injuries on each other. Certainly, Guinea pig requires an attentive attitude and careful care, but in return she gives warmth and love to those who take care of her.
Anastasia Rylova
Guinea pig or cavia is a small rodent representing a large family of pigs. The animal has a calm and friendly character, quickly gets used to the owner and can be trained. The guinea pig feeds on root crops, grass, hay and various fruits, and is very undemanding and unpretentious in keeping.
The history of domestication of the guinea pig goes back over seven thousand years. Before the invasion of the Spaniards, the Inca tribes bred several domestic breeds, from which all modern views and subspecies of cavia. However, the main criterion for breeders of the past was not at all color and intelligence, but taste qualities meat and size. To this day, in Peru, Ecuador and China, the tradition of eating guinea pigs has been preserved. In Europe and the USA, cavia meat is treated with distrust: culinary experts admit that it is tasty and has a pleasant aroma, but they classify it as exotic.
According to information that has come down to our days, cavia came to the European continent at the end of the sixteenth century.
They quickly gained popularity due to their cute appearance, quick wit and a wide variety of colors. They got their name for sounds and squeals similar to grunting, as well as for the proportions of the body and head. Guinea pigs were named because of the fact that sailors took the animals with them on long voyages. The animals take up little space, eat simple plant foods and are very prolific, plus they are a source of valuable meat.
Appearance of pigs
A simple description of a guinea pig looks like this: a small animal with a cylindrical body, reaching a length of no more than thirty centimeters. An adult male weighs no more than two kilograms, and a female - about a kilogram. The head of the cavia is relatively large, the neck is poorly visible, and the legs are short. Distinctive features from a detachment of rodents are manifested in the way the guinea pig looks, and in the way of life, in the duration of pregnancy. One of the most obvious distinctive features- very short tail.
In nature, they do not dig minks, but live on the surface, and pregnancy lasts up to seventy days.
However, like all representatives of rodents, cavia have a specific bite and pronounced long incisors. The incisors grow throughout life and it is very important to give them hard food to chew on, as well as tree branches so that the teeth grind down. Otherwise, excessively long teeth can damage the tongue, lips and palate. Even experienced breeders don't always know how many teeth a guinea pig has.
From birth, the animal has twenty teeth with a folded surface:
- two pairs of cuts,
- two pairs of premolars
- three pairs of lower molars
- three pairs of upper molars.
Animals differ in color vision. They can see yellow, green, red and blue, but guinea pigs have poor vision and hardly rely on their eyesight. Wild or natural color of pigs is close to black. All color forms that exist today, as well as bald and short-haired breeds, are obtained by artificial means.
Coprophagous pigs
Animals that eat their own excrement are called coprophages. Pigs eat their litter in a rather strange way: they curl up into a ball and swarm around the anus, where the fecal pocket is located. Many breeders have a question - why do guinea pigs eat their own droppings and is it not dangerous to health. Zoologists explain this behavior as follows: the pig's body is not able to process all the amino acids contained in food. Some of the important amino acids and vitamins of the K and B groups are excreted from the body along with feces. Even with vitamin supplements, the animal will continue to eat particles of litter - there is no other way to get all the necessary amino acids.
In nature, pigs eat their droppings for another reason: they are very vulnerable and tend to destroy any traces of their vital activity so as not to attract the attention of predators.
Pig lifestyle
In nature, guinea pigs are most active in the morning and at dusk. They are agile, able to run fast and always alert. Cavia can be seen both in the mountains and in the forests. Guinea pigs do not dig minks, preferring to equip nests in a secluded place from dry grass, fluff and thin twigs.
The social lifestyle of guinea pigs involves living in one territory of a large flock of animals. Each pack or family consists of one male and ten or twenty females. In their natural habitat, the guinea pig eats roots and seeds of plants, leaves, fallen berries and fruits of trees. The life span of wild cavia is no more than seven years.
At home, a guinea pig can live 12-15 years.
They are kept in ordinary cages, but they are provided with sufficient walking: the animal is very active and needs to move. The constant activity of animals raises the question for some breeders: how much guinea pigs sleep and whether they sleep at all. The animal sleeps for ten to fifteen minutes several times a day. The sleep of cubs is less long. If the animal is worried or feels threatened, it may sleep with its eyes open.
In the life of a cavia, there are four age stages. The first is under the mother, when the cub drinks its mother's milk. From the third day on, cubs begin to try adult food, but without milk, the chances of surviving are zero. The second period begins at the moment when the young individual switches to independent feeding and begins to eat all the main adult foods. At home, a grown guinea pig is happy to eat alfalfa or clover hay, young shoots of dandelions and clover, various root crops, fruits, and greens. From roughage, pigs prefer to eat germinated oats or wheat, corn grains. The third period occurs during puberty. Females are ready for fertilization at the age of eight weeks, males - twelve weeks. The fourth period is characterized by a decrease in activity and loss of reproductive function.
Breeders need to constantly monitor the animal's diet and how much the pig eats. Overeating, like fasting, has a negative impact on health. Another important point, which every breeder should know - what foods should not be given to cavia. These include:
- red cabbage,
- sweets,
- meat products,
- fish products,
- eggs,
- milk products.
Despite the fact that the pigs are ready for breeding in a very early age, the first litter is recommended to receive from one-year-old animals. By this age, they have time to fully grow, get stronger and form.
Interesting facts about guinea pigs are not limited to their differences from rodents and their attitude towards coprophages:
- distant ancestors of the guinea pig weighed more than 600 kg,
- cavia have 64 chromosomes (humans have only 46),
- Animals make many sounds. They can squeal, snort, grunt, chirp, purr, grunt,
- Cavia can't stand being alone
- their intelligence is slightly inferior to that of dogs and cats.
It is also interesting what the guinea pig dreams of. According to the dream books, if a guinea pig dreamed, this means that a person is not able to withstand the prevailing circumstances, he has low self-esteem. However, a guinea pig sitting on her hands portends joyful events and good news.
Cavia relatives
Relatives of guinea pigs are beavers, squirrels, and even gophers, mice and rats. Such a large number of relatives is explained by the large number of rodents.
Among the relatives of Cavia there are many familiar, and many unusual mammals:
- mara looks like a hare, but larger - weight up to 16 kg,
- agouti - an animal that looks like both a rabbit and an ancient ancestor of modern horses,
- paka - a cautious and more like a deer rodent, weighing up to 12 kg,
- capybara - the largest representative of the detachment weighing up to 60 kg, grows up to 140 cm in length, leads a semi-aquatic lifestyle.
In the temples of the cities of Limo and Cusco there are paintings of The Last Supper. The canvases depict the last meal of the son of God in the circle of 12 apostles. On the table in front of Jesus and his disciples are dishes, including fried guinea pigs.
In Peru, this is a traditional food. Local artists, drawing plots for temples, could not even imagine that in other parts of the world rodents are not only not eaten, but they are not aware of the existence of kui.
This is the original name of guinea pigs. Sea, by the way, they were called by Europeans. At first, they said “from across the sea”, that is, from where the animals were brought from. Then, the phrase was transformed into the adjective "marine". The characteristic is hardly in the spirit of pigs, because they do not like water and live in arid, mountainous areas.
Description and features of the guinea pig
Guinea pig- a mammal of the pig family, but has nothing to do with it. The family is named so due to the characteristic sounds made by all its representatives. By ear, this is not a squeak, like other rodents, but a grunt.
The small animal is at the beginning of the food chain. In nature, he has a lot of enemies. Hence the habits that are inherited from wild relatives and domestic pigs. They are active at night, because in the dark there is less risk of being caught and eaten. During the day, rodents hide in shelters, calm down, sleep.
Listen to the sounds of guinea pigs
As a shelter, representatives of the species choose crevices in the rocks, or they build houses themselves - they dig holes and fold "huts" from hay. In houses, usually pigs are kept alone. They probably don't like it.
In nature, animals are pack animals. In the community Guinea pig, a photo in the natural environment - confirmation of that, obeys the leader. He is the unquestioning leader in a pack of 10, 20 rodents.
Guinea pig buy power cannot. The leader is not the most impudent, but the most powerful and aggressive individual. If you move an animal into captivity, these qualities will not be lost. Therefore, some pigs taken into the house from the street surprise with militancy.
Surprise rodents and the ability to reproduce. Zoologists were easily provided guinea pigs videos their mating games in nature. They are not seasonal. Matings occur all year round. 4-5 offspring in a litter is an average.
Only after giving birth to some, the female is again ready for courtship. By the way, guinea pig care does not require much, it is enough for the male to approach - and this is already a victory. In this regard, overseas rodents are similar to.
Thanks to the continuous cycle of reproduction, scientists believe, guinea pigs easily spread around the planet. Helped and not picky about food. They eat vegetables, fruits, grains, grass, hay, dairy products.
Animals are not favorable only to meat and citrus fruits. Selection has led to the emergence of several types of guinea pigs. Rodents are divided according to length, coat color and features of its growth. For example, there are rosette individuals. Their hair grows in rosettes, diverging in a circle from the central points.
rosette guinea pig
There are simply long-haired representatives of the species.
long haired guinea pig
There are short-haired - such as in nature.
Short haired guinea pig
Hairless pigs have recently been bred, resembling tiny hippos.
Pictured is a bald guinea pig
At home, with proper care, representatives of the species live from 5 to 10 years. Standard cage for guinea pig- 90 by 40 centimeters. The height of the "corral" is recommended from 38 centimeters. This area is enough for 1, 2 animals. Keeping guinea pigs possibly in an aquarium without a lid.
A drinking bowl is hung in the rodent's house. The pet may not use it. This means that the diet contains a lot of moisture-containing foods - vegetables, fruits. In this case, the pig gets water from food. But, if the drink is not enough, the animal will drink from the drinker.
domestic guinea pigs do not have good manners. They poop and urinate a lot and where they want. Easy to clean with a scoop. The best for cages are sawdust and cat litter.
They absorb impurities well, granulating them and facilitating cleaning. Suitable for filler and hay. Some line newspapers, but printing ink is bad for rodents.
Harmful to representatives of the species and overheating. Some ask: - " Why guinea pig suddenly died? The reason just may be overheating, which caused cardiac arrest. True, pets should not be supercooled either. Pigs are from warmer climes. No need for heat, but moderate temperature without drafts.
You need a bright place for the cage. In twilight, some individuals develop rickets. The first signs of this and other ailments are a decrease in appetite, the silence of the animal, lethargy, diarrhea, sticky hair, and paralysis of the limbs.
Guinea pig price
Several factors influence the price. Objective: - thoroughbred pig or not, exhibited at exhibitions or not, has flaws in the exterior or not. Subjective factors: - the ambitions of the breeder, the owner of the pet store and where the pig is from.
For example, animals brought from abroad often cost more than domestic ones. At the same time, a foreign individual may be inferior in parameters to the Russian one. Overpay simply for delivery and a certain prestige.
Guinea pig breed"Peruvian" among the species is the most expensive. On the price tag, long-haired individuals compete with newfangled naked rodents. The latter are called Guinea pig Skinny. The average price tag for them is in the region of 4,000-5,000 rubles. Short-haired and rosette animals are usually cheaper. They ask for them from 600 rubles to 3,000.
If the animals are sold by a famous guinea pig nursery, prices are usually divine. The most expensive animals are found in private owners and novice breeders.
Having few individuals, they want to earn a lot on them. There are thousands of pigs in large nurseries, breeding is on stream, there is an opportunity to reduce prices. Due to the number of transactions, the income is still decent.
Guinea pig care
Longhair Guinea pigs. Care and maintenance Angorok are the most troublesome. Wool falls off if you do not comb it at least once every 3 days. Under the fallen cover, the skin swells, bacteria multiply. With rosette and short-haired individuals, such problems do not arise.
angora guinea pig
Guinea pig at home eat 2, 3 times a day. The same amount, but per year, should be cut rodents toenails. There are 4 nails on the forelimbs, and only 3 nails on the hind limbs.
How long do guinea pigs live, often depends on the frequency of preventive examinations. Experts advise doing them once a week. This is an opportunity to notice adverse changes in appearance and the behavior of the animal and consult a doctor.
domestic guinea pig(from lat. Cavia porcellus) is a mammalian animal from the order of rodents and belongs to the mumps family. These animals were domesticated in ancient times by the Inca tribes. Nowadays, there are more than 20 types of guinea pigs kept at home: Angora (long hair), rosette (Abyssinian) (hair grows in the form of a rosette on the head), English Shorthair, etc. The growth of the animals does not exceed 35 cm, and the body is covered with wool. They have four toes on their front paws and three on their back paws. The life expectancy of animals is six to eight years. Puberty in males occurs at two months, in females at five. Pregnancy varies from 60 to 65 days. In one litter there can be from one to seven cubs, depending on the breed (multiple and infertile).
Guinea pigs are so named because they live in the sea. In fact, they were so nicknamed due to the fact that these animals came to Europe from South America, which, as you know, is located overseas. By the way, these animals live there to this day, moreover, in the form of wild animals. Once in Europe, the animals were called overseas pigs, and a little later the prefix "for" was cut off and the name "marine" was obtained.
Domestic guinea pigs should live in an aquarium with water. Well, this is utter nonsense! In such a "house" they will not last long, they will drown. Pigs are kept in ordinary cages specially designed for domesticated rodents (hamsters, mice, etc.).
These animals are called "pigs" because they are unclean. In fact, these animals make a sound very similar to the grunt of a real pig. That is why the animals are called "pigs". Also, there is a version that they were so nicknamed because of the special structure of the head.
From guinea pigs comes an unpleasant smell and a lot of dirt. If, say, a month does not put things in order in the animal's cage, then of course it will smell bad. If you periodically clean and clean the cage after him, then there will be no unpleasant smell. The only things that animals can smell of are sawdust (which serve them as bedding) and hay (food). In addition, pigs wash themselves with their front paws every day, which indicates their cleanliness.
Pigs can bite. In most cases, these animals are not aggressive and treat others peacefully. The guinea pig prefers to run and hide from danger rather than defend itself. If she has nowhere to hide, then she hides in a far corner and you can hear her teeth chattering. In order for this animal to bite, you need to “get it” very strongly.
Guinea pigs don't make much noise. Controversial assertion. At the slightest rustle, the animal can make a sound that is not at all quiet, with which he is trying to tell about his condition (joy, greeting, fear ...). Moreover, sounds can be in the form of whistling, squealing, gurgling, grunting, etc.
Guinea pigs do not need to drink water, they get the necessary amount of liquid from fruits and vegetables. Not a single living creature, including the guinea pig, can live on our earth without water. Therefore, a drinking bowl with water must be present in the cage. A pregnant guinea pig especially needs water, since in such an "interesting" position she needs twice as much liquid as usual.
About a week before giving birth, a pregnant guinea pig needs to reduce her food intake, otherwise she will not be able to give birth. Do not feed enough of an animal, especially a pregnant one - this is a real mockery! This approach can adversely affect the health of the female and her offspring. On the contrary, during this period, the female needs double care and triple nutrition, because she needs useful material and vitamins.
Guinea pigs tend to give birth early in the morning when it's quiet. Is not a fact. With the same success, they can give birth in the afternoon, and in the evening, and at night. As for silence, at the time of childbirth, the female is focused on the process itself, so her surroundings are of little interest to her.
These animals eat leftovers from the "lord's table" and food waste. Such a "menu" will quickly bring the animal "to the grave." Guinea pigs are very delicate creatures that need a complete, balanced diet. Their diet must include various vegetables, grain mixture and hay.
These are uninteresting animals, since you can’t teach them anything, and therefore, they don’t know how to do anything except eat and sleep. One can argue with this. Guinea pigs are very easy to train. They are quite capable of distinguishing their bowl by color, ringing a bell, responding to their name, guessing a melody, and much more. The main thing here is to be patient (however, as with any other animal) and the result will not be long in coming.
Guinea pigs should not be overfed with carrots. That's what's impossible, that's impossible. And this is due to the fact that the beta-carotene contained in carrots is processed by the liver of the animal into vitamin A, which the pig has more than enough of. As a result, an "overdose" can occur, which will adversely affect the animal's liver.
Probably, almost every person in childhood was interested in the question: why is the guinea pig called that. It seems to have nothing to do with artiodactyls. And why then the sea? Unlikely salty water- her element, and the little animal, it seems, is not adapted to swim. There is an explanation, and it is rather prosaic.
To understand why the guinea pig was called a guinea pig, one should turn to history. The Latin name for this funny animal is Cavia porcellus, the pig family. Other name: caywi and guinea pig. By the way, here is another incident that should be dealt with, animals also have nothing to do with Guinea.
These rodents have been known to man since ancient times and were domesticated by the tribes of South America. The Incas and other representatives of the continent ate animals for food. They worshiped them, depicting them on art objects, and also used them as ritual sacrifices. From archaeological excavations in Ecuador and Peru, statues of these animals have survived to this day.
Guinea pigs are so named because their ancestors were used as food. Furry animals became known to the inhabitants of the European continent in the 16th century after the conquest of Colombia, Bolivia and Peru by the Spanish conquistadors. Later, merchant ships from England, Holland and Spain began to bring unusual animals to their homeland, where they spread among the aristocratic environment as pets.
Where did the name guinea pig come from?
The term cavia in the scientific name is derived from cabiai. So the representatives of the Galibi tribes who lived in the territory of Guiana (South America) called the animal. The literal translation from Latin porcellus means "little pig". AT different countries It is customary to name the animal in different ways. More common is the abbreviated name cavy or kevy, shortened from cavia. At home, they are called kui (gui) and aperea, in the UK - Indian pigs, and in Western Europe - Peruvian.
A wild guinea pig is called "little pig" in Guiana Why still "marine"?
The little animal received such a name only in Russia, Poland (Swinka morska) and Germany (Meerschweinchen). made them frequent companions of sailors. Yes, and animals arrived in Europe at that time only by sea. Probably, for this reason, associations of small rodents with water appeared. As for Russia, such a name was probably borrowed from a Polish name. Such an option is not excluded: overseas, i.e. strange beasts arrived from afar, and subsequently dwindled, discarding the prefix.
There is also such a version: in order to circumvent the ban on eating meat during fasting days, Catholic priests ranked capybaras (capybaras), and at the same time these rodents as fish. It is possible that this is why they were called guinea pigs.
Why pig?
The mention of a pig in the name can be heard from the Portuguese (small Indian pig), the Netherlands (Guinea pig), the French and the Chinese.
The reason for the connection with the known artiodactyl should probably be sought in external similarity. A thick barrel-shaped body on low legs, a short neck and a large head relative to the body resemble a pig. The sounds that the rodent makes can also be associated with the pig. In a calm state, they remotely resemble a grunt, and in case of danger, their whistle is similar to a pig's squeal. Animals are similar in content: both of them are constantly chewing something, sitting in small pens.
The animal is called a pig because of its resemblance to a piglet. Another reason lies in the culinary habits of the natives in the homeland of animals. Domesticated animals were raised for slaughter, as were pigs. The appearance and taste, reminiscent of a suckling pig, which the first Spanish colonialists recognized, and gave them the opportunity to call the animals that way.
At home, rodents are used for food to this day. Peruvians and Ecuadorians eat them in large quantities, rubbed with spices and salt, and then fried in oil or on coals. And, by the way, the carcass cooked on a spit really looks very similar to a small suckling pig.
The Spaniards called the guinea pig the Indian rabbit. By the way, these animals are associated in different countries not only with pigs, but also with other animals. In Germany, there is another name merswin (dolphin), probably for similar sounds made. The Spanish name translates as a small Indian rabbit, and the Japanese call them morumotto (from the English "marmot").
Where did the word "Guinean" come from in the name?
Here, too, a strange confusion has crept in, because Guinea is in West Africa, and not in any way. South America where guinea pigs originated.
There are several explanations for this discrepancy:
- pronunciation error: Guiana (South America) and Guinea (West Africa) sound very similar. In addition, both territories are former French colonies;
- ships that imported animals from Guiana to Europe followed through Africa and, accordingly, Guinea;
- both "overseas" in Russian, and "guinea" in English, mean in meaning like everything brought from unknown distant countries;
- The guinea is the currency for which exotic animals were sold.
Ancestors of guinea pigs and their domestication
Intended and common in South America almost everywhere. They can be found both in the savannas and on the edges of forests, on rocky sections of mountains and even in swampy areas. Often united in groups of up to ten individuals, the animals dig holes for themselves or occupy the dwellings of other animals. They feed exclusively on plant foods, are most active at night and at dusk, and breed all year round. Color gray-brown with a light belly.
The Inca peoples began to domesticate peaceful rodents from about the 13th century. When animals appeared in European countries, at first they were in demand in scientific laboratories for experiments. Nice appearance, good nature and sociability gradually won the attention of connoisseurs. And now these funny little animals are safely settled in homes around the world as beloved pets.
Guinea pigs are diverse To date, breeders have bred over 20 breeds that differ in a variety of colors, coat structure, length, and even partial or complete absence.
They are usually divided into groups:
- long-haired (angora, merino, texels, sheltie, Peruvian and others);
- short-haired (cresteds, selfies);
- wirehaired (rex, american teddy, abyssinian);
- hairless (skinny, baldwin).
In contrast to the natural wild color, now you can find favorites of black, red, white color and all sorts of their shades. From monochromatic colors, breeders brought spotted and even tricolor animals. Long-haired animals with rosette hair look very funny, having a funny disheveled look. , weight varies from 600 to 1500 g. Little pets live from 5 to 8 years.
The ancestors of the guinea pig began to tame Here are some about the history of guinea pigs and why they are called that. However, an animal with such a cute original appearance and the name should be unusual.
Video: why the guinea pig is called that
Why is the guinea pig called a guinea pig and where did it come from?
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