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 the taste of 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 Cavia, four age stages are distinguished. The first is under the mother, when the cub drinks its mother's milk. From the third day on, the 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,
• dairy products.

Despite the fact that pigs are ready for breeding at a very early age, it is recommended to receive the first litter 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.

The guinea pig (lat. Сavia porcellus) is a domesticated mammalian rodent belonging to the genus Mumps and the Mumps family. Even despite its very original name, this species of mammal is not related to pigs or marine life.

Origin story

The domestication of guinea pigs took place in the fifth millennium, even before our era, with the active participation of the Andean tribes in South America. Such animals were actively used as food by the ancestors of modern inhabitants of southern Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. It is generally accepted that wild guinea pigs themselves sought warmth and protection in a human dwelling.

Among the Incas, the guinea pig was a sacrificial animal for a long time, so often such mammals were sacrificed to the sun god. Particularly popular were animals with a variegated brown or pure white color. The ancestor of modern domesticated guinea pigs was Savia arerea tschudi, which is found in the southern regions of Chile, in places located at an altitude of no more than 4.2 thousand meters above sea level.

This is interesting! Mammals of this species unite in small groups and settle in fairly spacious underground burrows.

His appearance and the body structure of C.arerea tschudi differs markedly from the currently known domestic guinea pigs, which is due to the food base, poor in water and rich in cellulose compounds.

Description of the guinea pig

In accordance with zoological taxonomy, guinea pigs (Cavis cobaya) are prominent representatives of the family of semi-hoofed rodents and have a characteristic appearance, as well as a special structure.

Appearance

Body structure, guinea pigs are very similar to the basic anatomical parameters and characteristics of most domesticated animals. However, there are a number of notable differences:

• the guinea pig has a pronounced cylindrical body shape, as well as a total length, usually in the range of 20-22 cm, but some mature individuals may be slightly longer;
• the spine of the animal is represented by seven cervical, twelve thoracic, six lumbar, four sacral and seven tail vertebrae;
• the guinea pig, as such, has no tail, and such an animal is almost completely devoid of clavicles;
• male guinea pigs are slightly heavier than females, and the weight of an adult animal can vary between 0.7-1.8 kg;
• guinea pigs have very short legs, with both forelimbs noticeably shorter than the hind ones;
• on the front paws there are four fingers, and on the hind legs - three, which, with their external characteristics resemble miniature hooves;
• the coat of a guinea pig grows at an average rate of 0.2-0.5 cm within one week;
• the sacral region is characterized by the presence of sebaceous glands, and the skin folds near the genitals and anus have para-anal glands with a specific secret;
• the head of an adult guinea pig is quite large, with a fairly well-developed brain;
• the incisors of a mammal grow throughout life, and the average rate of growth processes is about one and a half millimeters per week;
• the difference between the lower jaw of a guinea pig is the ability to move freely regardless of direction;
• the total length of the intestine significantly exceeds the size of the body of a mammal, so the process of digestion can be delayed for a week.

The color, structural parameters and length of the coat can be very different, which is directly dependent on the main breed characteristics. There are individuals with both very short and incredibly long, wavy or straight hair.

Character and lifestyle

IN natural conditions wild guinea pigs prefer to be most active in the morning or just after dusk. The mammal is quite agile, knows how to run fast and always tries to stay alert. You can see a wild pig not only in the mountains, but also in forest areas. Guinea pigs do not like to dig holes and prefer to build a nest in a quiet and secluded place. To create a reliable and safe shelter, dry grass, fluff and fairly thin twigs are used.

This is interesting! Domesticated guinea pigs are widely used not only as unpretentious pets, but are also bred in vivariums at various research institutes.

A wild animal is very social, therefore it lives in a common area in a large flock, among its relatives.. Each flock or family is characterized by the presence of one male, which can have from ten to twenty females. At home, guinea pigs are kept in ordinary cages with enough space for walking, due to the activity of the animal. Such pets sleep several times a day, and if necessary, the guinea pig is able to rest without even closing its eyes.

How long does a guinea pig live

The average life expectancy of a wild guinea pig, as a rule, does not exceed seven years, and a domestic mammal, subject to the rules of care and the organization of a competent diet, may well live for about fifteen years.

Guinea pig breeds

Decorative guinea pigs are among the very popular pets, which has led to the development of an incredible number of original and unusual breeds of this unpretentious animal:

• the breed is distinguished by thick and beautiful, curly and long hair. Pigs have two rosettes on the back, as well as one, irregular in shape, on the forehead. The hair growing in the forward direction in the muzzle forms sideburns, and the limbs are overgrown with wool exclusively from the bottom up;
• The Texel breed has a very beautiful and curly coat, which looks a bit like a wet perm. Thanks to a very unusual and attractive hairline, the Texel breed is one of the most popular in many countries;
• The Abyssinian breed is one of the most beautiful and oldest, distinguished by a hard coat with several rosettes in the form of fairly long hairs. Pigs of this breed are incredibly mobile and are characterized by excellent appetite;
• The Merino breed has a long and curly coat, as well as distinctive, well-developed cheeks and sideburns. Breed features are large eyes and ears, a short head, as well as a strong and compact physique. On the pig's head is a symmetrical and noticeably raised "Crown";
• The Peruvian breed is distinguished by a long and beautiful coat that does not need special or too complicated care. Owners of a guinea pig of this breed often use special curlers for their pet's hair to prevent excessive contamination of long hair;
• the Rex breed is one of the short-haired ones, so the fur is distinguished by an unusual structure of hairs that visually make the domestic pig look like a cute plush toy. In the area of ​​​​the head and back, the coat is more rigid;
• the Cornet breed in some countries is called "Crested" or "Wearing the Crown", which is explained by the presence of a special rosette between the ears. The breed is distinguished by the presence of long hair all over the body. The progenitors of the Cornet were the Sheltie and Crested breeds;
• the breed is characterized by a long and straight, very silky coat, as well as the presence of a kind of mane in the head area, falling on the shoulders and back of the pig. Animals short-haired from birth receive their full-fledged coat only by the age of six months.

This is interesting! Baldwin guinea pigs look very exotic and unusual, having soft and elastic, completely bare skin, and a few subtle and not too long hairs can only be present on the animal's knees.

During the first few days after purchase, a pet guinea pig tends to be lethargic and very quiet, which is due to standard adaptation. pet. At this time, the animal is very shy, has a poor appetite and sits for a long time, frozen in one place. To facilitate the period of adaptation for the rodent, it is necessary to create an absolutely calm and friendly atmosphere in the room.

Cage, filling

By nature, guinea pigs are shy animals, reacting heavily to any change of scenery or too loud sounds. For their maintenance, you can use a terrarium or a cage with a pallet, but the second option is preferable. The cage houses a house for sleeping or relaxing, as well as game attributes, feeders and drinkers. The dimensions of the house are selected taking into account the size of the animal.

Care, hygiene

A pet must be protected not only from drafts, but also from prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. Water procedures carried out as needed, and the coat is combed weekly. A couple of times a year, you can trim naturally uncut claws.

Show animals will require increased attention, which early age are taught to sit in a motionless, strictly defined posture. Long-haired pets must be accustomed to the daily process of combing, as well as winding their hair on special papillots. Smooth-haired and wire-haired gilts should be trimmed periodically.

Guinea pig diet

Under natural habitat conditions, guinea pigs feed on roots and seeds of plants, foliage, berries and fruits that have fallen from trees or shrubs. The main food of a domestic guinea pig can be represented by high-quality hay, which normalizes the state of the digestive tract and allows the animal to grind down its teeth. Due to the special structure of the digestive system, such pets eat food quite often, but in relatively small portions.

Various succulent foods are very relevant in the diet of a rodent, which can be represented by apples, lettuce, carrots and other vegetables. Sweet fruits, fruits and berries are given as treats. For effective grinding of teeth, the animal is given apple or cherry branches, celery or dandelion root. It is necessary to install a drinker with clean and fresh water in the pig's cage, which must be replaced daily without fail.

It is important to remember that guinea pigs are herbivores, so any food of animal origin should be excluded from the diet of such a pet. Among other things, lactose is not absorbed by adult animals, so supplementing the diet of such a pet with milk can cause indigestion. Any poor-quality feed and a sudden change in diet cause serious illness, and sometimes become the main cause of death.

Health, disease and prevention

An unbalanced diet or over-feeding can cause a pet to rapidly develop severe obesity.

Reproduction and offspring

It is best to mate guinea pigs for the first time at the age of six months. The female's estrus period lasts sixteen days, but fertilization is possible only for eight hours, after which pregnancy occurs, ending in two months with the appearance of offspring.

A week before the onset of labor, the female expands the pelvic part. In a litter, most often there are from two to three to five cubs. Newborn guinea pigs are well developed and quite capable of moving independently. The female most often feeds her offspring for no longer than two months.

A guinea pig is what this animal is called in Russia and in two or three other countries. But why a pig, and why a guinea pig? Why does this cute rodent have such a strange name?

Why a pig, it will become clear to you, as soon as the pet gets used to the new place, starts to recognize you and understands where the “sweets” come from. An immediate demanding sound, like a grunt or squeal, will give the answer.

According to another version, the pig owes its name to the Spanish conquerors, to whom they seemed like milk pigs.

Another reason why a guinea pig is called a guinea pig is because the lower limbs of these rodents are shaped like hooves. In addition, some talk about the similarity of this animal with pigs due to the structure of the head and rather elongated body. In addition, they were bred for meat, just like ordinary pigs in Europe.

And she is called marine at all because she likes to swim in the sea. This word, obviously, the prefix "for" has disappeared. The pig was overseas, that is, brought from overseas.

The wild ancestors of our domesticated pigs still live in Peru. Cavia - Cavy - the so-called guinea pigs in other countries. Another name for these animals is Cuinea Pig - “a pig for a guinea”. Either such pigs cost one guinea, or they were equal in price to one guinea and paid for goods with them.

While guinea pigs are known as popular pets in our homeland, in their homeland in Central and South America, these small rodents have been bred in large numbers for millennia by no means in order to keep as pets. In Peru, guinea pigs have always been bred and are bred to this day as food. Here, even a special large individual was bred, called Cuy - kui, which means “big” in translation. Such "fodder" pigs can weigh up to four kilograms. Their meat is said to be like tender pork. But not only meat suppliers are pigs for Peruvians, their skin is used to make clothes and shoes. In addition, not a single trip to the local healer is complete without this black rodent. So, for example, it is believed that if a pig is simply attached to a sick stomach, then the animal will take the pain upon itself. The local doctor usually takes food for his services. Of course, there are ordinary doctors in the country, but the indigenous people with their more than modest incomes cannot afford them. It is interesting that, despite such a strange treatment, the local population does not know what oncology and heart attacks are, they are not familiar with asthma either. This animal is highly valued by the locals and is even considered the best gift newlyweds for the wedding.

The answer to the question why the guinea pig is so called is a subject of interest even for those who are far from breeding these animals. There are several versions of the origin of this name. We present a mini-investigation about guinea pigs: where did this phrase come from, which does not fit with taxonomic definitions - family, genus and species criteria.

The first part of the investigation: why the "mumps"

There are 3 versions of why these cute animals are called pigs:

Sounds: what they make is really like grunting.

Body proportions: they have no waist, small head and very short neck.

Behavior: Pets constantly gnaw something. On ships they were kept in the same pens where ordinary pigs were driven.

Second part. Guinea pig - why "sea"

The name "guinea pig" is borrowed from Polish- Swinka morska. And the Poles, in turn, borrowed it from the Germans - Meerschweinchen. The literal translation sounds like this - "guinea pig". There is a possibility that this is a German word - a derivative of merswin, which means "dolphin". The screech of rodents really resembles a dolphin's squeak.

Foreign titles

The name of the animal is literally translated from English as Guinea pig. This is another mystery because they have nothing to do with Guinea, which is in Africa. Zoologists have built 3 hypotheses:

• “Guinean” means “outlandish”, brought from afar;
• it is possible that the animals were sold for 1 guinea - a coin;
• in South America there was a French colony with a similar name - Guiana. Love simply mixed up the letters and began to call Guinean pigs;
• the animals were not imported directly, but through the ports of Guinea, which was also a colonial territory of France.

The guinea pig, also known as the guinea pig, kevey or kewi, is a domesticated rodent, a member of the genus of pigs in the family of guinea pigs. These animals, despite their name, are not only not marine, but they are not connected with Guinea in any way. The supposed ancestors of the modern guinea pig lived in Peru. They were domesticated by the Incas and used as a source of meat and as a decorative animal.

The body length of the guinea pig is 25-35 cm, depending on the breed, the body is rounded, there is no tail, the ears are hanging, the muzzle is wide and blunt. The mass of an adult male is in the range from 1 to 1.5 kg, the female usually weighs a little less from 800 to 1200 g. The natural color of the guinea pig is brownish-gray, the tummy and paws are light on the inside.

Due to the peculiarities of the structure of the digestive tract, guinea pigs eat often, but in small portions. The main food for them is high-quality hay, which they need both in winter and in summer. Hay normalizes the digestive system of animals, and also contributes to the proper grinding of teeth. At home, hay is always left in the cage, the norm for dry food is 1 tablespoon per pig per day.

The second place in the diet of the rodent is occupied by juicy food (apples, lettuce, carrots, beets, cabbage and other vegetables). Sweet fruits and berries will be an excellent treat for guinea pigs. Such food is a source of ascorbic acid for the animal.

For the purpose of grinding the front teeth, sprigs of apple, cherry, celery root and dandelion are suitable.

A drinking bowl with clean water, the volume per pig is at least 250 ml. Females during pregnancy and feeding babies drink more water. The water is changed every day.

As herbivores, guinea pigs should not be fed animal products such as milk, raw or fried meat. This can cause digestive problems.

Interestingly, guinea pigs often eat their own droppings, and they do not need to forbid it. The fact is that B vitamins and vitamin K are absorbed in their body only after repeated passage through the digestive system. That is, eating litter ensures the health of guinea pigs.

Distribution of the guinea pig

homeland of the guinea pig South America, from where the animal spread to Eurasia, and became a popular pet, thanks to which today it is found in many countries of the world.

To date, many decorative breeds of guinea pigs have been bred, which differ in the structure, length and color of the coat. Breeds of domestic guinea pigs are divided into the following groups:

• • short-haired (selfie, crested, smooth-haired);
  • long-haired (sheltie, texels, Peruvian, merino, angora);
  • wire-haired (Abyssinians, American Teddies, Rex);
  • breeds without wool and with a small amount of it (baldwin, skinny).

  
  

  Domestic guinea pigs also differ from their wild counterparts in a more rounded body shape.
  When crossed within the breed, it is possible to obtain beautiful tricolor tortoiseshell and white breed guinea pigs, which are called "cakes", since the spots are inherited in a chaotic way. To breed this breed, a large population is required: more than 100 guinea pigs, as a result of crossing which "accidentally" produces the best combination of spots.

  The life expectancy of guinea pig cakes is up to 10 years, the average weight is about 1.6 kg, the body length is up to 35 cm.

  
  

  Sexual dimorphism in guinea pigs is not very pronounced. Its main manifestation is the smaller size of females compared to males.

  
  

  Guinea pigs are a very popular pet, they are trusting and peaceful. They are even taught to respond to the nickname. When stroked, the animals purr, they love to sit in a person’s arms.

  The cage with guinea pigs is cleaned 1-3 times a week. Pressed sawdust and shavings are used as bedding. The bedding is changed once every 5 days.

  The average life expectancy of guinea pigs is 5 years, with good care - up to 8 years.

  
  

  After mating, the male is placed in a separate cage so that he does not provoke a miscarriage. Pregnancy of a female guinea pig lasts 60-72 days. In one litter from 1 to 6 babies. The female takes care of the offspring exclusively.

  In some cases, after giving birth, the female does not break the membrane with the fetus. Then you need to carefully open it with clean hands. Without outside help in such a situation, only those babies who were able to independently gnaw the shell survive.

  Small guinea pigs become independent a month after birth, at the same age they reach puberty and readiness for reproduction.

  When breeding guinea pigs up to 1 month old, the babies are left with the female, after which the young are planted separately by gender. The male is planted with the female only after six months, so that she has time to fully recover.

  natural enemies

  
  

  Guinea pigs are widely distributed and popular pets, the threat to the population of which is not observed.