Guinea pigs, also called cavies, are not pigs at all but belong to the rodent family like mice or hamsters. Fossil records of guinea pigs date back to over 18 million years ago, during Miocene Period, also called the Age of Mammals.
Guinea pigs originally hail from South America, mostly in Peru, where today most of them still live in the wild. The local people, including the Inca Indians, have used them and still use them mostly for food today. Only a select few were kept as pets. The Spanish brought guinea pigs from South America to Europe around 1554 and since then they have spread all over the world as pets. Much later, the highly selective breeding of guinea pigs began in the early 20th century.
Being the common prey for all predators in the wild, guinea pigs are shy, careful, and also very alert. Although they are shy by nature, guinea pigs are very active, friendly, cuddly, and even vocal and communicative once they get acquainted with their owner and/or other pigs. In fact, researchers have counted at least eleven different sounds that guinea pigs make in communicating with each other and their owners. When you pick up the guinea pig it may be quite skittish and fearful. It should quickly relax in your hands as you stroke it. They love to be petted and will squeak and grunt with pleasure when they are gently handled.
Guinea pigs are also very gentle and clean creatures. Their gentle and friendly social nature, fair temperament, and low maintenance make them excellent pets. In addition, guinea pigs can be trained to perform easy tricks, but only when food is involved and with many repetitions. The potty training of guinea pigs is rather easy, because they consider the cage a safe place and will litter in familiar territory.
Guinea pigs do best in a cage that has a sturdy but removable wire top, with a removable bottom tray made from either plastic or metal so that you can easily change the litter in the pan. If you decide to use a small cage (about one foot by one foot space or less for each pig is considered small), please keep in mind that it is only appropriate for sleeping and resting, and that the pigs will also need a play and activity space for when they are awake. This can be a flat wooden tray of about 2 feet by 3 feet with a side all around of about 1 foot tall that you can build or buy. Guinea pigs do not jump so no cage lid is required and again the walls do not need to be very high (1 foot is fine).
The other option is to just use one large cage for both sleeping and activity. If using just one large cage, it should have at minimum a haystack, and a small wooden house or a large plastic or cardboard tube for sleeping or hiding in. You should also have accessories and entertainment items in the cage such as toys, or a special small house with tubes, wheels, and other exciting stuff for when the guinea pig is awake. This also lets your guinea pig get exercise, which is very important. Well-behaved guinea pigs can also be let out of the cage to explore the house with the owner’s supervision.
For food, guinea pigs do best with a high quality pet rodent food with vitamin C added, or guinea pig pellets available from most pet food makers. They should also be given free access to some alfalfa or timothy hay for fiber. Guinea pigs are vegetarians. They will eat fresh grass (not lawn clippings), dandelions, and clover. They will also like celery, cucumber, sweet corn (maize), carrots and fruit. More convenient and cheaper is dried mix from your local pet shop. A large bag can last for a long time.
You should give your guinea pig a water bottle and use a heavy weight crock for the food. Longhaired guinea pigs may need to be brushed regularly using a slicker comb or similar tool. Guinea pig toenails may also need to be clipped occasionally with human nail clippers if they get too long. With a little care, a proper diet, and your friendly companionship, your guinea pig should live a long, happy, healthy life – usually four to seven years.
You may wish to buy at least two guinea pigs as they get lonely on their own. If you get more than one guinea pig, you must get guinea pigs of the same sex or you will very quickly have more guinea pigs than you can handle. Males are more active than females, grow larger, and may have more odor and may fight other males. If you must purchase a male and a female then you will have to have the male neutered and/or the female spayed.
The puppies (baby guinea pigs) that you choose should be plump and well fed, should have bright eyes and clean ears and nose, and should have clean, silky fur all over including under the bottom. The guinea pig should be alert and active.
There are many different kinds of guinea pigs. They are classified by whether they have long or short hair, straight or swirled texture hair, and an endless variety of colors. Four popular varieties that many people get are listed below:
- The Abyssinian guinea pig: A popular breed, it is also called an abby for short. This guinea pig will have rather short tufts of hair all over its body. This guinea pig is fairly easy to take care of as the hair does not get too long.
- The teddy bear guinea pig: Another popular breed, the teddy bears have a type of hair that results in them having a soft, fuzzy, teddy bear look. Teddys also have a round appearance and sloped, Roman nose.
- The white crested cavy: A less common breed than the above two, it is also known as the crested guinea pig. This guinea pig gets its name from the single rosette of hair that appears on top of its head.
- The Peruvian guinea pig: Originally called the angora, this breed is known for its long, silky hair that comes in many colors. In fact, their hair usually grows right to the ground, and the front hair covers their eyes unless brushed back. As a result, this breed of guinea pig requires a lot of grooming. They must be brushed daily to keep their coats looking good and free from mats, and to keep the hair out of their eyes. The Peruvian is not recommended for beginners because of its high maintenance coat and challenging personality.
If you have a cat, then you may have come across the problem of your cat not always using the litter box. Sometimes this can happen when you have several cats, or bring a new cat or kitten into the house. If you are bringing a new cat or kitten into the house, make sure that the new cat knows where the litter box is, and isn’t being bullied by any other cats. Also some cats are very picky about their litter box, and if it gets too dirty, they don’t want to go in it. Make sure that you keep your cat’s litter box fairly clean.
