Interesting Facts About Guinea Pigs
These cute little animals are very popular pets in the western world. There is a lot about guinea pigs that can be key to taking good care of them.
The house guinea pig is scientifically known as “Cavia porcellus”. Guinea pigs belong to the family of the “Caviidae”, which are characterized by a distinctive rectangular head and the virtually non-existent tail.
In recent years, this animal of Peruvian-Bolivian origin has become a popular pet for children.
Interesting facts about guinea pigs
Here you can find interesting information about guinea pigs :
- In South America , guinea pigs are mostly called “Cuy”. This is a nod to the short and sharp scream that guinea pigs communicate with. There can be many reasons for this sound, but it is usually sent out in uncomfortable situations related to fear or hunger.
- Guinea pigs are very sociable. In nature they live in groups of five or more animals. This property should definitely be taken into account when keeping. Guinea pigs should be kept at least in pairs, better still in a larger group, so that they feel comfortable. Regardless of whether they are kept in pairs or in a group: Guinea pigs also appreciate the attention of their owner.
- Guinea pigs are pure herbivores. In their natural environment, they feed on a wide variety of seeds, fruits, vegetables and herbs. Domestic guinea pigs need a lot of food that is rich in vitamin C. This is important because you cannot make it yourself and it is important for your skin.
- Guinea pigs are part of the Peruvian cuisine. They are served fried or skewered like a suckling pig at food stalls around town. The nutritional balance of guinea pigs is balanced with 20% protein and 7% fat.
- Although short-haired pigs weighing about a kilogram are most common in pet stores, other breeds of different sizes, colors, and hairs exist . Among them are also naked guinea pigs, which have no fur apart from a few hairs on their nose and head. There is also the Rex guinea pig, which can weigh up to two kilograms.
- Although guinea pigs have a developed sense of sight, they have certain limitations in spatial vision. Since they have difficulty assessing distances and depths, they are more likely to have accidents while running.
- In Spanish , the phrase “to be a guinea pig” comes from its widespread use in scientific research. It corresponds roughly to the German guinea pig. In addition to being used in the healthcare sector to try out new medical treatments, their good learning ability serves to investigate cognitive processes.
More about guinea pigs
- They practice coprophagy. Like rabbits and many other animals, they have to eat their own droppings to get a number of important nutrients such as vitamin B and certain minerals. In addition, they can regain some of the bacteria that are important for digesting their high-fiber diet.
- Your teeth will grow all your life. For this reason, you should make sure that domestic guinea pigs always have rough food available so that they can file their teeth on it.
- In the English-speaking world, guinea pigs have become known as “guinea pigs” because, from the eighteenth century onwards, Dutch and English traders brought them from South America to Europe – with a stopover in Guinea. The stopover spread the false assumption that Guinea was their place of origin.
The guinea pig, which has become very popular since its introduction by the European nobility more than 300 years ago, is still a popular pet with children today.
However, their nutritional, health, and emotional needs require the maturity and responsibility of parents. Therefore, parents should also learn interesting facts about guinea pigs.
