Guinea
Pigs hand book: All about owning and caring for
your little pet
Contents
Intro – Prefix
What is a
guinea pig?
Why guinea pig as
a young kids pet?
what is the
difference between a guinea pig and hamster?
types of guinea
pigs
guinea pig care, food, cages.
Intro
One day I decided I wanted to know all
about these little creatures, as I once saw my sisters son playing with the
schools pet guinea pig, whom could be booked out for a week, so he would be able to
look and take care of it and interact with it. I didn’t know why a guinea pig was
better then hamster for a pet, or what food they liked or cages to buy, 'all
things guinea pig'. So I began to research and noted down all the quick to know
information about them in a word document and thought why not provide my months
work available on the internet as a Guinea Pig Pet Care Guide, even if various bits
of the information can be found freely all over the on the internet, this will
save you time hunting around for information.
I hope you enjoy reading it and learning
from it as I did.
Author: Paul Skinner, Jan 2005.
What is a Guinea Pig
Guinea pigs are hystricomorphic rodents***
(related to chinchillas and porcupines) that originated some where around the Andes Mountains, a region of South America. They were probably first domesticated by the Indians of Peru, who
used them for food or sacrificial offerings to their gods. They are still used
for food rather then pets there, as they are considered a delicacy, which some Europeans may find a repulsive act
with them being little cute harmless fury animals.
In the 16th century Dutch explorers
introduced guinea pigs to Europe and the rest of the world from that point on. Europeans like most
domesticated pets started selective breeding and captive rearing and now we
have the Guinea pigs we know today.
Guinea pigs were given the name by Europeans
is not exactly know today but
there are two theories of which I have heard of as follows,
The first one states that European explorers found the animal in the South
American country of Guyana originally and
The other one states that the explorer brought them back to Europe and sold
them for one guinea each.
Why are they called ‘PIG’?, Its most likely comes from these explorers thinking
they resembled small pigs or maybe because they were eaten by the Indians like
they were pig meat with a similar taste? Either way, there doesn't seem to be
any absolute explanation.
*** Side Note,
There is some question if guinea pigs are rodents or not?
Scientists studied genetic material from cavies^^, mice, and
rats and compared them. They suggested that the cavy and other South American
rodents are different enough from rats and mice that they should be removed
from the Order Rodentia.
Researchers believe that their new information should give
scientists time to reconsider the cavy's (ie Guinea Pig) classification among
rodents that the cavy and its close relatives should be assigned an order of
their own. Another group of scientists believe that cavies are definitely
rodents until additional research proves otherwise.
^^ Also Note,
“Guinea pigs are also referred to as
cavies (kay' vees) in the guinea pig world.
often spelt 'cavy' or 'cavies'”
Why a Guinea as a PET?
Guinea pigs
are good for preschoolers and elementary school kids as they are very gentle
and rarely bite. They will squeal if frightened. They only grow to about two
pounds and live an average of five to seven years. You can fed them easy found
and available foods and commercial food available from any local pet shop, or
you can visit this link and buy and get delivered pet foods and products direct
to your door step Online Pet Malls
Difference Between
Guinea Pig and Hamster
Guinea pigs are much bigger then hamsters,
especially dwarf hamsters
Hamsters, they tend to be rather solitary
animals and prefer their own company
Guinea pigs ideally enjoy the social
compatibility of another guinea pig for company and therefore I would have to
recommend that you take a same sex
Hamster love toys, the most commonly
wheels and little balls for them to run on or move,
but guinea pigs prefer holes and tunnels
and simple things to amuse them like boxes.
Not generally recommended to have a hamster
as a cage mate for a guinea pig
(a)
a male guinea pig will also attempt to mate with
the hamster, which is disastrous
(b)
Guinea pigs will not defend itself against a
hamster (or an attack by any other pet) as they are by nature timid and affable
creatures.
Guinea pig and a hamster have different
habitat and nutritional needs
Hamsters are better
for older children as they only live about two years, which could be
devastating for a 7-year-old. They are very animated and particularly active at
night time, so it's smart to keep their cage in a room outside of your sleeping
area. This also means they will be asleep during the day when your child wants
to play with them. They are easy to care for and will bite if provoked.
In summary, Guinea pigs make the best pets
for young kids, and require less maintenance
in their caring and feeding, then if you
bought another type of rodent Hamster, Rat, Mouse, Rabbit, or other larger
animals like Cats and Dogs which many not get on as well with human kids
(especially the younger kids) and their handling.
Types of
guinea pigs
There are two main two categories of the guinea pig's colouration - self’s
and non-self’s.
(a) Self guinea pigs are
all one colour, for example:
Pink Eyed White; Dark Eyed White; Golden Pink Eyed; Golden Dark Eyed; Red;
Lilac; Beige; Slate; Cream; Saffron; Black; Chocolate; Blue; Gray.
(b)
Non-self guinea pigs have more than one colour
and/or have long or rough coats. These guinea pigs come in most of the
self-colours listed above in (a), or a mixture of 2 or even more colours. There
are more then 20 colour varieties.
Varieties
of Guinea Pigs
Satin guinea pigs
Coat types
Crested guinea pigs
Longhaired guinea pigs
Hairless guinea pigs
Marked guinea pigs
Ticked guinea pigs or Argentes
Agouti guinea pigs
Solid guinea pigs
The Official Cavy/Guinea Pig Breeds:
1.
Abyssinian
2.
Abyssinian Satin
3.
American
4.
American Satin
5.
Coronet
6.
Peruvian
7.
Peruvian Satin
8.
Silkie (Sheltie)
9.
Silkie Satin
10. Teddy
11. Teddy Satin
12. Texel
13. White Crested
Abynissian
This cuddly
species of guinea pig needs regular grooming.
guinea pig care
Food
Guinea pigs need extra vitamin C added in
pet food unless specially says on the packet, as usually it is not present in
food in sufficient quantities and the guinea pig organs can't make its own
unlike humans. You can provide them with vitamin C in liquid form or by feeding
them vegetables rich in C. They do well in open aquariums or metal cages and
require a solid floor covered with shredded paper, wood chips, or straw.
You can find more food, and accessories
here:
Online Pet Malls
Giving Attention
Guinea pigs are naturally social animals
and if you decide that this isn't going to be the ideal situation for you, then
you must ensure that your guinea pig receives adequate attention and handling
from you on a daily basis to compensate for his lack of a cage mate
Lack of Attention from a human or a cage
mate would cause them to become
withdrawn and depressed and place the
guinea pig in a prominent place in the household where he can see and hear what
is going around him/her.
If you getting two guinea pigs then ideal
two female unless breeding them is ideal because
a male guinea pig, the chances of him
getting along with another adult male are less than perhaps two females living
together and may fight and bite each other.
Adult guinea male guinea pig with a baby
male guinea pig would co-exist as unlikely a adult
would NOT fight a baby and theirs enough
room in cage. One will become dominate ‘alpha male’ and maybe control access to
bedding, food and water MAKING LIFE MISABLE FOR THE OTHER.
Important - do not use regular soap or shampoo! to waste your small furry pet.
