Guinea pig
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Cavia porcellus
Cavia aperea
Cavia tschudii
Cavia guianae
Cavia anolaimae
Cavia nana
Cavia fulgida
Cavia magna
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Guinea pigs (also called cavies) are rodents belonging to the family Cavidae and the genus Cavia. There is currently some scientific dispute as to whether guinea pigs should be classified in order Rodentia, as some evidence from mitochondrial DNA indicates that they may belong to a different evolutionary offshoot. Contrary to popular belief, cavies are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. Although there are more than 20 different species, the one most familiar to people is C. porcellus, the common guinea pig. The majority of information in this article is about the common guinea pig.
History
The common guinea pig was first domesticated about 2000 BC by the Inca of South America, in what is now Peru. They continue to be an important food source in the region, subsisting off a family's vegetable scraps as a half pet/half future meal. Guinea pigs are the dish of honor (called cuy) at some Peruvian wedding feasts and play the role of evil-spirit collector in traditional healing rituals.
Dutch and English traders brought guinea pigs to Europe, where they quickly became popular as exotic pets. How they came to be thought of as "pigs" isn't known exactly, but it is thought that some of the sounds they make reminded people of pigs. This didn't happen only in English; the German word for them is Meerschweinchen, literally "Little Sea Pigs", French word is Cochon d'Inde, (Indian pig) the Dutch used to call it guinees biggetje (Guinean piglet), in Sweden they are called marsvin (a combination of the latin word mare for ocean, and swedish svin which means pig). The scientific name of a common species is Cavia porcellus, with porcellus being Latin for "little pig."
The origin of "guinea" in the title guinea pig is harder to explain. One theory is that the animals were brought to Europe by way of Guinea and people came to think they had come from there. Another theory is they were sold as the closest thing to a pig you could get for a guinea, an old British coin with a value of 21 shillings (1.05 GBP in the modern decimal currency). Since the Dutch name refers to Guinea rather than to the British coin and the fact that the first guinea pig was described in 1554 by the Swiss naturalist Konrad Gesner (more than a hundred years before the first guinea was struck), the former theory is more likely.
Traits and Environment
Guinea pigs are large for rodents, weighing between 1 and 3 pounds (0.5 and 1.5 kg) and measuring 10 to 15 inches (250 to 400 mm) long. They live five years on average with the maximum age rumored to be eight. They are social, in the wild living in small groups which consist of sows (females), a boar (male), and the young, which in a break with the preceding porcine nomenclature are called pups.
Unlike many rodents such as mice, rats, or squirrels, guinea pigs are not very athletic. Jumping, climbing, and fearlessness in the face of heights were not skills guinea pigs needed in the environment in which they evolved.
Guinea pigs in the wild live on grassy plains and occupy an ecological niche similar to that of the cow. They move together in small groups (herds) eating grass or whatever other plants they come across. They tend to be most active during dawn and dusk, when it is harder for predators to spot them. If startled they can run for cover with surprising speed.
Guinea pigs are probably the smallest grass-eating mammals. Grass digestion requires a special digestive system: whereas most grass-eating mammals are quite large and have a long digestive tract, guinea pigs use a more unusual method: they practice coprophagy, the eating of one's own feces. They produce special soft pellets which contain the B vitamins and bacteria required for proper digestion. They share this behaviour with for example rabbits.
Young
The gestation lasts from 68 to 72 days, which is quite long for such a small animal. As a consequence pups are already well developed (including fur, teeth, claws and full eyesight) when they are born. The young are mobile from birth, and depending on the environment, will usually venture outdoors within a week. They begin eating solid food after a couple of days, though continue to suckle also. Males may demonstrate courtship behavior (following young females and making a "warbling" sound) in the second or third week after birth. Females can breed when only three weeks old. Litters vary from 2 or 3 young to as many as 8 or more. In smaller litters, difficulties may occur during labour, due to oversized pups. Up to half the young may be lost in larger litters, as the mother cannot attend to the newly-borns fast enough. If a large number survive, it is likely the weakest, or runts of the litter, will be insufficiently nursed, resulting occasionally in the death of one or two pups.
Domestic Guinea Pigs
Domesticated guinea pigs come in many varieties which have been developed since their arrival in Europe and North America. These varieties vary widely in hair and color composition. The most common varieties found in pet stores are the English Short Hair which has a smooth, glossy, short coat, and the Abyssinian which has a rough coat made of cowlicks, crests, and swirls called rosettes. Each of these varieties come in a number of colors and color patterns.
Guinea pigs can be kept in cages or even large tubs as they will rarely climb out. Cages must have a waterproof guard around the edge as females will squirt urine out the sides without it. The cage should be roughly 7.5 square feet for one guinea pig, and 3 more square feet for each additional guinea pig. This gives them room to exercise and explore as they are naturally curious animals. Guinea pigs do best in groups of two or more guinea pigs, as they have a herd mentality. They must be fed either fresh vegetables or a commercial food made for guinea pigs. Rabbit food, for example, is not fortified with the vitamin C that guinea pigs must have in their diet.
Breeding is easy and males are not known to attack pups (however, females will breed on the day they give birth so it may not be wise to keep males with them at that time). Because of the long gestation period and the large size of the pups, pregnant females become extremely large. Pregnancy Toxemia is common and kills many pregnant females so you may not want to breed favorite pets. Breeding males produce a strong musk that smells much like bee's wax.
"Guinea pig" is often used as a metaphor for a subject of scientific experimentation. This notion persists even though guinea pigs are not commonly used as modern experimental animals. In the past they had been used to isolate different bacterial strains, but in modern labs they have been replaced by mice and rats, which reproduce more quickly.
Like humans but unlike most other mammals, Guinea pigs cannot synthesize their own vitamin C, but must obtain this vital nutrient from the food they eat in order to stay healthy. Like humans, if guinea pigs cannot get enough vitamin C they will suffer from scurvy and ultimately die.
Guinea pigs as food
Guinea pigs continue to be a major part of the diet in Peru, particularly in the Andes Mountains highlands, where they are an important source of protein and a mainstay of Andean folk medicine. Peruvians consume an estimated 65 million Guinea pigs each year, and the animal is so entrenched in the culture that one famous painting of the Last Supper in the main cathedral in Cusco, Peru shows Christ and the 12 disciples dining on Guinea pig.
La Molina National University, Peru's most prestigious agrarian university, has bred a larger, faster-growing variety of the animal that it hopes will prove a nutritional boon to the country, as well as a source of export income. This breed grows to about 2 kilos, or at least twice the native breed.