Where did guinea pigs come from. Why is the guinea pig called a guinea pig and where did it come from? Guinea pig care

Probably, almost every person in childhood was interested in the question: why Guinea pig so called. It seems to have nothing to do with artiodactyls. And why then the sea? Unlikely salty water- her element, and the little animal, it seems, is not adapted to swim. There is an explanation, and it is rather prosaic.

To understand why the guinea pig was called a guinea pig, one should turn to history. The Latin name for this funny animal is Cavia porcellus, the pig family. Other name: caywi and guinea pig. By the way, here is another incident that should be dealt with, animals also have nothing to do with Guinea.

These rodents have been known to man since ancient times and have been domesticated by tribes. South America. The Incas and other representatives of the continent ate animals for food. They worshiped them, depicting them on art objects, and also used them as ritual sacrifices. From archaeological sites in Ecuador and Peru, statues of these animals have survived to this day.

Guinea pigs are so named because their ancestors were used as food.

Furry animals became known to the inhabitants of the European continent in the 16th century after the conquest of Colombia, Bolivia and Peru by the Spanish conquistadors. Later merchant ships England, Holland and Spain began to bring unusual animals to their homeland, where they spread among the aristocratic environment as pets.

Where did the name guinea pig come from?

The term cavia in the scientific name is derived from cabiai. So the representatives of the Galibi tribes who lived in the territory of Guiana (South America) called the animal. The literal translation from Latin porcellus means "little pig". AT different countries It is customary to name the animal in different ways. More common is the abbreviated name cavy or kevy, shortened from cavia. At home, they are called kui (gui) and aperea, in the UK - Indian pigs, and in Western Europe- Peruvian.

A wild guinea pig is called "little pig" in Guiana

Why still "marine"?

The little animal received such a name only in Russia, Poland (Swinka morska) and Germany (Meerschweinchen). made them frequent companions of sailors. Yes, and animals arrived in Europe at that time only by sea. Probably, for this reason, associations of small rodents with water appeared. As for Russia, such a name was probably borrowed from a Polish name. Such an option is not excluded: overseas, i.e. strange beasts arrived from afar, and subsequently dwindled, discarding the prefix.

There is also such a version: in order to get around the ban on eating meat during fasting days, Catholic priests ranked capybaras (capybaras), and at the same time these rodents as fish. It is possible that this is why they were called guinea pigs.

Why pig?

The mention of a pig in the name can be heard from the Portuguese (small Indian pig), the Netherlands (Guinea pig), the French and the Chinese.

The reason for the connection with the known artiodactyl should probably be sought in resemblance. A thick barrel-shaped body on low legs, a short neck and a large head relative to the body resemble a pig. The sounds that the rodent makes can also be associated with the pig. In a calm state, they remotely resemble a grunt, and in case of danger, their whistle is similar to a pig's squeal. Animals are similar in content: both of them are constantly chewing something, sitting in small pens.

The animal is called a pig because of its resemblance to a piglet.

Another reason lies in the culinary habits of the natives in the homeland of animals. Domesticated animals were raised for slaughter, as were pigs. The appearance and taste, reminiscent of a suckling pig, which the first Spanish colonialists recognized, and gave them the opportunity to call the animals that way.

At home, rodents are used for food to this day. Peruvians and Ecuadorians eat them in large quantities, rubbed with spices and salt, and then fried in oil or on coals. And, by the way, the carcass cooked on a spit really looks very similar to a small suckling pig.

The Spaniards called the guinea pig the Indian rabbit.

By the way, these animals are associated in different countries not only with pigs, but also with other animals. In Germany, there is another name merswin (dolphin), probably for similar sounds made. The Spanish name translates as a small Indian rabbit, and the Japanese call them morumotto (from the English "marmot").

Where did the word "Guinean" come from in the name?

Here, too, a strange confusion has crept in, because Guinea is in West Africa, and not in South America, where guinea pigs originated.

There are several explanations for this discrepancy:

• pronunciation error: Guiana (South America) and Guinea ( West Africa) sound very similar. In addition, both territories are former French colonies;
• ships that imported animals from Guiana to Europe followed through Africa and, accordingly, Guinea;
• both “overseas” in Russian, and “guinea” in English, mean in meaning like everything brought from unknown distant countries;
• The guinea is the currency for which exotic animals were sold.

Ancestors of guinea pigs and their domestication

Intended and common in South America almost everywhere. They can be found both in savannahs and on the edges of forests, on rocky sections of mountains and even in swampy areas. Often uniting in groups of up to ten individuals, the animals dig holes for themselves or occupy the dwellings of other animals. They feed exclusively on plant foods, are most active at night and at dusk, and breed all year round. Color gray-brown with a light belly.

The Inca peoples began to domesticate peaceful rodents from about the 13th century. When animals appeared in European countries, at first they were in demand in scientific laboratories for experiments. Nice appearance, good nature and sociability gradually won the attention of connoisseurs. And now these funny little animals are safely settled in homes around the world as beloved pets.

Guinea pigs are diverse

To date, breeders have bred over 20 breeds that differ in a variety of colors, coat structure, length, and even partial or complete absence.

They are usually divided into groups:

• long-haired (angora, merino, texels, sheltie, Peruvian and others);
• short-haired (cresteds, selfies);
• wirehaired (rex, american teddy, abyssinian);
• hairless (skinny, baldwin).

In contrast to the natural wild color, now you can find favorites of black, red, white color and all sorts of their shades. From monochromatic colors, breeders brought spotted and even tricolor animals. Long-haired animals with rosette hair look very funny, having a funny disheveled look. , weight varies from 600 to 1500 g. Little pets live from 5 to 8 years.

The ancestors of the guinea pig began to tame

Here are some about the history of guinea pigs and why they are called that. However, an animal with such a cute original appearance and the name should be unusual.

Video: why the guinea pig is called that

Why is the guinea pig called a guinea pig and where did it come from?

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Come from Guinea pig from South America. The Spanish conquistadors saw many of these rodents in the villages of the Indians. The Incas roasted them and ate them public holidays. And now guinea pigs still live in some settlements of the Indians, during the day they run freely around the houses, and come to spend the night in huts.

Guinea pigs were brought to Europe in the 16th century, 60 years after Columbus discovered America. In Konrad Gesner's book on animals, published in 1554, they are already mentioned.

Why is it so strangely called this purely land animal, which has nothing to do with pigs? Mumps, obviously, for the pig squeal with which this animal expresses its fear. Perhaps also for the "grunt" similar to the gurgling of water. This is the voice of a calm, peaceful guinea pig.

With the origin of the epithet "marine" is more complicated. If they called it "overseas", everything would be clear; brought from the sea. But it is still called marine. Maybe because in those distant times sailors loved to keep guinea pigs on ships for fun.

The disposition of the pigs is peaceful, they never bite, children can safely play with them. In many foreign countries guinea pigs are slaughtered and eaten. But the main purpose of this rodent is not children's fun, not gastronomic use, but service in the medical field. The guinea pig has been and remains one of the best laboratory animals. She is very sensitive to infectious diseases. Therefore, experiments are carried out on it to diagnose contagious diseases of humans and farm animals (diphtheria, typhus, tuberculosis, glanders, etc.).

Physiologists, geneticists, allergists, virologists, bacteriologists experiment with it. In a word, in all areas of medicine and related sciences, the guinea pig serves as an experimental animal.

For relatively short term amateur breeders have bred different breeds of guinea pigs.

The Himalayan is especially beautiful. By color, it is a complete analogy with the Russian ermine rabbit: ears, muzzle, legs are black, everything else is white. Instead of black, a dark chocolate color is acceptable. All other deviations in color are rejected. This coloration appears in young pigs only by the age of four months. Newborn Himalayan pigs are completely white.

Dutch pig. Bred in Holland and improved in England. Its color is also two-tone. The front of the body and head are white. The back half of the body, ears, cheeks are black, brown or gray.

Agouti. There are two varieties of this breed: the golden agouti (golden brown with a rufous belly) and the gray agouti (with a light silver belly).

All three breeds mentioned above are smooth-haired. But there are also long-haired and wire-haired guinea pigs. They are infertile (rarely bring more than one cub and are not suitable for laboratory purposes).

Angora guinea pig. Her coat is long and silky. The color is different: black, white, red, agouti and blue. Because of this magnificent coat, the Angora pig requires special care.

Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus)

And here she is, a guinea pig, only long-haired. That's why she looks so messed up.

Wirehaired rosette guinea pig. Although it is often called Abyssinian or Japanese, its homeland is England. Rosette is called because her long and coarse hair in different parts of the body diverge in rosettes - from the center to the periphery, as we have on the top of her head. Color black, white and red.

Unfortunately, there are few purebred guinea pigs, most of them are crossbreeds of different breeds. The most common of them are piebald guinea pigs: black and white, red and white or tricolor (tricolor) - red, black and white. There are also black or white with red eyes (albinos). These are the most susceptible to various diseases.

For laboratory purposes, breeders have bred breeds of guinea pigs whose sensitivity to allergens and pathogenic microbes knew no bounds. They got sick and died from almost everything. It became impossible to experiment on such animals.

In general, guinea pigs are naturally highly sensitized animals, allergic, which have almost no equal in this. Especially the so-called Brazilian varieties of pigs. Argentinean ones are more persistent. But both are difficult to work with because of their high susceptibility and poor - shall we say - health. A slight breeze in the room, and the guinea pig is already sneezing: she has a cold. Hot day - she lies in a stretch, breathes often: overheated. And a very nervous animal! May die of fear if rudely taken out of the cage.

Guinea pigs live well in laboratories, and in the homes of various amateurs, and young naturalists. Still, you need to remember that every guinea pig is susceptible to colds, and therefore the room where it is kept must be warm, bright, dry and without drafts.

One guinea pig can live in a simple box (which often happens). But for breeding purposes, special cages are needed - cages, which have two floors: the lower one is solid (sloping back) and the upper one is slatted. The size of the cage is approximately: 70 centimeters long, 50 - width and 40 - height. The cage is closed on all sides, except for the front wall, which is a door covered with wire mesh.

Such cages usually contain five adult females and one male. Pregnant females before lambing are either deposited in special uterine cages or not. In the latter case, lambing occurs in common cage. The male does not bring harm to newborn cubs, but, on the contrary, protects them, driving away other females. If two or more lambings happen at the same time, then the cubs often confuse their mothers with other nursing females. Those willingly accept the kids, feed along with their own.

Sexual maturity in guinea pigs occurs in about two to three months. But before four months they should not be mated. Pregnancy -60-70 days. Usually, females bring two to four cubs, which are born fully developed. As they dry, they stand firmly on their legs and run after their mother. On the 3-4th day, they begin to try tender grass and other foods. But milk - main meal and their mother feeds them for about a month. Guinea pigs, which are fed succulent herbs and root vegetables, do not need water at all. But pregnant females are thirsty two or three days before lambing, and they need to put a drinker with warm water or milk.

The best food for guinea pigs is wheat bran, oats, carrots, beets and good hay, and in summer root crops and freshly cut grass. Bran should be given slightly moist. They eat guinea pigs and vegetable kitchen waste and even mushrooms. But everything must be fresh. Musty hay, rotten vegetables, sun-warmed grass cause gastric diseases and death of animals.

Guinea pig is a kind and harmless animal

domestic guinea pig(lat. Cavia porcellus) is a mammal belonging to the order of rodents of the mumps family. More and more Russians prefer this cute and harmless animal as a pet.

Relatives and ancestors

All representatives of the guinea pig subfamily come from South America, where they are widely distributed. One of them - Cavia aperea tschudii - lives in Peru. Our domestic guinea pigs originated from this subspecies. Their domestication began since the time of the Incas, during which they were first sacrificial, and then meat animals.

It should be noted that domestic guinea pigs are still considered good food by the Indians of the High Andes. To this end, today large guinea pigs weighing 2.5 kg or more are bred in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Bolivia. Every year, Peruvian guinea pigs produce about 17 thousand tons of meat.

After the discovery of America in 1592, guinea pigs came to Spain and Portugal, and then to Great Britain and Holland. At first they were rare and expensive. By the way, it is believed that it was its value (guinea) that determined the name of the pig on English language- guinea pig.

Domestic domesticated guinea pig got its own Latin name Cavia porcellus.

breeds

Guinea pigs are very popular as pets today.

There are several breeds of guinea pigs that differ in the type of coat. The most common of them:

• American, or short-haired guinea pigs - with short, smooth hair;
• Abyssinian, or wire-haired, or rosette - with short, hard hair in the form of rosettes;
• angora - with long soft fluffy hair;
• sheltie - with long hair adjacent to the body;
• koropets - shelties with a rosette on their heads - a “crown”;
• English crested pigs - short-haired pigs with a rosette on their heads;
• tessel - long-haired pigs with strongly wavy hair.

Care, proper feeding

The coat of some breeds needs to be brushed.

The future owner needs to carefully approach the issue of choosing a cage for his new pet. It can be made of plastic, wood or metal. At the same time, you can’t keep the animal in a cage that is too small - its dimensions should not be less than 30x40 cm. A piece of hard wood should be placed in the cage so that the animals can grind their incisors. It is impossible to have objects made of thin plastic in the cage, because the pigs can chew them and swallow the pieces. So that the animal does not have bad smell The cage should be cleaned every 2-3 days. You can equip a restroom in it by placing a small trough with sawdust.

Guinea pigs are afraid of drafts and high humidity, so the cage should be placed away from the batteries, in a well-lit (but not in the bright sun!) Place. The required temperature is 18-20°C.

AT warm time pigs pets can be kept outdoors. However, the "summer house" must be protected from rain and wind, as well as direct sunlight.

In general, caring for guinea pigs is easy. Animals with normal hair and rosettes with pure content don't need brushing at all. In long-haired breeds, it is necessary to comb the coat regularly - first of all, the lower back, because the fur coat of the animal falls off most often there. If the hairs are rolled up, you can cut them off.

Guinea pigs do not bathe, they do not like it. If you are determined to “ennoble” the animal, use a mild baby shampoo, which must be rinsed very thoroughly, and then dry the hair with a hairdryer, keeping the animal warm so that it does not freeze. It is necessary to trim the claws, but a little and carefully.

Pigs need food rich in fiber - then they will have a beautiful shiny coat. In addition, guinea pigs eat hay and green food, love carrots, lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, apples.

Guinea pig and other pets

A distinctive feature of guinea pigs is complete indifference to other animals. Such a reaction can be life-threatening for the animal if it encounters a predatory animal. Therefore, pigs should not be kept with other pets that can harm them.

In one children's movie, a guinea pig resents the name given to her. She rightly claims to be related to rodents and complained that she was motion sick on the ship. Why is the guinea pig so called several hypotheses. All of them are realistic and based on real stories.

From the point of view of zoologists, guinea pigs have nothing to do with pigs. These are rodents of the mumps family, a genus of pigs. In the wild, and now the brown-gray rodent lives in South America. The first drawings depicting this amazing rodent, discovered by scientists, date back to the 5th century BC, more precisely, they are more than 25 centuries old.

The first pigs were tamed by the tribes living on the slopes of the Andes. Now this territory belongs to several states:

• Peru;
• Colombia;
• Bolivia;
• Ecuador.

Peru played a special role in the appearance of guinea pigs, it was on its territory that scientists got acquainted with this animal. The first rodents came to Europe from the territory of this country. There, the Mochica tribe had a guinea pig among its idols and worshiped it. Found figurines depicting this animal in places of ritual sacrifice.

Ancient Peruvians from the Mochica tribe worshiped the guinea pig

The Incas were the first to domesticate rodents. They still use them as a source of dietary meat. But they called her Koris, Kevy. Currently in Bolivia, many restaurants serve Cui. This is the name of a guinea pig that has changed over time.

Currently living in South America a large number of kevy. They are found in the mountains and on the plains, live in the sands and savannah. Their color differs slightly, mostly brown-gray with a light tummy. Variants depending on the area in coloring are simple, the predominance of one of the dominant tones on the back.

Pigs dig holes for themselves on their own, uniting 5-12 individuals in one team or reclaiming ready-made ones. Lead mainly night image life, leaving the shelter in the evening at dusk. They feed on herbs growing around, fruits and berries.

Guinea pigs eat grass, fruits, berries

During the barrack period, couples are not created. Pregnancy in a female lasts 60-70 days. Within a few hours after birth, babies move independently. Mom feeds them for a month and the young animals are ready for independent living, and the female mates again and bears new rodents.

Guinea pigs breed all year round. Their main food is always available, they are not in large areas of their residence.

There are many enemies in rodents, therefore, despite the large number of offspring, the number is stable, does not increase. Domesticated animals, under the protection of man and in the presence of food, quickly increase in numbers and grow. Already in 2 months they reach the size adult. In addition to grass, they eat grain, vegetables, mixed fodder.

In Peru, some tribes still use guinea pigs for sacrifice. They believe that the gods should be given something pleasant. Their cult forbids killing animals. They domesticated sheep and Kui a long time ago and do not consider them animals, since they grow them themselves.

By historical sources, from about 1200 AD, and until 1532, local aborigines were engaged in the selection of domesticated Kui. So the name of rodents was transformed over time. When the first explorers came to America, guinea pigs were bred there by the thousands as a source of tasty meat. The selection was aimed mainly at obtaining larger animals. Now there are breeds whose males weigh up to 4 kg. The color and length of the coat were of secondary importance.

In the first description, guinea pigs were compared to small rabbits. Animals feed on grass, have tender meat, similar to rabbit and chicken at the same time. Males weigh 1 - 1.5 kg, females are smaller, up to 1.2 kg. The length of Kui is 25 - 35 cm. The first name for animals in Europe was given to the Indian rabbit. Then, together with India, America was a colony of England and did not have its own separate name.

The first name of a rodent in Europe - Indian rabbit

When traders brought rodents, they were examined and given scientific name Cavia porcellus means small pig. The second meaning of Cavia comes from the modified cabiai - the name of the Galibi tribe.

Why are guinea pigs called that? Their body structure is very similar to a pig. Lack of a distinct neck and large head. Animals live in pens for pigs, they are also not demanding in food and chew all day. At the same time, they make sounds similar to the contented grunting of real pigs. If disturbed, they scream loudly like piglets.

Butchered carcasses of guinea pigs differ from young piglets only in paws. Cooked on a spit, they are very similar to little piglets. Currently, 65 million kui are eaten in Peru per year. Serving local diet dish and in restaurants in Ecuador, Brazil.

Kui guinea pigs are eaten in Peru, Ecuador, Brazil

In Europe, funny and cute rodents without a tail became pets, first among the courtiers, then among the middle strata of the population. Now they are ubiquitous as pets, especially buy them for children. Queen Elizabeth had Guinea pigs.

There are several hypotheses why a guinea pig is called a guinea pig. They were born in different parts Europe and it is possible that everyone has the right to exist, as a variant of the name of the mumps. Moreover, all options refer to different areas, but about the same time - the 17th century. Scientists do not refute any of them as untenable. They also cannot single out the only true one.

Catholic version of the name

The simplest hypothesis, why the guinea pig was called a guinea pig, is explained by the gluttony of Catholic priests and refers to the southern regions of Europe.

Simultaneously with guinea pigs, the largest capybara rodents were brought from Brazil. They drive semi-aquatic image life and eat only grass. Capybaras reach at the withers up to 60 cm and can weigh more than 60 kg. It's like a big sheepdog. They spend a lot of time swimming and resting in shallow water. Large rodents belong to the mumps family, have tender meat.

Simultaneously with the pigs from Brazil, they brought copybara - the most large rodent in the world

Catholic priests attributed Capybara and Guinea pigs - as they called then marine, to fish. This allowed them to eat their meat during fasting.

Russian version

Rodents came to the territory of Russia under the name Guinea pig. The name itself has had several interpretations.

1. Pigs were imported from Guinea.
2. They were sold for 1 guinea.
3. At that time, Guinea denoted everything that was brought from across the sea, and it was wonderful for local residents. Only sailors knew where the country was located and what it looked like with outlandish plants and fruits.

Gradually, in Russia, animals began to be called the Overseas pig. Over time, the pretext disappeared, and the name Morskaya remained.

port option

Sailors, making a long journey, took provisions with them. The British, who often had to fall into the fog, used pigs as sirens. The animal is able to scream piercingly for hours and not lose its voice. This made it possible to avoid collisions of ships when nothing was visible. The rest used the omnivorous unpretentious animal as a food supply. Then chickens lived in the hold, sometimes cows. There were no refrigerators, meat, milk, eggs were kept alive and freshly laid.

Guinea pigs can scream for hours without losing their voice, so sailors used them as sirens.

Traveling to America, sailors released guinea pigs back into the pig pens. They published similar sounds and behaved like piglets, quickly multiplied and grew. Many people liked the tender meat. The rodents tolerated rolling well and did not come into conflict with ship rats. They were then called mainly Indian pigs.

So sea travelers got their name in ports mediterranean sea and became guinea pigs.

Linguistic hypothesis

Why scientists named the guinea pig. The name Cavia porcellus was translated in Europe into different languages. Wherever the cute animal came as a pet and entertainment, its name was pronounced in a local way. In Poland it became Swinka morska.

This is another hypothesis for the appearance of the name of the rodent. Given that the pig swims well, the name is quite justified.

domestic guinea pigs

In Europe, guinea pigs are kept exclusively as decorative pets. The animal is sociable and playful, lives on average 8 years. Already at the age of 2 months, the rodents are ready for breeding, but this moment should be postponed until the female reaches the year. So that the guinea pig does not get bored, there should be several of them. The optimal amount for one large cage per 1 male is 2-3 females. If the animal is alone, it must be provided.

There should be hay in the cage all year round. Animals chew it all day long. They not only eat, but at the same time grind down the teeth that grow constantly in rodents. In addition to dry grass, they should be given:

• cereal grains;
• carrot;
• Apple;
• cucumber;
• beets;
• fruits;
• branches of fruit trees.

Guinea pigs love cereal grains

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 the content is very undemanding and unpretentious.

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 taste qualities 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 great variety 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 distinguish between yellow, green, red and blue colors However, 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. You can see cavii as in highlands as well as in 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. AT vivo habitat 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, 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 sprouted 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,
• milk products.

Despite the fact that the pigs are ready for breeding in a very early age, the first litter is recommended to receive 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 is an animal that looks like a rabbit and at the same time. ancient ancestor 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.