I love my pigs (Guinea Pig)

Member Name: Laneyxx

Product:	Guinea Pig
Date:	19/07/09 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to handle and very lovable pets

Disadvantages: there are none

Guinea pigs are rodents, forming part of a group known as caviomorphs, the only difference is they have no tail. They originate from the Andean region of South America, and were probably first domesticated by the Incas over 750 years ago. The wild ancestors of the Guinea pig were agouti(wild rabbit colour) coloured, which provided them with a good level of camouflage. It was not until the 1700's that Guinea pigs were first brought to Europe.

The only simularities between pigs and guinea pigs is that the females are called sows and the males boars and that guinea pigs do actually make "oinking" sounds, to be quite honest guinea pigs are very vocal animals they even purr when very relaxed and happy (well mine do anyway!).

Guinea pigs make ideal pets for children as they are easy to handle and will not attempt to bite when picked up. They can often be heard squealing when trying to pick them up but thats just normal behavior for them. They can be housed either in the home or in a hutch throughout the year, but if bought in winter do not put outside untill the summer. Guinea pigs are far shyer than rabbits, they are more likely to scurry away behind the back of the settee and are content to stay there as long as they want.

Guinea pigs can live for up to 6 years under normal circumstances. It is also possible to keep pet rabbits and guinea pigs housed together, but you much watch to make sure that the rabbit does'nt bully the smaller rodent. If you do choose to have them living together then the hutch must be spacious and also select one of the smaller breeds of rabbits so it is less likely to get hurt when the rabbit jumps. Seperate them at once if you notice any signs of bullying.

Guinea pigs do not have any unpleasant odour unlike other rodents, also they don't have a toilet area like the rabbit so don't be surprised if they do their bussiness any where in the hutch, even in their food bowls! so they shoulb be cleaned out regulary with fresh saw dust and plenty of hay. Guinea pigs need to have fresh fruit and vegetables every day as they don't store vitamin C, they can suffer from deficiancy very easily. The complete foods for guinea pigs contain extra vitamin C but I find its best to keep toping them up with fresh food, they love munching on things like carrots, leafy cabbage, apples, salad peppers and mine are particulary fond of brocolli and strawberry tops ( sometimes they eat better then the kids!!).

The more common breed of guinea pigs are the short haired variety, which come in numerous colours or you could go for the long haired. The long haired breeds such as the abyssian( has rosettes and ridges), peruvian(very long hair which falls over the face) or the sheltie(hair which is swept backand has no parting) are definately my favourites but they do need more looking after with their coats. There is another breed called the rex and these have slightly curly and very coarse hair, I personally think they look a bit like a toilet brush, in a good way.

As guinea pigs are very communal they really are best in pairs,prefably the same sex. They would be much happier with a playmate and some old cardboard boxes and even plastic flower pots, anything they can hide in.

Summary: a good pet for the whole family