Interesting facts about guinea pigs for children and adults

Each rodent has many funny habits and habits. It is useful for owners to learn interesting facts about guinea pigs or other animals. Such information simplifies the maintenance of the animal and removes many questions.

Historical facts

Guinea pigs were originally tamed in Peru, where they still eat their meat. At first, animals were a source of meat food, reminiscent of tender, lean pig meat. Also, rodents were used for sacrifice to bloodthirsty and carnivorous gods.

The name “marine” has nothing to do with its habitat in the water. The animal was brought to Europe in the 16th century, and at first it was called “overseas” because it was brought from distant seas and oceans. Over the years, the prefix “for” disappeared, and the mumps turned into just “marine”.

Creatures came to Europe after the discovery of America. The animal seemed a curiosity, therefore it was expensive, a whole guinea. In Britain, pets were called “ginipig”.

Like many modern animals, guinea pigs had distant ancestors. The latter were more reminiscent of buffaloes in size and reached a mass of 70 kg.

Representatives of the Mochico tribe treated animals as the personifications of the gods. They were worshiped, offered sacrifices in the form of fruits and created works of art, where the animals were the central elements.

Physiology

There are 3 main varieties of these animals:

• Peruvian with a silky and straight coat;
• Abyssinian with a dense skin formed into rosettes;
• English with short and smooth hair.

The only thing guinea pigs have in common with the cute farm pig is their ability to squeal. The former belong to rodents, the latter to artiodactyls.

An extremely interesting fact about these animals is related to their continuation of the genus: for some reason, a pregnant female can “freeze” offspring in herself and postpone childbirth for months, or even years.

The babies of these animals are the only rodent environments who are born immediately with their eyes open and covered with soft fur.

In order to avoid beriberi, rodents must receive adequate amounts of vitamin K and B. However, it is absorbed only when it passes through the digestive organs again. For this, animals are forced to eat their excrement.

IMPORTANT! Too clean owners are not recommended to buy a rodent dwelling with a special tray or clean the cage daily. Such a craving for cleanliness leads to a deficiency of vitamins in a rodent.

Although the menu of animals is extremely diverse and consists of grains, herbs, fruits and vegetables, it must be borne in mind that many foods can harm the animal, so choosing a diet must be done with extreme care.

In humans and rodents, the number of pairs of chromosomes differs significantly. If a person has only 46 of them, then the guinea pig has 64 chromosomes, or 32 pairs.

This type of rodent has the ability to distinguish colors, the length of their hair reaches 50 cm, and falling even from a slight height can be deadly.

When treating with antibiotics, it must be remembered that the penicillin group is deadly poisonous for animals.

The life expectancy of a pet directly depends on the quality of care. With decent maintenance, they can live up to 7 years. The long-lived record holder pleased his owners for 15 years.

Owners should know what diseases pets are most susceptible to, and try to protect them from pathologies. For rodents are dangerous:

• scurvy;
• diarrhea;
• abscesses;
• infectious diseases of the respiratory tract.

Considering the fact that the peculiarities of the dental system provoke the growth of incisors all their lives, it is necessary to provide the animal with a device for grinding them.

The peculiarity of the structure of the gastrointestinal tract does not allow building a meal schedule for guinea pigs: they must eat in tiny portions, but constantly.

The speed of maturation of pigs is amazingly fast – in a month they reach sexual maturity.

Behaviors and habits

Despite the characteristic name, guinea pigs are extremely negative about water, it can even harm a pet.

The daily schedule is significantly different from the human one. Rodents sleep for about 10 minutes several times a day, they are awake during the cooled down time. The main peak of activity falls at dusk.

Guinea pigs are social animals, so they need to be kept in groups. They communicate by whistling, and if the animal lives separately, then the owners will have to put up with the constant search for relatives.

In addition to the whistle with which individuals attract relatives, rodents are able to emit:

• purr;
• rumbling;
• screech;
• and even, chirping.

This species of rodents is called one of the best pets: they are sociable, quickly remember the name, and are very tame. Despite their powerful dentition and long claws, they never cause injury to their owners and are great as pets for children.

Records

Among guinea pigs there are also champions:

• in 2012, a Scottish guinea pig named Truffle jumped 48 cm and firmly secured the long jump record;
• Pukel, a guinea pig from Switzerland, jumped 20 cm high;
• Englishman Flash received the title of the fastest guinea pig, spending less than 9 seconds for a distance of 10 m.

Despite the well-fed body, the speed of the guinea pig can be quite high. All the interesting facts from the history and behavioral habits of these funny animals will allow you to adjust their care as correctly as possible, provide them with a pleasant and comfortable life, and enjoy their affection and sociability from year to year.

Video: amazing facts about guinea pigs