Peruvian Guinea Pigs: Breed Description and Features

If children ask you to have a pet, but you are against it, or you do not have time to take care of it and additional cleaning in the house, get a guinea pig. These cute animals will not take you much space in the house and they certainly will not be dirt and spoiled furniture. And if you lead the Peruvian guinea pig, the "bonus" will get aesthetic pleasure.

Even more than five thousand years ago, the ancient Indians who lived in Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Guinea considered these small animals sacred, almost gods. Researchers from France at the beginning of the 19th century brought these animals to Europe for the first time. Since that time, breeders and began to breed them. Pigs have gained wide popularity among aristocrats and lived even at the court of the king.

After the exhibition in Paris, the animals became popular throughout Europe, and then scientists began to breed new guinea pig breeds. Until 1930, the Peruvian breed was called Angora, and only recently it acquired its current name.

This breed of animals is easily distinguishable from its other counterparts, its appearance causes delight and affection not only in children, but also in adults. Their distinguishing feature and characteristic feature is a long fur along the whole body. The length of the "hair" can reach 30 centimeters.

Along the spine, the hairline is divided into two straight lines. On the head, “hair” falls over the eyes of a pig and resembles a fashionable bang, while covering the entire face. The coat is silky and smooth, but on the abdomen and paws the hair is much shorter.

Their body is small, thirty centimeters in length, they weigh no more than one and a half kilograms. The back is flat and wide, but they have no tail. The head is rather large for their size, there are large dark eyes and small hanging ears. The color of the animals, as a rule, monophonic, two or three colors - white, brown and black.

By their nature and demeanor, they are quiet rodents that easily make contact with people. Animals love active games, because for their health it is important, and it is desirable to give them a few minutes of attention each day. They carry travels well and calmly, therefore they behave lightly and lightly at exhibitions.

Like any domestic rodent, a guinea pig must certainly live in a spacious cage. These small animals are unpretentious in food and do not require a special diet.

When feeding rodents there is one basic rule - they can not be fed from the common table. No baked goods, legumes, potatoes or exotic fruits should be placed in the rodent bowl. Adult animals fed with fresh grass, oats, bran, add bone meal and salt.

You need to feed twice a day, usually in the morning and evening. Pregnant rodents or mothers with offspring more often - four times a day, gradually adding milk to the diet. And, of course, sometimes animals need to be given vitamin complexes that can be purchased at any pet store.

In a cage, an animal should always have a drinking bowl with water, it should have free access to it. Water needs to be changed daily so that it does not stagnate; the water itself may be from the tap, but settled for three to four days. In the summer, the amount of water should be increased.

When buying a cage, first of all inspect it carefully, check the safety so that there are no sharp protruding objects and distances between the rods where the rodent may get stuck. You need to carefully consider not only the purchase of a cage, but also the choice of a place in the house where you put it. The cell is placed in a light, but not in direct sunlight, a place so that there are no drafts. It is desirable that she stood in a quiet place away from TV and video equipment, rooms with smells (toilet, kitchen).

The cage must be free and spacious so that the pig can stand on its hind legs, as it often does. Well fit cages the size of one square meter per animal. But if you do not have the opportunity to place such a “palace” at home, then you can purchase a two-level cage, but no more. Cells designed for other rodents, too, will not work.

It is desirable to clean the cage at least three times a week, removing dirty lumps of filler. At least once a week, you need to completely change the entire litter and clean the entire cage. Otherwise, the excrement may become entangled in the fur of the animal, and sticking to the remnants of food.

In order for the animal to always be mobile and in a good mood, the cage must be equipped with everything necessary: ​​toys, two feeders (one for dry, the other for succulent feeds) and a drinker. Also in the cage must be a house for the rest, where she can hide, and a toilet. To know which corner of the cage to put the toilet on, look at the animals for a couple of days. What place it takes, there and you can put the tray. If you still could not teach the animal to go to the tray, you can pour litter on the bottom of the cage. Well suited sawdust, hay or special fillers, which can also be bought at pet stores.

And the last element: there must be toys in the cage so that the animal does not gain weight, it is always mobile, and so it does not get bored. Balls, a mirror, a ladder, a wheel and so on are well suited as toys.

The wool of the Peruvian guinea pigs does not require special care - you just need to comb the animal once a day. It is necessary to shear the hair only as needed, for example, when the bang completely closes the eyes or gets tangled between the legs, making it difficult to move.

There is no need to wash rodents either, it needs to be done only before preparing for exhibitions.. After bathing the animal should be well wrapped in a cotton cloth or towel, you can use a hairdryer with a light jet of warm air.

These animals, like everyone else in their form, do not tolerate loneliness, so it is better to keep them in pairs. Then it will be possible to avoid all risks of breeding offspring, for example, the rejection of one of the partners during the crossing, aggressive behavior and so on.

If you want to breed Peruvian guinea pigs for exhibitions or for sales, then it is better for you to consult or even to entrust this matter to experienced breeders. They will be able to fulfill all the requirements for maintaining the purity of the breed. Despite the fact that puberty occurs in them not earlier than 6 months, males are ready for mating at the age of 10 weeks, and females even earlier - at the age of 5 weeks. Crossing them is still better at the age of 6 months, but the maximum age for offspring in rodents should be no more than two years. If these intervals are disturbed, the offspring may be sick, and the female itself may suffer.

Pregnancy in females lasts an average of 68 days. In litter mumps can bring from two to four cubs. The female will be ready for the next crossing in 2 weeks.

If you want to buy a real purebred Peruvian guinea pig, it is better to buy it at the pet store. Buying from your hands, or via the Internet, you risk becoming a victim of scammers or just inexperienced people. In the pet store, in addition to buying a purebred animal, you can consult in detail with the store staff about the conditions of its maintenance and care. There you can immediately get everything you need for your pet - from the cage to the feed for him. Well, if you still buy the animal from the hands, then pay attention to some nuances.

• First of all, on wool. It should be clean and not confused anywhere. Even in the anus, the wool must be clean - do not hesitate to inspect the animal's fur everywhere. Also, the wool should not climb, there should not be any parasites or insects.
• The animal must have a shine in the eyes, and they must be dry and clean. There should be no mucus or dirt around the eyes. Similarly, look and look at the mouth and nose of the animal.
• Mumps must be quite well-fed and in a good mood. They are very cute and sociable animals, they are not familiar with groundless lethargy in behavior.

The most suitable age for the establishment of these animals is 5 weeks. Young animals have not completely moved away from their mother’s milk, and older animals will have a hard time getting used to the new conditions. The price of rodents can reach up to $ 40 per animal, depending on its pedigree and awards. More simple representatives of this breed can be purchased on average for 5-6 dollars.

For information on how to properly comb a Peruvian guinea pig, see the following video.