How many guinea pigs live?

Unfortunately, all pets sooner or later have to say goodbye. Some of them stay with us for life, become real friends. The lives of others are more transient, but they also take root in our memory forever, evoking only the most pleasant memories. Sometimes you want to know how long this or that animal will be able to be near, and therefore today we will talk about how many guinea pigs live. What determines their lifespan?

Unlike other members of their squad, guinea pigs are considered to be true long-livers. The approximate life expectancy of these pets in captivity is up to 8 years, and in their natural environment – to 10. That is why these animals are bought - no one wants to say goodbye every year to a new family pet.

South America is considered the birthplace of these animals, where they were first discovered by Europeans. Small animals caused a real sensation among the civilized public: they were cute, charming, easy to care for and friendly. After the popularization of pigs around the world, numerous works on the crossing and breeding of new ornamental species began. Unfortunately, the selection has led to the fact that the life span of new breeds has significantly decreased (to 5-7 years).

The most long-lived representative of these animals is the guinea pig-boy from England, he managed to cheat death up to 15 years (14 years and 9 months).

Even in the most favorable conditions of keeping this animal at home, individuals rarely live to eight years. Approximate reasons for such an average life at home can be the following:

• inappropriate environment;
• unscrupulous care;
• unhealthy diet;
• neglect of symptoms of diseases;
• breed, as well as heredity.

Each of these reasons will be discussed in detail below.

The content of guinea pigs in zoos and aviaries suggests a further reduction in the potential lifespan of these animals. The reasons may be as follows.

• Poor food, dirty water. Usually such animals are kept in small groups up to 10 individuals. Food for such a quantity of animals is most often bought in bulk and stored in a specific place, for which there is no careful care. What already affects its quality. The same applies to the diversity in the diet, which the individual in captivity clearly does not receive.

Simply put, home care for an individual is usually much more effective than caring for the same individual in private animal breeding and storage facilities.

• Quality care. The untimely replacement of old fodder for new ones, the assumption of rotting of old products, insufficient care for the cages due to the large number of other animals, as well as the lack of minimal entertainment and toys.
• Constant nervous tension. Any animal from the zoo needs time to get used to being teased, called upon, inexplicably fed and constantly distracted. Against this background, mental disorder and depression can develop, to which guinea pigs are also susceptible.Animals with such disorders in the zoo do not stay long, especially such animals as guinea pigs.

All varieties of guinea pigs also differ in interbreed characteristics. There are 3 types of guinea pigs, depending on the thickness of the hair.

• Long-haired guinea pigs breeds like Peruvian, Abyssinian, sheltie, crown. All pigs from this list have a long fur, which requires careful care. They do not live very long, the average life expectancy is from 5 to 6 years.

• Short-haired guinea pigs do not require much and painstaking care and live up to 8 years. Famous breeds: american, christened, himalayan, texel, royal.

• Hairless Guinea Pigs were bred for people with an acute and uncontrolled form of allergy to the fur of these animals. They have an average lifespan of 4 years, some individuals can live up to 8 years. It is easiest to care for such pets due to the absence of problems with wool. Famous breeds: skinny baldwin.

The lifespan of any pet depends not only on its type or breed, most often it is the result of a whole set of conditions. Conditions of detention - the first thing you should pay attention to when buying an animal. Guinea pigs can hardly be called fastidious animals, however, in some environment they feel good, and in some are able to quickly wither. What it depends on, we consider next.

An open-air cage, cage or pet tank should be both spacious, wide and not particularly tall. The material for the cage must be durableso that the animal cannot nibble it and is quite heavy, so that the design does not overturn from the weight of an adult individual during games or feeding. As such materials are usually chosen metal or glass.

• Metal cells they are good because they circulate oxygen well, they are durable and easy to clean.
• Glass however, it is heavier, becomes more polluted and does not let in fresh air as well, especially if it is a solid aquarium. At the same time, metal cages are much more expensive.

Be sure to put in a cage items for games, it can be perches, horizontal stairs, houses, tunnels, wheel. Games stimulate the physical activity of the animal, give it more strength. Physical procedures have a beneficial effect on health, strengthen the body, burn excess fat and improve digestion.

Guinea pigs are among those pets that do not tolerate a long time in the same space. Against the background of boredom can develop a real depression. To avoid this, it is enough sometimes to take a pig for a walk somewhere outside the city. Avoid walking in parks and courtyards near roadways and industrial plants. It is better to do this somewhere near the city, after checking the meadow vegetation for the presence of harmful plants and grasses.

If you are afraid to let your pet out, you can, under the watchful supervision, send him to walk around the room, but make sure the animal doesn’t take anything harmful in its mouth, it is especially dangerous to eat domestic plants. Many of them are very dangerous for guinea pigs.

Predisposition to diseases caused by improper diet or care, also greatly affects the life expectancy of the animal. Guinea pigs have a strong immunity, however, it can be weakened by improper nutrition.

Symptoms may be as follows:

• the animal looks sluggish, moves slowly, or does not move at all;
• breathing hoarse and difficult, have shortness of breath;
• animals are subject to systematic seizures with convulsions and convulsions;
• the scalp begins to fall out, boils and ulcers form on the body;
• noticeable violations of the digestive tract - diarrhea, constipation;
• weak appetite or lack of it, great thirst;
• eyes are watering, from the nose of the animal flows;
• wool looks felted and stuck together;
• scratching is observed all over the body, the animal cannot sit still.

The best way to determine the current state of a pet is to offer to play games. It is through the activity and movements of the animal that you will understand that something is wrong with it. No self treatment!

Heredity - One of the most important factors that you should pay attention to when choosing and buying a guinea pig. Buying a pig directly at the pet store is good because you are given documents with information about the parents, as well as about the hereditary predispositions of the animal to certain diseases. Unfortunately, when the disease manifests itself, you cannot do anything about it or somehow affect the outcome.

Proper nutrition - Another important factor that affects not only the well-being of the animal, but also its mood, level of activity and playfulness. This animal is a foodie gourmet. For example, guinea pigs suffer from fruits and vegetables with high acidity (lemon), fruits and berries with a high content of fructose for them are also extremely harmful (tangerines, strawberries, blueberries), like all dairy products (milk, cheese, cottage cheese), meat and bakery products (meat, bread, bread). Eating any product from this list can potentially lead to the death of your animal.

Another important point concerns absorption of ascorbic acid or vitamin C, which the gastrointestinal tract of these animals cannot physically synthesize. It follows from this that every day either synthetic vitamin C or its natural replacement in the form of fruits and vegetables should be present in the diet.

Another problem in the diet of guinea pigs - binge eating. The glory of the irrepressible gluttons who don’t know when to stop was fixed to the animals.

The daily ration should consist of the following foods:

• special foods, green or dry - 60%;
• hay, tree branches, treats - 20%;
• fruits and vegetables - from 15 to 20%, vegetables should be given every day in a small amount, fruits - every other day.

Not only food, living conditions or heredity form the life expectancy of guinea pigs. It all depends very much on your regular pet care. Pigs do not belong to those pets who can just be caged and left there for the whole day. There is a set of rules that every guinea pig breeder should follow. You can find them below.

• All food and water must be fresh.. The water tank should not contain dirt or food residue. All excess vegetables and fruits should immediately be removed from the enclosure, otherwise they may deteriorate. Water change every day, it should be fresh, but settled. Also try to regularly wash the cage for the animal.
• An open-air cage, cage or container with an animal should be placed in a remote warm corner of the room. The place should be well ventilated, free from drafts and direct sunlight.
• Watch the pet's appearance. Buy a special comb to tidy up the hair on the withers and the body of the animal, otherwise tangles are formed. Regularly clean the ears and eyes of your pet, check them for the presence of parasites and dirt, mucus.
• If you give the animal only juicy food and fruit (to the detriment of dry food), you may encounter the problem of regrown teeth. Sharpen them yourself are not worth it, otherwise you will harm the animal. The procedure can be ordered from a veterinarian.
• In addition to dealing with regrown teeth, a problem with too long claws will arise over time. Growing up, they can not only interfere with the mumps to move, but also harm you when you take the animal in your arms. There are special devices for grinding claws, however, the easiest way is to use a kogterezom. To further harm the animal, cut off only those parts that really bring him obvious discomfort.
• Be careful with the appointment of water treatments for your pet.. In the wild, this animal can hardly be called neat, and therefore should be washed only when necessary. For baths, you should use special hypoallergenic shampoos on a natural basis. After the bathing procedure, do not forget to dry your furry friend, otherwise he will catch a cold.
• The approximate water temperature during bathing should be at least 32 degrees. If we talk about a favorable average temperature, then under normal conditions it should be not lower than 18 degrees Celsius. All that is lower, even despite the abundant hair, for guinea pigs means cool.
• The cage must be natural.Hay is most commonly used and must be cleaned regularly when contaminated.

Unfortunately, there are no exact ways to determine the current age of an individual, up to a month and a day, you will have to believe the seller or breeder when you buy the animal. Thanks to the factors below, you can Determine your approximate age of your furry friend.

• Young and still gaining strength individuals they are always more active and mobile, they cannot even sit for a minute on the spot, put their nose in literally all corners.
• Growth of adults reaches about 25-30 cm, as for weight, it ranges from 800 to 1000 grams in females and from 1 to 2 kilograms in males. The weight of young (less than a month) individuals rarely reaches more than 500 grams.
• Much can be learned by the state of wool. If it is brilliant, young, not crumpled, well-groomed, soft, then by all these signs there is a young individual not older than 3-4 years in front of you. If baldness, bedsores or lumps in wool are present, the individual is over 4 years old.
• The approximate age can be found by the incisors: in young individuals they are of snow-white color; in adults and old individuals, the color is close to yellow.
• Claws can also tell a lot about age You can define it by the shape and presence of the clipped claws. In addition, the claws in young individuals are slightly transparent and smooth, in older individuals, they may be bent in different directions and slightly hilly.

It is not recommended to buy individuals older than 2 years. As a rule, they are already adapted to strictly defined food and specific conditions of detention. Pets will be long and painful to get used to the new diet and environment. Little guinea pigs are much easier to learn. Moreover, diseases at an early age are much easier to treat than in the period of full maturity.

When buying, it is worth asking the seller for documents where the current age and birth weight will be indicated. By these two factors, you can determine whether they are trying to deceive you.

For more information on guinea pig, see the following video.