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Guinea Pigs Make Great Pets
Guinea Pig Hutches, Guinea Pig Cages, Guinea Pig Food
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No one is certain on when exactly guinea pigs were domesticated. The only thing
certain though is that the Incas were the first to domesticate them as pets. Remains of these animals
are even found in old Incan houses as well as in the houses of conquistadores prior to the 16th century. During
these times, guinea pigs were brought to Europe where they were primarily used for laboratory experiments. Only
during the recent centuries did guinea pigs enter human homes as pets.
Behavior
In the wild, guinea pigs are interestingly respectful of hierarchy according to dominance. The dominant males
(boars) often lead a group of guinea pigs with a female (sow) to lead the hierarchy. The weaker boars are driven
away and usually bring with them a mate to start their own groups.
In captivity, however, guinea pigs are very sociable. However, for sexually developed males,
things could be quite different. They tend to call back their instinct for dominance among the group especially in
the presence of females.
Color Variations
The color of guinea pigs in the wild is originally brown
with black patterns. However, due to breeding, color mutations, variations developed. Nowadays, there are several
commonly seen color variations including agouti (brown with black markings), chocolate agouti (chocolate
brown with darker tone markings), black, silver agouti (silver grey with black hair patches), lilac agouti (brown
with lighter brown markings) and tortoiseshell (brown with red ticks).
Patterns
The coats of guinea pigs have three commonly seen patterns. They
are:
Roan where the white coat has markings due to colored hairs.
Dalmatian which is similar to the coat of the Dalmatian dog. The pattern of the coat is marked with uneven spots of
colored hairs. The head of a Dalmatian guinea pig is black with a streak of white hair in the middle.
Dutch has a large white stripe around the torso or the mid-section of the body.
Coat Types
More often than not, guinea pigs are distinguished by the types of their coats which are roughly divided into two
types- the short coats and the long coats. The most common types are as follows:
Short coat types
Abyssinian- The coat has prominent multiple rosettes on
various parts of the body.
Rex- This type is coarse and dense and is matched by curled whiskers.
Teddy Bear- Marked by a fuzzy look, the short hair of this guinea pig is dense and curled.
Crested- This coat has a single rosette on the top of the head.
Long coat types
Sheltie- Popularly nicknamed as Silky, the Sheltie's coat is long, silky and smooth. This
coat begins from the head and grows towards the back. The coat does not have a natural division on the center of
the back.
Peruvian- The long hairs of this guinea pig are dense and unlike the Sheltie, naturally
parts at the center.
Texel- This type is a longer version of the rex coat and is very distinct due to it's
natural curls. The whiskers are curled too.
Coronet- This coat is distinguished by the single coronet in the middle of the head.
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