Rodents for writers: guinea pigs. Today we’re going to be discussing my favourite rodent species, guinea pigs. Cavia porcellus – the domestic guinea pig, sometimes known as ‘cavy’ as well. The name is misleading, they don’t come from Guinea and are not related to pigs.
Guinea pigs originate from the Andes region of South America. European traders brought them to North America and Europe in the 16th century. They quickly became popular pets, even Queen Elizabeth I kept them!
Biology
Guinea pigs are relatively large rodents in the hystricomorph group of rodents. This group includes capybaras, chinchillas and degus. Guinea pig keepers developed many different breeds such as the long haired Peruvian and the hairless ‘skinny pig’.
Guinea pigs live in herds, with a boar, several sows and their pups. They are herbivores and graze on grasses and vegetation. The digestive system is similar to rabbits and horses, with a well developed caecum full of microbes that break down the fibre of their diet. Guinea pigs practice caecotrophy, where they pass caecal contents and eat them again to get nutrients produced by their gut microbiome.
Unlike rats and mice, all of the teeth are open rooted and growing constantly, requiring constant use on tough fibre to keep them from overgrowing. Like humans, and unlike most mammals, guinea pigs cannot produce their own vitamin C and need a dietary source of it to avoid scurvy.
They don’t have good eyesight but there is a wide angle of vision and partial colour vision. Their hearing and sense of smell are well developed though. Sensitive whiskers help them navigate when vision is poor.
Behaviour
Guinea pigs learn and remember complex paths and can be trained and tamed easily. However, they lack good climbing skills and jumping skills. They can swim but dislike being wet.
As prey animals, they are easily startled and may freeze or run for cover if they sense a threat. On the other hand, if they are excited in a good way, they do little hops known as ‘popcorning’.
Guinea pigs use a vast array of vocalisations and sounds to express themselves, including wheeks, purrs and shrieks. They are very vocal animals and almost always have something to say!
Reproduction
Unlike most rodents whose newborns are helpless, guinea pig pups are precocious and well developed when born. They can walk, see and even eat solid food on day one of life. They do still suckle for a few weeks though. I always joked it was because they are cooked for longer! The gestation period lasts about nine weeks, similar to dogs.
Domestication and Husbandry
Guinea pigs should be kept in groups, at least two if not more. Neutering the males helps reduce fighting and prevent pregnancy. In fact, Switzerland made it illegal to keep a single guinea pig alone. They even have a service where you can rent a guinea pig as a temporary companion to replace a dead cage mate. How cute is that?
Guinea pigs should not be housed with other rodents. People keep them with rabbits but this is not recommended. Rabbits carry two bacteria: Bordetella bronchiseptica and Pasteurella multocida. These bacteria cause severe respiratory disease and guinea pigs are especially susceptible.
Guinea Pigs In Society
Pets
Guinea pigs make great pets because they are docile, calm and rarely bite. They are easy to tame and enjoy human companionship. In my opinion, compared to rabbits they are far better suited as pets for younger children. The long haired varieties need regular grooming though.
Science
The phrase ‘be a guinea pig’ refers to being a subject of experimentation or trial. Scientific research used guinea pigs for a long time, since the 17th century. They are ideal models for a number of health conditions. That’s why the phrase is used in this fashion.
Andean Folklore and Traditions
Guinea pigs play a huge role in Andean traditions, including traditional healing rituals, ceremonies, spoken metaphors and even as gifts.
In Peru, guinea pigs play a role in religious events and the culture. They celebrate National Guinea Pig Day on the second Friday of October every year. South Americans rear guinea pigs for their meat and commonly eat them too.
Pop Culture and the Media
Literature
Guinea pigs feature in literature a lot, especially children’s literature like the works of Beatrix Potter and C S Lewis. The short story ‘Pigs is Pigs’, written by Ellis Parker Butler, is about two guinea pigs reproducing while humans argue about what they are for freight charges. This story inspired the well-known Star Trek episode ‘The Trouble With Tribbles’.
Film and TV
Eddie Murphy starred in Dr Dolittle movies where a pet guinea pig by the name of Rodney played a big role. Rodney, voiced by Chris Rock, provided a lot of comic relief in those movies.
One of my personal favourites, South Park season 12 featured two episodes about Peru. Pandemic (episode 10) and Pandemic 2: The Startling (episode 11) included giant guinea pigs dressed in costumes rampaging through South Park.
Conclusion
Guinea pigs make great pets because they are intelligent, sociable and expressive. I adore guinea pigs, I had them growing up and one of my favourite patients was a guinea pig. He used to leap into my arms from the table when he came to see me.
It’s obvious why they are so popular. Their cute little faces, their vocalisations and their antics. They hold importance to the cultures of many people in the Andes region of South America. Guinea pigs should feature more in media, in my opinion.
Thank you for reading rodents for writers, guinea pigs and I hope it helped. I know a lot about guinea pigs and I’m always happy to answer any questions about them, or any animal. Don’t forget to subscribe for updates when a new post goes live. For more rodents, see my posts on rats and mice. See you soon!
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