Archive article, written 2009–2016. Not yet reviewed by a veterinarian. About our articles
| WHO IS GUINEA PIG |
| The guinea pig, also
commonly called the Cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family
Caviidae and the genus Caviar. Despite their common name, these animals
are not pigs, nor do they come from Guinea. They originated in the
Andes, and studies based on biochemistry and hybridization suggest they
are domesticated descendants of a closely related species of cavy such
as Cavia aerial, C. fulgida, or C. tschudii, and therefore do not exist
naturally in the wild. The guinea pig plays an important role in the
folk culture of many Indigenous South American groups, especially as a
food source, but also in folk medicine and in community religious
ceremonies. Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to increase
consumption of the animal outside South America. In Western societies, the guinea pig has enjoyed widespread popularity as a household pet since its introduction by European traders in the 16th century. Their docile nature, their responsiveness to handling and feeding, and the relative ease of caring for them, continue to make the guinea pig a popular pet. Organizations devoted to competitive breeding of guinea pigs have been formed worldwide, and many specialized breeds of guinea pig, with varying coat colors and compositions, are cultivated by breeders. |
| Biological
experimentation on guinea pigs has been carried out since the 17th
century. The animals were frequently used as a model organism in the
19th and 20th centuries, giving way to the metaphor "guinea pig" for a
test subject, but have since been largely replaced by other rodents such
as mice and rats. They are still used in research, primarily as models
for human medical conditions such as juvenile diabetes, tuberculosis,
scurvy, and pregnancy complications. Guinea pigs are large for rodents, weighing between 700 and 1200g (1.5-2.5 pounds), and measuring between 20 and 25 cm (8–10 inches) in length. They typically live an average of four to five years, but may live as long as eight years. According to the 2006 Guinness Book of Records the longest living guinea pig survived 14 years, 10.5 months. In the 1990s, a minority scientific opinion emerged proposing that caviomorphs, such as guinea pigs, chinchillas, and degus, are not rodents and should be reclassified as a separate order of mammals (similar to lagomorphs). Subsequent research using wider sampling has restored consensus among mammalian biologists that the current classification of rodents as monophyletic is justified. |