Guinea Pigs Characteristics
Guinea Pigs Of all our favorite little furry creatures, guinea pigs are among the lesser known. Dogs, cats, hamsters, and even rats are thought of before the guinea pig. But where do they come from? Are they good pets? What are guinea pigs anyway? Often, people have the false assumption that guinea pigs are just large hamsters, but they are actually very different.
Guinea pigs originally come from the grasslands, mountains, and forests in South America. In the wild, guinea pigs live in herds of about one male and nine or ten females. Female pups may stay in the herd their entire life, but male pups are chased off by the adult male as soon as they are weaned. First domesticated in the Andes and Peru as a source of food, guinea pigs were given …show more content…
Even if two look alike, they will never act alike because, just like humans, guinea pigs have very unique personalities. Unlike their rodent cousins, guinea pigs can actually form a close bond with their pet parents, welcoming you into the room with purrs and squeaks of excitement. When they are really happy and content, they will even “popcorn,” which is where they run around, jumping up and down, squeaking and squealing with excitement. (“Hess, Laurie”)
Guinea pigs are very strange animals…merely looking at them could make you laugh. In fact, there are quite a few things that set these pets apart from others.
1. “Pups” are born with their eyes open and are fully-furred. They are an exact replica of what they will look like when they’re full grown, only miniature. This is very interesting because most mammals are born with their eyes closed and still have a much longer road of developing before they’re fully grown. These babies are even more unique because within a few days, they are already eating hard food and once they are a few hours old, they can start running.
2. Guinea pigs, unlike most animals, cannot make their own Vitamin C. Even though they can’t make Vitamin C, it is still essential to their health and without it, they will get scurvy. This is why they need to eat fruits and vegetables
Guinea pigs originally come from the grasslands, mountains, and forests in South America. In the wild, guinea pigs live in herds of about one male and nine or ten females. Female pups may stay in the herd their entire life, but male pups are chased off by the adult male as soon as they are weaned. First domesticated in the Andes and Peru as a source of food, guinea pigs were given …show more content…
Even if two look alike, they will never act alike because, just like humans, guinea pigs have very unique personalities. Unlike their rodent cousins, guinea pigs can actually form a close bond with their pet parents, welcoming you into the room with purrs and squeaks of excitement. When they are really happy and content, they will even “popcorn,” which is where they run around, jumping up and down, squeaking and squealing with excitement. (“Hess, Laurie”)
Guinea pigs are very strange animals…merely looking at them could make you laugh. In fact, there are quite a few things that set these pets apart from others.
1. “Pups” are born with their eyes open and are fully-furred. They are an exact replica of what they will look like when they’re full grown, only miniature. This is very interesting because most mammals are born with their eyes closed and still have a much longer road of developing before they’re fully grown. These babies are even more unique because within a few days, they are already eating hard food and once they are a few hours old, they can start running.
2. Guinea pigs, unlike most animals, cannot make their own Vitamin C. Even though they can’t make Vitamin C, it is still essential to their health and without it, they will get scurvy. This is why they need to eat fruits and vegetables