Funny Facts About Guinea Pigs – Whether you’re a new guinea pig owner or a seasoned liner enthusiast, there may still be things you don’t know. Besides the usual facts like guinea pigs being social animals, there are certainly more interesting facts about guinea pigs. Read on to learn 10 interesting facts about guinea pigs that you didn’t know.
The name ‘guinea pig’ is very misleading as they actually come from Guyana and have absolutely nothing to do with pigs. ‘Guinea’ is believed to be the result of confusion or mistranslation of Guyana, the country of origin of Guyana. As far as named pigs go, guinea pigs are more closely related to capybaras and their porcine appearance. Pigs are given this name because of their constant eating and the sound of squealing.
Funny Facts About Guinea Pigs
Fact 2: Guinea pigs are short sleepers and can stay awake for up to 20 hours a day.
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Guinea pigs are known to sleep between four and six hours in a 24-hour period. Most of their sleep consists of 10 minutes or less, rather than short, substantial naps. They are also considered crepuscular; This means they are most active at dawn and dusk. Guinea pigs are wild animals, so they have developed this unique sleeping pattern to avoid prey.
Fact 3: Guinea pigs have four toes on their front feet, but only three on each hind foot.
Another unique feature of guinea pigs is their toes on their backs. This gives a total of fourteen with nails that are constantly growing and need to be trimmed. This foot structure is useful for trenching and tunneling, which is often required in the jungle. Unfortunately, this makes them poor climbers and very stupid animals.
Like most rodents, guinea pigs have ‘rootless’ or ‘open-rooted’ teeth which continue to grow throughout their lives. All of their teeth can continue to erupt, but their front incisors grow, causing discomfort and mouth sores. This is food, feed and water to help guinea pigs grow their teeth to the proper length. Having lots of twigs and chews is very important.
Interesting Facts About Guinea Pigs I Millamore
Fact 5: Guinea pigs are fully born and can run within hours.
Unlike most rodent species, guinea pigs are hatchlings, meaning they are born in an advanced state. They are born with their hair and teeth, and they can see. They can walk around, feed and even run when they are a few hours old.
Baby guinea pigs are smaller versions of adults and can eat solid food and fend for themselves within hours of birth. They are aware of their surroundings and are born independent, which is a huge advantage for wild animals.
They are similar to dogs who get a “zoom” when they are really excited; Guinea pigs appear in the air and spin around. This behavior is affectionately known as ‘popping’ as pigs resemble a popping kernel. Sudden jumps in general; Characterized by turns and jumps, this is a sure way to know that your pig is happy and excited.
Distress Signs In Guinea Pigs
Fact 7: The eyes of guinea pigs secrete a milky substance which lubricates the eyes and is used to clean the face of guinea pigs.
As part of the normal guinea pig eye cleaning process, a few drops of white milky fluid come out. The white liquid is a cleansing liquid that smoothes the eyes and cleanses the face. This is completely normal and not a problem, but if the amount increases or decreases significantly, you should contact your veterinarian.
Fact 8: Guinea pigs often sleep with their eyes open, perhaps an evolved trait to avoid being killed in the wild.
Most wild animals sleep with their eyes fully or partially open, and guinea pigs are no different. Even guinea pigs, who tend to sleep for short periods of time, sleep with their eyes partially open. Some owners say that their guinea pig rarely closes their eyes completely. Keeping eyes open is a very useful cognitive behavior that helps rodents stay alert and avoid predators.
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Abyssinians are a breed of domestic guinea pigs that have round necks or rosettes. They are unique, consisting of six to ten rosettes. It is given to guinea pigs in a rolling form. show that the Abyssinians have eight or ten across their body; one on each shoulder; Two or four backs; one on each hip and two on their buttocks;
Guinea pigs also have a large field of vision, which is a major advantage for predators. With visibility of approximately 340 degrees; Guinea pigs only have a 20° blind spot directly behind their head. It is one of the most extensive areas of the animal kingdom, especially mammals. This allows them to see almost everything around them, which is a necessary way for guinea pigs to survive. They are a popular pet that can withstand cute little animals. But do you know everything there is to know about your guinea pig?
Another name for guinea pigs is ‘cavy’, which is a shortened version of their official name, Cavia Porcellus.
In their name ‘Guinea’ means the country of Guyana. The ‘pig’ refers to their plump bodies which give them a ‘pig’-like appearance.
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They are members of the Caviidae family, meaning they are chinchillas; agoutis are closely related to coypus pigs and capybaras.
… Hamsters are smaller than guinea pigs and are more omnivorous (meaning they eat meat and vegetables). It is only 3 years old and makes more noise than a guinea pig.
Guinea pigs were first domesticated in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia around 2000 BC, primarily stocked for food.
When Spanish explorers brought guinea pigs from South America in the 16th century, they became more widespread as pets.
Facts About Guinea Pigs
There are places in South America where guinea pigs are still eaten. Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador eat roast guinea pigs called ‘cuy’.
Domesticated guinea pigs no longer exist in the wild. There are other breeds such as the Montaigne or Brazilian Guinea Pig.
Guinea pigs cannot sweat like humans and cannot suffer from heat stroke when exposed to the sun or overheated.
Their teeth continue to grow throughout their lives, so it’s important to bite them regularly to wear them down.
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Guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C naturally in their bodies, so they must supplement their diet with this vitamin.
The best way is to eat whole grains rich in vitamin C. By giving green vegetables every day.
Fruits are high in sugar and cause obesity, so eat them only once or twice a week.
They don’t eat special soft seeds called cecotropes to get the nutrients they missed the first time.
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Constipation is rare in guinea pigs but can occur. The symptoms are a lot of urine in the guinea pig area. This includes seeing your guinea pig moving and distending its bowels.
If your guinea pig shows signs of constipation, the cause is dehydration; Indigestion can cause intestinal obstruction or damage to the rectum.
Guinea pigs are active for about 20 hours a day with only short breaks. They are very active during the day and less so at night.
Guinea pigs are social animals, they are solitary; You should not live alone as it can lead to stress and depression.
Fun Facts About Guinea Pigs (you Probably Didn’t Know)
Set aside time to pet and talk to your guinea pig regularly to play. Wooden chew toys also keep individual guinea pigs busy.
They are incredibly sensitive to loud noises. This helps predators to hear and have time to flee.
However, with their eyes they can see almost all around them (about 340 degrees). Guinea pigs can see color.
If they feel threatened, they will attack or bite. Guinea pigs stay hidden for a long time.
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When they are happy, guinea pigs jump straight into the air with something called ‘popping’.
Guinea pigs love to spend time grooming each other, making them very clean animals to keep as pets.
Oldest recorded guinea pig; Snowball lived for 15 years, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
Truffles, who holds the world record for the longest jump by a guinea pig, cleared a distance of 48cm in 2012.
Interesting Facts About Guinea Pigs You Should Know
The world’s fastest 10 meters was achieved in 2009 by Flash who ran in 8.81 seconds.
Let me know which one is your favorite. Or let us know if you have any other interesting facts.
Toni loves all things pets and her pets include a very slim British tabby named Charlie and a rescue cat named Rosie.
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