Guinean pig. Why is the guinea pig called that? Care, proper feeding

The homeland of the animal is America, and it turned into an “overseas pig”, and then completely into a sea pig. Many are surprised why cute, furry, rather miniature animals are called pigs, and even marine ones.

By appearance they bear little resemblance to piglets, and they hate water procedures.

There is an explanation for such a “philological riddle”, but to solve it, you will have to travel through history.

Guinea pigs are native to South America. They are common in the Andes and live in groups in self-dug holes, just like wild rabbits. The natural color of these rodents is modest and does not differ in variety, it has a gray-black tint.

The Indians have been eating guinea pig meat for a long time: it has a delicate and pleasant taste, it is considered dietary.

Wild pig. In Peru, these animals are still raised on farms and served in restaurants as a delicacy.

Of course, when breeding, special attention is paid not to obtaining new colors, as in decorative breeds, but to increasing the size of individuals. Some "meat" pigs reach a weight of 4 kg.

During the discovery and conquest of America, the Spaniards drew attention to funny chubby animals, the shape of the body and head resembling milk pigs. We tasted it - we liked it. So guinea pigs came to Europe, and then to Asia and Africa. Gradually, they began to play exclusively the role of pets.

Linguistic versions of the origin of the name

In Spain, France, Italy and Portugal, the guinea pig is called "Indian". Why? It's simple, because at first America was considered and called India. English version- "Guinean" (perhaps bought for a guinea, perhaps the British confused America with Guinea, which is closer and more understandable to them).

In Russia, things were even simpler. Why is the guinea pig so called - guinea pig? Foreign "unknown little animal" brought from the sea? So she's overseas. Gradually, the prefix "for" lost its meaning, and the pig turned into a sea pig. Obviously, the Germans had the same train of thought, in Germany the principle of the structure of the phrase is identical to Russian.

Pigs on the ship - fortunately?

With the development of navigation, pigs, justifying their name, began to travel on ships. They were used as food. It was convenient in many ways.

Animals were brought to Europe by ship. Unpretentious compact little animals did not take up much space, they did not require special care, they were flexible, but the meat was excellent.

In addition, they got along well with the permanent inhabitants of the holds - rats (relatives after all), and in times of danger they made sharp and shrill sounds, warning the crew of a possible shipwreck.

In a word, comfortable and profitable "passengers" from all sides.

Tricks of cunning priests

In the time of Columbus, Catholic priests were distinguished by gluttony - they loved to eat tasty food and tried their best to circumvent the strict requirements of fasting. With the discovery of America, they have new opportunities to get around the rules.

The “holy fathers” reasoned thus. Guinea pigs are brought on ships by sea. And with them - them distant relatives- the world's largest aquatic rodents - capybaras. So, they can be attributed ... to fish and, accordingly, eat during fasting.

Get out, do not say anything!

Why are pigs anyway? There are several reasons:

• They make sounds similar to grunting.
• Similar in body structure - rounded head and torso, short limbs.
• Delicious juicy meat, however, in guinea pigs it looks more like a rabbit.

If you decide to buy yourself a pet rodent, you should come to the pet store or the bird market, which is not there. Among the huge variety of rats, mice, hamsters, eyes run wide, who is better to choose.

For lovers of active animals, a chinchilla hamster is the best choice. And if you need a more balanced rodent, opt for guinea pigs. These calm, neat animals that do not gnaw on people will live with you for several years, and will give you many unforgettable and joyful memories.

Description and features of the guinea pig

Guinea pigs, and therefore marine, as they came to us from abroad. It would be correct to call them overseas, even overseas, because they were brought from the distant American continent. Residents of Europe call them in their own way - Indian and Guinean, as well as mouse pigs.

Mammals belong to a species domestic maritime pigs, a group of rodents. In the south of America, the homeland of marine rodents, where they just do not live, in marshes, foothills, plains and forests.

These rodents, wild nature live in a group of twenty individuals, and the leader is always at the head of the family. Everyone respects and fears him, and in response he actively defends his flock and territory.

Because the main one is the one who is larger and stronger than the rest of the pigs. All day long, these defenseless animals hide in shelters, and at night they get out of them and go looking for themselves, something to eat. In natural natural environment, the number of overseas pigs is quite large, because the animals breed all year round.

These animals have lived on our planet for many thousands of years. During excavations, archaeologists have repeatedly found ancient drawings with their image, and mummified remains. The people who lived at that time bred and kept them in order to eat them later, because the meat guinea pigs dietary, it was equated to the meat of birds or rabbits.

In the eighteenth century, the rodent reached Russia, but already as a decorative, funny home pet. These animals have a plump, neat and compact body, thirty centimeters long.

There is no tail at all, the paws are tiny in size, with well-defined thin fingers, the hind limbs are slightly larger than the front ones. The muzzle of the pigs is large with a blunt nose, their ears are small, in their shape they are erect or slightly drooping, depending on what breed the animal is. Adult males weigh a little more than one kilogram, smaller females - 800 grams.

Breeders have bred dozens of different breeds of domestic marine rodents. Outwardly, they are all the same, and only the color, length and stiffness of their fur coat can distinguish them from each other. look a photo the most common breeds maritime pigs.

In pigs with smooth and short hair, the coat is spotted, or two or three colors. Rodents of these breeds are called - Self, Satin, Himalayan, Agouti, Chalay. They come in only three colors - red, black and brown with a pleasant to the touch, soft pile. Wire-haired pigs with short tousled hair are called Rex.

There are very unusual, unlike all pets, their breed also wears interesting name- The socket, they have nothing to do with electricity. Although after an electric shock, the wool would probably look like this.

The pile lies as if someone pressed it, randomly turned it to the sides, and fixed it. American and English Cresteds wear a woolen rosette in the middle of their foreheads. Ridgebacks have a rosette on the sacrum, and in the middle of the back, a mound of wool sticks out. Well, in the first place are the Abyssinians, their sockets are located randomly throughout the body.

The longest-haired of all types of guinea pigs are Cornet and Sheltie. Their pile, growing in the direction from the muzzle to the end of the body, is beautifully divided into both sides by a parting on the back. In Peru, on the contrary, the fur coat is worn back to front, hanging over the eyes. Alpaco, Textel and Merino have not only long, but also beautifully curled coats.

Very rare and uncommon breeds maritime pigs, such as Kui are distinguished by the fact that they are vylik compared to their counterparts. Galloway is the new kind sea ​​pigs, they were recently noticed and officially recognized.

They are of an interesting color, the whole body is black, and only its middle is surrounded by a wide white belt, this feature distinguishes them from all other relatives. Skinny pigs - these little animals wear wool only on their small paws and the tip of their nose.

The rest of the body is hairless, and even transparent. Baldwin's offspring are born with wool, but during the period of growing up, it falls out. And already formed, fully developed overseas animal is completely bald.

Guinea pig at home

These crumbs cutest creatures and when compared with all the animals that belong to the rodent family, they are the least biting. in good and favorable home, guinea pigs very affectionate, trusting and quiet.

They are not noisy at all, they will not run for hours in a drum, like hamsters. Maritime pigs can be filmed without problems video for home viewing, you do not have to run around the room with a camera or crawl under the sofa.

Climbing to the surface where you place it, it will examine the indoor attractions with surprise and curiosity. Then businesslike, slowly going to look for something. Make sure that when looking for something, your pet does not find an electrical wire.

She happily climbs into the arms of her master, and begins to purr. But you have to be careful, otherwise falling from a height, the animal can be severely injured.

AT home content maritime pigs know that they yearn alone and need company, so it's best to take a couple with you. And one more thing, pigs are shy and from loud sounds and sudden movements they can even die of fear.

Despite the fact that the animals are nocturnal, they will not disturb your sleep and peace in any way. In the dark, they have only one concern - to eat well.

Be observant and attentive to your pet, because if the pig gets into stressful situation, or she had depression - she begins to overeat, which is fraught with obesity.

Guinea pig price

Buying a guinea pig in the nursery, you must understand that its cost will be too high. Pigs are prolific animals, so you can buy them without any problems from a neighbor in the landing, and from a granny in the market, and from a classmate at school.

By purchasing maritime pig in nursery, you will be fully acquainted with the history of her family. Because siblings will have weak and sickly offspring.

The cost of pigs depends on age and breed. Not expensive, around three hundred rubles, there are simple short-haired pigs. Sockets will already be more expensive, from five hundred and above. Well, the most expensive breeds of these rodents are long-haired pigs and Baldwins. Their price range is from one and a half to two thousand rubles.

pet care

In the care and maintenance of guinea pig you won't have any difficulty. All she needs is a light, wide cage. It is important here that it be a cage, not a glass jar or a spacious terrarium, because in such containers the animal overheats and dies.

Be sure to buy and put a wooden house in a cage, your pet should have its own shelter. drinker with clean water, a feeder, it’s good if the food plate is ceramic, not plastic, and a device for hay.

At the bottom cells for guinea pig there must be a filler, you can use sawdust, though there will be a lot of garbage from them. Or you can buy wood pellets at the pet store, they are not expensive and are perfect for your pet, because they can still be chewed.

courting per guinea pig, so that unpleasant odors do not bring discomfort to your home, change the filler at least once a week. Guinea pigs are neat, so they go to the toilet in the same place.

You need to clean your plate of food every day so that the smell from yesterday's apple does not spoil your air. Keep an eye on your pet's claws and trim them with special scissors during them.

The cage with your pet must be installed in the right place so that there is no draft or hot sun, because these conditions are detrimental to guinea pigs. Also, it is desirable that the cage with the animal does not stand on the floor, choose a place for it so that the pig sees both its owner and what is happening around it.

Feed your guinea pig mainly on hay, supplemented with small amounts of dried vegetables and fruits, or purchase a balanced diet from the pet store.

Do not give them citrus fruits, otherwise you will not be able to understand later, why maritime piggy got sick. From time to time put a piece of hard bread or a twig from a tree in the animal's cage to grind down the teeth.

If, when purchasing a female guinea pig, you do not want offspring from her in the future, in this case it is better to immediately sterilize the animal, without sexual intimacy, she develops ovarian disease.

When a couple of guinea pigs live with you in the house, you will soon expect a lot of offspring. When the female is pregnant, it is better to put the male in another cage or make a partition. Two months later, babies will be born, usually up to six of them are born.

The mother will take care of the children and feed them with her milk for a whole month, then they need to be separated. In favorable conditions, with proper maintenance and care guinea pigs live up to eight years old.

Guinea pig- one of the most popular animals that people keep at home. Pigs are chosen as pets for their unpretentiousness in care, modest disposition and friendliness. And the most frequently asked question, which the owners of charming fluffies ask themselves: Why is a guinea pig called a guinea pig? After all, she has nothing to do with the sea, she does not like to swim, and even seafood in her diet is superfluous. The cheat sheet will help answer this question 😉

Why is the pig named guinea pig?

Strange: a pig, and even a sea one, but the animal has nothing to do with pigs or the sea. This rodent is not a close relative of the porcupine. But in everyday life he is very talkative, and when he hears the sounds associated with cooking, he gets excited and starts squealing like a piglet - that’s how the “mumps” turned out. And the nose of a guinea pig is very similar to a piglet. You just look:

And there is also an explanation for the fact that it is marine: the homeland of the animal is America, and it turned into an “overseas pig”, and then completely into a sea pig. Here why is the guinea pig called that, and not otherwise

At first glance, it seems strange that an animal, unable to swim, climb, or dig holes, feels very well in a natural setting and, one might even say, thrives. The fact is that the composition of the landscape of her homeland includes dense thickets of shrubs and animals perfectly know how to hide in them.

The animal has changed markedly due to the patronage of man. Wild, it is colored modestly so as not to be conspicuous: dark brown, slightly reddish, with very small dark ripples on the back and sides and a light red belly or motley - white-yellow-black. And there is no one to hide from at home, and people bring out white, and black, and black and yellow pigs, which in itself is very interesting.

Domesticated pigs also differ in the structure of their hair: there are Angora pigs, with elongated hair, and swirling ones with rosettes.

If you are interested in crossbreeding, you can combine both of these features and get a completely unusual animal resembling a porcupine, with the difference, of course, that it does not have needles sticking out in different directions, but long hairs.

Guinea pig: character and habits

Guinea pigs are quickly and easily tamed, quickly begin to recognize the person caring for them. With the ability to handle them, they easily and calmly sit on their hands and are quite easy to train. Their paws cannot hold food. But they are good with their teeth and can ring the bell, raise the flag.

The offspring of pigs is very small. Three cubs is already a lot for a guinea pig, but usually there are one or two. And for initial study the heredity of the transmission of traits corresponding to the so-called Mendel's laws, guinea pigs are very suitable. In particular, the so-called dominant (dominant) and recessive (returning) sequences can be clearly observed on them.

What scientists consider the lack of animals - moderate fertility makes it convenient for home keeping. If there is a pair of pigs in a cage, then in two months there will be an offspring. Babies are very funny and independent, they quickly get used to adult food, like rabbits, they run around in the very first hours after birth, they are already covered in fur, and even their eyes are open.

These are surprisingly comfortable animals: they do not climb anywhere, they do not have the habit of nibbling at night or running, they do not interfere with sleeping people and can live in the most simple rooms. But if it’s with “comfort”, then you need a spacious box or a mesh cage measuring 40 × 70 centimeters, and inside there is a small wooden house, where the pigs will sleep.

But, of course, pigs are not without "flaws". They catch cold easily, you need to protect them from drafts. And they love the world. If the cage is in a dark corner, then it would be nice to put a table lamp nearby.

Pigs are famous for their peaceful disposition, they can be freely picked up. But they also know how to fight, and quite hard. The writer of these lines once, while trying to separate the fighting males, received a bite on the base of the palm and then for several years wore a mark as a memory of the results of the “unsuccessful peace initiative”.

Therefore, you must first study the temper of your wards, and only then become familiar. Each guinea pig- mine character and habits.

Guinea pig(lat. Cavia porcellus), would probably be very surprised if she found out about her Russian-language name, because she has nothing to do with either real pigs or the sea. Then why is it called that way? Everything is very simple: it became “marine” because it was brought from America, i.e. from across the sea. In Europe, it is most often called "guinea pig", "pig mouse" or "Indian pig". As you can see, only the word "mumps" does not cause controversy. Why? Because this animal sometimes makes grunting and squealing sounds, just like its big namesake. Due to the characteristic bite and incisors, it is considered to be big family rodents. Based on recent research, a number of scientists are still of the opinion that guinea pigs should be combined into a new separate subfamily. However, there is no doubt that the original homeland of the animals - Central and South America, and there is evidence that the history of the existence of guinea pigs has 35-40 million years. The domestication of wild guinea pigs began in the ninth or third millennium BC. e. It is likely that these animals themselves came to human dwellings in search of protection and warmth. Incas guinea pigs were sacrificial animals who were sacrificed to the sun god. Particularly popular were animals with a variegated brown or white color. The ancestor of our guinea pigs is cavy Cavia aperea tschudi. She meets in southern regions Chile, located at an altitude of 4200 m above sea level, and lives in underground burrows in small groups of five to ten animals. In appearance and body structure it differs greatly from our guinea pigs, due to the food depleted in water and rich in cellulose, but there is no difference in terms of food intake and fertility.

Of the hundreds of species of small mammals, only a few are suitable for keeping in a city apartment. These types include Guinea pigs, which are bred not only in the vivariums of research institutes, but also at home.

A guinea pig is easier to keep than a dog or cat., and this animal brings no less aesthetic pleasure. The dog should be regularly taken for a walk in any weather; during a walk, especially in the rain, it gets dirty and has to be washed in the bath. True, the cat does not need a walk, she has enough room, but she likes to sharpen her claws on upholstered furniture and after a while makes her look untidy.

The guinea pig is another matter. It requires only a little attention and a little space for the cage, it is unpretentious, you can always buy food for it, care is not difficult and takes a little time every day. These animals are calmer than dogs and even cats and have many positive qualities that are very valuable at home. Self-care for them can be trusted to children over 8-9 years old, since guinea pigs, as a rule, belong to good-natured, tame animals.

General information and origin of guinea pigs was last modified: October 16th, 2014 by allpets1

The answer to the question why the guinea pig is so called is a subject of interest even for those who are far from breeding these animals. There are several versions of the origin of this name. We present a mini-investigation about guinea pigs: where did this phrase come from, which does not fit with taxonomic definitions - family, genus and species criteria.

The first part of the investigation: why the "mumps"

There are 3 versions of why these cute animals are called pigs:

Sounds: what they make is really like grunting.

Body proportions: they have no waist, small head and very short neck.

Behavior: Pets constantly gnaw something. On ships they were kept in the same pens where ordinary pigs were driven.

The second part. Guinea pig - why "sea"

The name "guinea pig" is borrowed from Polish- Swinka morska. And the Poles, in turn, borrowed it from the Germans - Meerschweinchen. The literal translation sounds like this - "guinea pig". There is a possibility that this is a German word - a derivative of merswin, which means "dolphin". The screech of rodents really resembles a dolphin's squeak.

Foreign titles

The name of the animal is literally translated from English as Guinea pig. This is another mystery because they have nothing to do with Guinea, which is in Africa. Zoologists have built 3 hypotheses:

• “Guinean” means “outlandish”, brought from afar;
• it is possible that the animals were sold for 1 guinea - a coin;
• in South America there was a French colony with a similar name - Guiana. Love simply mixed up the letters and began to call Guinean pigs;
• the animals were not imported directly, but through the ports of Guinea, which was also a colonial territory of France.