Guinea Pig Background

Background:
Scientific name: Domestic Guinea Pig ("cavies") - Cavia porcellus
Wild Guinea Pig ("cuis") - Cavia aperea and Cavia tschudii
The domestic guinea pig was first described by Linnaeus in 1758 as Mus porcellus. Guinea pigs, more accurately called "cavies," are generally classed as rodents and originated in South America. Cavies occur over a large portion of South America from Venezuela south to southern Patagonia, though absent in Chile and some parts of the Amazon basin. They live in a wide variety of habitats including tropical marshy floodplains and open grasslands, to barren rocky slopes and high mountain meadows, but are not generally found in the dense jungles.
They were domesticated between 9000 and 3000 B.C. by the Incas of Peru, and were used for their fur as well as used for food. English and Dutch slave traders took some of these guinea pigs to Guinea (thus the name "guinea") and then to Europe, where they became popular pets. Guinea pigs have a great ability to adapt to different climates, and are therefore found in low to high regions as well as both moist and dry climates.
Domesticated guinea pigs are rounder and plumper than wild ones, and are bred to display many different fur types and colors. They are also used extensively in research laboratories to study heredity, one reason for this being that they can reproduce fairly quickly.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Description:
Guinea pigs can vary in size anywhere from the size of a large rat to that of a small dog, with an average weight of approximately 2 pounds. If well taken care of they can live from 8 to 10 years.
There are thirteen different recognized breeds of guinea pigs, as well as several types that have not yet become recognized. The recognized types of guinea pigs are acknowledged by the American Cavy Breeders Association, with the American, Peruvian, and Abyssinian being the most generally available and well-known. There are also different color variations in guinea pigs, with nineteen that are acceptable for showing.
Satin varieties of guinea pigs have a glossy satiny coat. The actual hair particles are smaller in diameter, which gives these pigs the satiny look.