Guinea pig

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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the small species of Rodent. For the domestic pig breed, see
Guinea hog. For various guinea pig species, see Cavia. For other uses, see Guinea pig (disambiguation)
.

Domestic guinea pig
Domesticated
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Caviidae
Genus: Cavia
Species:
C. porcellus
Binomial name
Cavia porcellus
Synonyms
  • Mus porcellus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cavia cobaya Pallas, 1766
  • Cavia anolaimae J. A. Allen, 1916
  • Cavia cutleri Bennett, 1836
  • Cavia leucopyga
    Cabanis
    , 1848
  • Cavia longipilis Fitzinger, 1879
Guinea pig defense sound

The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy (

C. tschudii.[2][3] They were originally domesticated as livestock
for a source of meat, and are still consumed in some parts of the world.

In

coat colors and textures, are selected by breeders.

Livestock breeds of the guinea pig play an important role in

Andes Mountains, where they are known as cuy. In the 1960s a modern breeding program was started in Peru that resulted in large breeds known as cuy mejorados (improved cuy). Marketers tried to increase consumption of the animal outside South America.[6]

juvenile diabetes, tuberculosis, scurvy (like humans, they require dietary intake of vitamin C), and pregnancy complications
.

History

Skull of a guinea pig

Cavia porcellus is not found naturally in the wild; it is likely descended from closely related species of

C. tschudii, which are still commonly found in various regions of South America.[2] Studies from 2007 to 2010 applied molecular markers,[7][8] and studied the skull and skeletal morphology of current and mummified animals,[9] thereby revealing the ancestor to most likely be C. tschudii. Some species of cavy identified in the 20th century, such as C. anolaimae and C. guianae, may be domestic guinea pigs that have become feral by reintroduction into the wild.[10]

Wild cavies are found on grassy plains and occupy an

crepuscular and tend to be most active during dawn and dusk, when it is harder for predators to spot them.[12]

Regionally known as cuy, the guinea pig was first

Moche people of ancient Peru worshipped animals and often depicted the guinea pig in their art.[16]

Early accounts from Spanish settlers' state that Guinea pigs were the preferred sacrificial animal of the Inca people native to Peru.[17] These claims are supported by archeological digs and transcribed Quechua mythology,[18] providing evidence that sacrificial rituals involving Guinea pigs served many purposes in society such as appeasing the gods, accompanying the dead, or reading the future.[19]

From about 1200 to the Spanish conquest in 1532, the indigenous peoples used selective breeding to develop many varieties of domestic guinea pigs, which formed the basis for some of the modern domestic breeds.[10] They continue to be a food source in the region; many households in the Andean highlands raise the animal.[20]

Folklore traditions involving guinea pigs are numerous; they are exchanged as gifts, used in customary social and religious ceremonies, and frequently referred to in spoken metaphors.[21] They also are used in traditional healing rituals by folk doctors, or curanderos, who use the animals to diagnose diseases such as jaundice, rheumatism, arthritis, and typhus.[22] They are rubbed against the bodies of the sick, and are seen as a supernatural medium.[23] Black guinea pigs are considered especially useful for diagnoses.[24] The animal may be cut open and its entrails examined to determine whether the cure was effective.[25] These methods are widely accepted in many parts of the Andes, where Western medicine is either unavailable or distrusted.[26]

c. 1580 painting of Elizabethan children with a cavy pet

Queen Elizabeth I.[13] The earliest known written account of the guinea pig dates from 1547, in a description of the animal from Santo Domingo. Because cavies are not native to Hispaniola, the animal was believed to have been earlier introduced there by Spanish travelers.[2] However, based on more recent excavations on West Indian islands, the animal must have been introduced to the Caribbean around 500 BC by ceramic-making horticulturalists from South America.[27] It was present in the Ostionoid period on Puerto Rico, for example, long before the advent of the Spaniards.[28]

The guinea pig was first described in the West in 1554 by the

generic designation (1766) and Linnaeus' specific conferral (1758).[2]

The earliest-known European illustration of a domestic guinea pig is a painting (artist unknown) in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London, dated to 1580, which shows a girl in typical Elizabethan dress holding a tortoise-shell guinea pig in her hands. She is flanked by her two brothers, one of whom holds a pet bird.[30] The picture dates from the same period as the oldest recorded guinea pig remains in England, which are a partial cavy skeleton found at Hill Hall, an Elizabethan manor house in Essex, and dated to around 1575.[30]

Characteristics

Main article: List of guinea pig breeds
Parti-colored Abyssinian guinea pigs

Guinea pigs are relatively large for rodents. In pet breeds, adults typically weigh between 700 and 1,200 g (1.5 and 2.6 lb) and measure between 20 and 25 cm (8 and 10 in) in length.

Texel
.

In the 1990s, a minority scientific opinion emerged proposing that caviomorphs such as guinea pigs, chinchillas, and degus are not actually rodents, and should be reclassified as a separate order of mammals (similar to the rodent-like lagomorphs which includes rabbits and hares).[35][36][37] Subsequent research using wider sampling restored the consensus among mammalian biologists regarding the current classification of rodents, including guinea pigs, as monophyletic.[38][39]

Male and female guinea pigs do not significantly

scrotal
swelling.

Guinea pigs in a petting zoo.

Behavior

Guinea pigs "social groom" each other

Guinea pigs can learn complex paths to food, and can accurately remember a learned path for months. Their strongest problem-solving strategy is motion.[41] While guinea pigs can jump small obstacles, they cannot jump very high. Most of them are poor climbers, and are not particularly agile. They startle easily, and when they sense danger either freeze in place for long periods, or run for cover with rapid, darting motions.[12] Larger groups of startled guinea pigs "stampede", running in haphazard directions as a means of confusing predators.[42] When happily excited, guinea pigs may (often repeatedly) perform little hops in the air (a movement known as "popcorning"), analogous to the ferret's war dance[43] or rabbit happy hops (binkies). Guinea pigs are also good swimmers,[44] although they do not like being wet and infrequently need bathing.

Like many rodents, guinea pigs sometimes participate in social grooming, and they regularly self-groom.[45] A milky-white substance is secreted from their eyes and rubbed into the hair during the grooming process.[46] Groups of boars often chew each other's hair, but this is a method of establishing hierarchy within a group, rather than a social gesture.[44] Dominance is also established through biting (especially of the ears), piloerection, aggressive noises, head thrusts, and leaping attacks.[47] Non-sexual simulated mounting for dominance is also common among same-sex groups.[citation needed]

Guinea pig eyesight is not as good as that of a human in terms of distance and color, but they have a wider angle of vision (about 340°) and see in partial color (

smell, and touch.[48][49]

Guinea pigs have developed a different

gerbils and hamsters may increase instances of respiratory and other infections,[54] and such rodents may act aggressively toward guinea pigs.[55]

Vocalization

Vocalization is the primary means of communication between members of the species.[56] These are the most common sounds made by the guinea pig:[57]

  • A "wheek" is a loud noise, the name of which is onomatopoeic, also known as a whistle. An expression of general excitement, it may occur in response to the presence of its owner or to feeding. It is sometimes used to find other guinea pigs if they are running. If a guinea pig is lost, it may wheek for assistance. listenⓘ
  • A bubbling or purring sound is made when the guinea pig is enjoying itself, such as when being petted or held. It may also make this sound when grooming, crawling around to investigate a new place, or when given food. listenⓘ
  • A rumbling sound is normally related to dominance within a group, though it can also come as a response to being scared or angry. In the case of being scared, the rumble often sounds higher and the body vibrates shortly. While courting, a male usually purrs deeply, swaying and circling the female
    passive resistance. listenⓘ
  • Chutting and whining are sounds made in pursuit situations, by the pursuer and pursuee, respectively. listenⓘ
  • A chattering sound is made by rapidly gnashing the teeth, and is generally a sign of warning. Guinea pigs tend to raise their heads when making this sound.
  • Squealing or shrieking is a high-pitched sound of discontent, in response to pain or danger. listenⓘ
  • Chirping, a less common sound, likened to bird song, seems to be related to stress or discomfort, or when a baby guinea pig wants to be fed. Very rarely, the chirping will last for several minutes. listenⓘ

Living environment

Long haired guinea pig

Domestic guinea pigs generally live in cages, although some owners of large numbers of cavies dedicate entire rooms to their pets.[citation needed] Wire mesh floors can cause injury and may be associated with an infection commonly known as bumblefoot (ulcerative pododermatitis),[59] so cages with solid bottoms, where the animal walks directly on the bedding, are typically used. Large cages, which allow for adequate running space, can be constructed from wire grid panels and plastic sheeting, a style known as C&C, or "cubes and coroplast".[60]

Red cedar (

Western) and pine, both softwoods, were commonly used as bedding, but now these materials are believed to contain harmful phenols (aromatic hydrocarbons) and oils.[61] Bedding materials made from hardwoods (such as aspen), paper products, and corn cobs are alternatives.[61] Guinea pigs tend to be messy; they often jump into their food bowls or kick bedding and feces into them, and their urine sometimes crystallizes on cage surfaces, making it difficult to remove.[62] After its cage has been cleaned, a guinea pig typically urinates and drags its lower body across the floor of the cage to mark its territory.[63] Male guinea pigs may mark their territory in this way when they are put back into their cages after being taken out.[citation needed
]

Guinea pigs thrive in groups of two or more; groups of sows, or groups of one or more sows and a neutered boar are common combinations, but boars can sometimes live together. Guinea pigs learn to recognize and bond with other individual guinea pigs, and tests show that a boar's

neuroendocrine stress response to a strange environment is significantly lowered in the presence of a bonded female, but not with unfamiliar females.[64] Groups of boars may also get along, provided their cage has enough space, they are introduced at an early age, and no females are present.[65] In Switzerland, where owning a single guinea pig is considered harmful to its well-being, keeping a guinea pig without a companion is illegal.[66] There is a service to rent guinea pigs, to temporarily replace a dead cage-mate.[67] Sweden has similar laws against keeping a guinea pig by itself.[68]

Nomenclature

Latin name

The scientific name of the common species is Cavia porcellus, with

Galibi tribes once native to French Guiana.[69] Cabiai may be an adaptation of the Portuguese çavia (now savia), which is itself derived from the Tupi word saujá, meaning rat.[70]

Guinea pig

The origin of "guinea" in "guinea pig" is hard to explain. One proposed explanation is that the animals were brought to Europe by way of Guinea, leading people to think they had originated there.[1] "Guinea" was also frequently used in English to refer generally to any far-off, unknown country, so the name may simply be a colorful reference to the animal's exotic origins.[71][72]

Another hypothesis suggests the "guinea" in the name is a corruption of "

guinea coin. This hypothesis is untenable, because the guinea was first struck in England in 1663, and William Harvey used the term "Ginny-pig" as early as 1653.[74] Others believe "guinea" may be an alteration of the word coney (rabbit); guinea pigs were referred to as "pig coneys" in Edward Topsell's 1607 treatise on quadrupeds.[1]

How the animals came to be called "pigs" is not clear. They are built somewhat like pigs, with large heads relative to their bodies, stout necks, and rounded rumps with no tail of any consequence; some of the sounds they emit are very similar to those made by pigs, and they spend a large amount of time eating.[1][75] They can survive for long periods in small quarters, like a "pig pen", and were easily transported by ship to Europe.[1]

Other languages

Guinea pigs are called quwi or jaca in

Quechua and cuy or cuyo (plural cuyes, cuyos) in the Spanish of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.[76]

The animal's name alludes to pigs in many European languages. The German word for them is Meerschweinchen, literally "little sea pig", in Polish they are called świnka morska, in Hungarian as tengerimalac, and in Russian: морская свинка, romanized: morskaya svinka. This derives from the Middle High German name merswin. This originally meant "dolphin" and was used because of the animals' grunting sounds (which were thought to be similar).[77]

Many other, possibly less scientifically based, explanations of the German name exist. For example, sailing ships stopping to reprovision in the New World would pick up stores of guinea pigs, which provided an easily transportable source of fresh meat. The French term is cochon d'Inde (Indian pig), or cobaye; the Dutch called it Guinees biggetje (Guinean piglet), or cavia (in some Dutch dialects it is called Spaanse rat); and in Portuguese, the guinea pig is variously referred to as cobaia, from the Tupi word via its Latinization, or as porquinho da Índia (little Indian pig). This association with pigs is not universal among European terms; for example, the common word in Spanish is conejillo de Indias (little rabbit of the Indies).[76]

The Chinese refer to the animal as 豚鼠 (túnshǔ, "pig mouse"), and sometimes as 荷蘭豬 (hélánzhū, 'Netherlands pig') or 天竺鼠 (tiānzhúshǔ, "Indian mouse"). The Japanese word for guinea pig is モルモット (morumotto), which derives from the name of another mountain-dwelling rodent, the marmot. This is what the guinea pigs were called by Dutch traders, who first brought them to Nagasaki in 1843. The other, and less common, Japanese word for guinea pig, using kanji, is 天竺鼠 (てんじくねずみ or tenjiku-nezumi), which literally translates as "India rat".[78]

Diet

Further information: Cecotrope
A silver agouti guinea pig eating grass, the staple of the diet, which is often replaced with hay.

The guinea pig's natural diet is

colons
than most rodents.

Easily digestible food is processed in the gastrointestinal tract and expelled as regular feces. But in order to get nutrients out of hard to digest fiber, guinea pigs ferment fiber in the cecum (in the GI tract) and then expel the contents as cecotropes, which are reingested (cecotrophy). The cecotropes are then absorbed in the small intestine to utilize the nutrients.[80][52][81] The cecotropes are eaten directly from the anus, unless the guinea pig is pregnant or obese.[52] They share this behavior with lagomorphs (rabbits, hares, pikas) and some other animals.

In geriatric boars or sows (rarely in young ones), the muscles which allow the cecotropes to be expelled from the anus can become weak. This creates a condition known as fecal impaction, which prevents the animal from redigesting cecotropes even though harder pellets may pass through the impacted mass.[82] The condition may be temporarily alleviated by a human carefully removing the impacted feces from the anus.[citation needed]

Guinea pigs benefit from a diet of fresh

food pellets which are often based on timothy hay. Alfalfa hay is also a popular food choice and most guinea pigs will eat large amounts of alfalfa when offered it,[20][83] though some controversy exists over offering alfalfa to adult guinea pigs. Some pet owners and veterinary organizations have advised that, as a legume rather than a grass hay, alfalfa consumed in large amounts may lead to obesity, as well as bladder stones from the excess calcium in all animals except for pregnant and very young guinea pigs.[84] However, published scientific sources mention alfalfa as a food source that can replenish protein, amino acids, and fiber.[85][81][86]

Like humans, but unlike most other mammals, guinea pigs cannot synthesize their own vitamin C and must obtain this vital nutrient from food. If guinea pigs do not ingest enough vitamin C, they can suffer from potentially fatal scurvy. Guinea pigs require about 10 mg of vitamin C daily (20 mg if pregnant), which can be obtained through fresh, raw fruits and vegetables (such as broccoli, apple, cabbage, carrot, celery, and spinach) or through dietary supplements or by eating fresh pellets designed for guinea pigs, if they have been handled properly.[87] Healthy diets for guinea pigs require a complex balance of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and hydrogen ions; but adequate amounts of vitamins A, D, and E are also necessary.[88]

Poor diets for guinea pigs have been associated with

vitamin deficiencies, and teeth problems.[89][90] Guinea pigs tend to be fickle eaters when it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables after having learned early in life what is and is not appropriate to consume, and their eating habits may be difficult to change after maturity.[81][91] They do not respond well to sudden changes in their diet and they may stop eating and starve rather than accept new food types.[44] A constant supply of hay is generally recommended, as guinea pigs feed continuously and may develop bad habits if food is not present, such as chewing on their hair.[92] Being rodents, as their teeth grow constantly (as do their nails, like humans), they routinely gnaw on things, lest their teeth become too large for their jaw (a common problem in rodents).[citation needed] Guinea pigs chew on cloth, paper, plastic, and rubber, if they are available. Guinea pig owners may "Guinea Pig proof" their household, especially if they free roam, to avoid any destruction or harm to the guinea pig itself. [93]

A number of plants are poisonous to guinea pigs, including

charlock, deadly nightshade, foxglove, hellebore, hemlock, lily of the valley, mayweed, monkshood, privet, ragwort, rhubarb, speedwell, toadflax (both Linaria vulgaris and Linaria dalmatica), and wild celery.[94] Additionally, any plant which grows from a bulb (e.g., tulip or onion) is normally considered poisonous,[95]
as well as ivy and oak tree leaves.

Reproduction

Pregnant
sow one week before delivering three pups

Males (boars) reach

precocial, and are well-developed with hair, teeth, claws, and partial eyesight.[44] The pups are immediately mobile and begin eating solid food immediately, though they continue to suckle. Sows can once again become pregnant 6–48 hours after giving birth, but it is not healthy for a female to be constantly pregnant.[97]

The

Litter size ranges from one to six, with three being the average;[98] the largest recorded litter size is 9.[99] The guinea pig mother only has two nipples, but she can readily raise the more average-sized litters of 2 to 4 pups.[100][101] In smaller litters, difficulties may occur during labour due to oversized pups. Large litters result in higher incidences of stillbirth, but because the pups are delivered at an advanced stage of development, lack of access to the mother's milk has little effect on the mortality rate of newborns.[102]

Guinea pig pup at eight hours old

Cohabitating females assist in mothering duties if lactating;[103] guinea pigs practice alloparental care, in which a sow may adopt the pups of another. This might take place if the original parents die or are for some reason separated from them. This behavior is common and is seen in many other animal species such as the elephant.[104]

hypocalcaemia, and mastitis.[107]

Females that do not give birth may develop an irreversible fusing or calcified cartilage of the

dystocia and death as they attempt to give birth.[108]

Health problems

Common ailments in domestic guinea pigs include respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, scurvy (vitamin C deficiency, typically characterized by sluggishness), abscesses due to infection (often in the neck, due to hay embedded in the throat, or from external scratches), and infections by lice, mites, or fungus.[109]

Mange mites (Trixacarus caviae) are a common cause of hair loss, and other symptoms may also include excessive scratching, unusually aggressive behavior when touched (due to pain), and, in some instances, seizures.[110] Guinea pigs may also suffer from "running lice" (Gliricola porcelli), a small, white insect that can be seen moving through the hair; their eggs, which appear as black or white specks attached to the hair, are sometimes referred to as "static lice". Other causes of hair loss can be due to hormonal upsets caused by underlying medical conditions such as ovarian cysts.[111]

parti-colored guinea pig suffering from torticollis
, or wry neck

Foreign bodies, especially small pieces of hay or straw, can become lodged in the eyes of guinea pigs, resulting in excessive blinking, tearing, and in some cases an opaque film over the eye due to corneal ulcer.[112] Hay or straw dust can also cause sneezing. While it is normal for guinea pigs to sneeze periodically, frequent sneezing may be a symptom of pneumonia, especially in response to atmospheric changes. Pneumonia may also be accompanied by torticollis and can be fatal.[113]

Because the guinea pig has a stout, compact body, it more easily tolerates excessive cold than excessive heat.[114] Its normal body temperature is 38–40 °C (101–104 °F),[115] so its ideal ambient air temperature range is similar to a human's, about 18–24 °C (65–75 °F).[114] Consistent ambient temperatures in excess of 32 °C (90 °F) have been linked to hyperthermia and death, especially among pregnant sows.[114] Guinea pigs are not well suited to environments that feature wind or frequent drafts,[116] and respond poorly to extremes of humidity outside of the range of 30–70%.[117]

Guinea pigs are

intestinal flora and quickly bring on episodes of diarrhea and in some cases, death.[118][119]

Similar to the inherited

congenital eye disorders and problems with the digestive system.[120] Other genetic disorders include "waltzing disease" (deafness coupled with a tendency to run in circles), palsy, and tremor conditions.[121]

As pets

See also: List of guinea pig breeds

Social behaviors

If handled correctly early in life, guinea pigs become amenable to being picked up and carried, and seldom bite or scratch.[44] They are timid explorers and often hesitate to attempt an escape from their cage even when an opportunity presents itself.[51] Still, they show considerable curiosity when allowed to walk freely, especially in familiar and safe terrain. Guinea pigs that become familiar with their owner will whistle on the owner's approach; they will also learn to whistle in response to the rustling of plastic bags or the opening of refrigerator doors, where their food is most commonly stored.

Coats and grooming

Peruvian guinea pig
with a show-length coat

Domesticated guinea pigs occur in many breeds, which have been developed since their introduction to Europe and North America. These varieties vary in hair and color composition. The most common varieties found in pet stores are the English shorthair (also known as the American), which have a short, smooth coat, and the

Texel, a curly longhair. Grooming of guinea pigs is primarily accomplished using combs or brushes. Shorthair breeds are typically brushed weekly, while longhair breeds may require daily grooming.[122]

Clubs and associations

Cavy clubs and associations dedicated to the showing and breeding of guinea pigs have been established worldwide. The American Cavy Breeders Association, an adjunct to the

American Rabbit Breeders' Association, is the governing body in the United States and Canada.[123] The British Cavy Council governs cavy clubs in the United Kingdom. Similar organizations exist in Australia (Australian National Cavy Council)[124] and New Zealand (New Zealand Cavy Council).[125]
Each club publishes its own standard of perfection and determines which breeds are eligible for showing.

Human allergies

Allergy shots can successfully treat an allergy to guinea pigs, although treatment can take up to 18 months.[medical citation needed
]

In popular culture and media

Guinea pigs feature in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1907)

As a result of their widespread popularity, especially in households with children, guinea pigs have shown a presence in culture and media. Some noted appearances of the animal in literature include the short story "Pigs Is Pigs" by Ellis Parker Butler, which is a tale of bureaucratic incompetence. Two guinea pigs held at a railway station breed unchecked while humans argue as to whether they are "pigs" or "pets" for the purpose of determining freight charges.[129] Butler's story, in turn, inspired the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "The Trouble with Tribbles", written by David Gerrold.[130]

In children's literature

Wood between the Worlds.[133] In Ursula Dubosarsky's Maisie and the Pinny Gig, a little girl has a recurrent dream about a giant guinea pig, while guinea pigs feature significantly in several of Dubosarsky's other books, including the young adult novel The White Guinea Pig and The Game of the Goose.[134]

In film and television

Guinea pigs have also been featured in film and television. In the TV movie

season 12 episode "Pandemic 2: The Startling", giant guinea pigs dressed in costumes rampage over the Earth.[137] The 2009 Walt Disney Pictures movie G-Force features a group of highly intelligent guinea pigs trained as operatives of the U.S. government.[138]

As food

South America

Dish from Ecuador called cuy
A Peruvian dish made with cuy

Guinea pigs (called cuy, cuye, or curí) were originally domesticated for their meat in the Andes. Traditionally, the animal was reserved for ceremonial meals and as a

Nariño departments). Because guinea pigs require much less room than traditional livestock and reproduce extremely quickly, they are a more profitable source of food and income than many traditional stock animals, such as pigs and cattle;[141] moreover, they can be raised in an urban environment. Both rural and urban families raise guinea pigs for supplementary income, and the animals are commonly bought and sold at local markets and large-scale municipal fairs.[142]
Guinea pig meat is high in
chicken.[6][143] The animal may be served fried (chactado or frito), broiled (asado), or roasted (al horno), and in urban restaurants may also be served in a casserole or a fricassee.[144] Ecuadorians commonly consume sopa or locro de cuy, a soup dish.[144] Pachamanca or huatia, an earth oven cooking method, is also popular, and cuy cooked this way is usually served with chicha (corn beer) in traditional settings.[144]

Peruvians consume an estimated 65 million guinea pigs each year, and the animal is so entrenched in the culture that one famous painting of the

Corpus Christi as part of the Ensayo, which is a community meal, and the Octava, where castillos (greased poles) are erected with prizes tied to the crossbars, from which several guinea pigs may be hung.[146] The Peruvian town of Churin has an annual festival that involves dressing guinea pigs in elaborate costumes for competition.[147] There are also guinea pig festivals held in Huancayo, Cusco, Lima, and Huacho, featuring costumes and guinea pig dishes. Most guinea pig celebrations take place on the National Guinea Pig Day (Día Nacional del Cuy) across Peru on the second Friday of October.[148]

Peruvian breeding program

Guinea pigs raised as livestock

Peruvian research universities, especially

La Molina National Agrarian University, began experimental programs in the 1960s with the intention of breeding larger-sized guinea pigs.[149] Subsequent university efforts have sought to change breeding and husbandry procedures in South America, to make the raising of guinea pigs as livestock more economically sustainable.[150] The variety of guinea pig produced by La Molina is fast-growing and can weigh 3 kg (6.6 lb).[32] All the large breeds of guinea pig are known as cuy mejorados and the pet breeds are known as cuy criollos. The three original lines out of Peru were the Perú (weighing 800 g (28 oz) by 2 weeks), the Andina, and the Inti.[151]

The United States, Europe, and Japan

Andean immigrants in New York City raise and sell guinea pigs for meat, and some South American restaurants in major cities in the United States serve cuy as a delicacy.[152][32] In the 1990s and 2000s, La Molina University began exporting large-breed guinea pigs to Europe, Japan, and the United States in the hope of increasing human consumption outside of countries in northern South America.[6]

Sub-Saharan Africa

Efforts have been made to promote guinea pig husbandry in developing countries of West Africa,[141] where they occur more widely than generally known because they are usually not covered by livestock statistics. However, it has not been known when and where the animals have been introduced to Africa.[153] In Cameroon, they are widely distributed.[154][155] In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they can be found both in peri-urban environments[156] as well as in rural regions, for example, in South Kivu.[157][158] They are also frequently held in rural households in Iringa Region of southwestern Tanzania.[159][160]

In scientific research

See also: Skinny pig
A guinea pig being examined by a veterinary medical officer for a study on leptospirosis

The use of guinea pigs in scientific experimentation dates back at least to the 17th century, when the Italian biologists

Sputnik 9 biosatellite of March 9, 1961 – with a successful recovery.[164] China also launched and recovered a biosatellite in 1990 which included guinea pigs as passengers.[165]

Guinea pigs remained popular laboratory animals until the later 20th century: about 2.5 million guinea pigs were used annually in the U.S. for research in the 1960s,

Mammalian Genome Project, but the guinea pig sequence scaffolds have not been assigned to chromosomes.[169]

The guinea pig was most extensively used in research and diagnosis of

infectious diseases.[167] Common uses included identification of brucellosis, Chagas disease, cholera, diphtheria, foot-and-mouth disease, glanders, Q fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and various strains of typhus.[167] They are still frequently used to diagnose tuberculosis, since they are easily infected by human tuberculosis bacteria.[166] Because guinea pigs are one of the few animals which, like humans and other primates, cannot synthesize vitamin C, but must obtain it from their diet, they are ideal for researching scurvy.[166] From the accidental discovery in 1907 that scurvy could be induced in guinea pigs, to their use to prove the chemical structure of the "ascorbutic factor" in 1932, the guinea pig model proved a crucial part of vitamin C research.[170][171]

Black skinny pig

Complement, an important component for serology, was first isolated from the blood of the guinea pig.[166] Guinea pigs have an unusual insulin mutation,[172] and are a suitable species for the generation of anti-insulin antibodies.[173] Present at a level 10 times that found in other mammals, the insulin in guinea pigs may be important in growth regulation, a role usually played by growth hormone.[174] Additionally, guinea pigs have been identified as model organisms for the study of juvenile diabetes and, because of the frequency of pregnancy toxemia, of pre-eclampsia in human females.[103] Their placental structure is similar to that of humans, and their gestation period can be divided into trimesters that resemble the stages of fetal development in humans.[175]

Guinea pig strains used in scientific research are primarily outbred strains. Aside from the common American or English stock, the two main outbred strains in laboratory use are the Hartley and Dunkin-Hartley; these English strains are albino, although pigmented strains are also available.[176] Inbred strains are less common and are usually used for very specific research, such as immune system molecular biology. Of the inbred strains that have been created, the two still used with any frequency are, following Sewall Wright's designations, "Strain 2" and "Strain 13".[121][176]

Hairless breeds of guinea pigs have been used in scientific research since the 1980s, particularly for

Eastman Kodak Company in 1979.[177] An immunocompetent hairless breed was also identified by the Institute Armand Frappier in 1978, and Charles River Laboratories has reproduced this breed for research since 1982.[178]
Cavy fanciers then began acquiring hairless breeds, and the pet hairless varieties are referred to as "skinny pigs".

Metaphorical usage

In

F. J. Schlink and Arthur Kallet wrote a book entitled 100,000,000 Guinea Pigs, extending the metaphor to consumer society.[180] The book became a national bestseller in the United States, thus further popularizing the term, and spurred the growth of the consumer protection movement.[181] During World War II, the Guinea Pig Club was established at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, Sussex, England, as a social club and mutual support network for the patients of plastic surgeon Archibald McIndoe, who were undergoing previously untested reconstruction procedures.[182] The negative connotation of the term was later employed in the novel The Guinea Pigs (1970) by Czech author Ludvík Vaculík as an allegory for Soviet totalitarianism.[183]

See also

References

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Sources

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Guinea_pig&oldid=1219733783"