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History
The guinea pig's actual name is cavy, but because of the pig-like noises they make and other pig-like qualities, people can't resist calling them guinea pigs. Guinea pigs originated in South America. Pre-Inca natives domesticated the guinea pig. For centuries, it was the only domesticated food animal of Peru. In the mid-sixteenth century, following the spanish conquests, guinea pigs began to spread out of the Inca empire and arrived in Europe via West Africa, possibly by way of Guinea, in the seventeenth century. However, the word Guinea may not have had any geographical signifigance. Back then, it meant "strange" or "foreign". |
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The Guinea Pig Today
Today wild guinea pigs live at high altitudes in mountains, and on plains. Wild relatives of the domestic guinea pig can still be found in Peru. Today guinea pigs are a very popular pet.
Breeds & Varieties
Guinea pigs come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, but there are 3 main varieties: the English, the Abyssinian, and the Peruvian. English guinea pigs are short haired, and can come in self-color (only 1 color), bicolor (only 2 colors), or tricolor (only 3 colors). Guinea pigs with particular patterns are given names such as the Dutch and the Himalayan. Abyssinian guinea pigs are also short haired, and come in a wide variety of colors. The Abyssinian coat has whorls and rosettes on it, which look like tufts of hair and crowns. Peruvian guinea pigs are longhaired and also come in a wide variety of colors. The Peruvian coat grows several centimeters long and requires lots of grooming.
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