Peruvian Guinea Pig: Pictures, Temperament, Diet, Care Guide & More – Nirantara

Recognized for his or her luxurious locks, the Peruvian guinea pig is the “hippie” guinea pig with a personality to match. Among the many many sweetest of cavies, the Peruvian guinea pig is a popular pet, nevertheless they’re not correct for everyone. Peruvian guinea pigs have loads better repairs grooming needs than your commonplace cavy, so that they’re not supreme for a first-time guinea pig proprietor.

Questioning if the Peruvian guinea pig is finest for you? Proper right here’s each factor it’s important study this breed’s temperament, effectively being, and requirements.

The Peruvian guinea pig is doubtless one of many oldest guinea pig breeds on file. They originate from South America nevertheless didn’t develop to be widespread pets until throughout the sixteenth century when French European retailers shipped them from Peru to Europe. Now, they’re acknowledged by every the American Cavy Breeders Affiliation and the British Cavy Council.

Peruvian Guinea Pig Traits

How Rather a lot Do These Guinea Pigs Worth?

As one in every of many further widespread cavy breeds, Peruvian guinea pigs are plentiful on the pet market. They might be somewhat pricey, though. For comparability, the American guinea pig, one of many frequent short-haired guinea pigs, costs spherical $25. The Peruvian guinea pig directions prices spherical $40 or $50, similar to the other long-haired Alpaca and Abyssinian guinea pigs. They’re broadly on the market from breeders and pet outlets, nevertheless likelihood is you’ll uncover them in rescues or shelters as correctly.

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Temperament & Intelligence of the Peruvian Guinea Pig

Like completely different guinea pigs, Peruvian guinea pigs are extraordinarily delicate, perceptive, and intelligent. They’ll be taught strategies and can be found to their title when referred to as. They’ll set up their individuals by odor, sight, and sound, and remarkably, they’ve the emotional intelligence to know when their human is drained or upset.

These cavies are gentle and sort, nevertheless it’s important to spend time with them with teaching and playtime, as that intelligence and sensitivity might trigger boredom and stress if their needs aren’t met. They do correctly as soon as they’ve a great deal of number of their day-to-day interactions, along with superior trick teaching.

Do These Guinea Pigs Make Good Pets? 👪

Certain, the Peruvian guinea pig makes a perfect pet. These cavies are nice, sociable, and sweet-natured. Aside from their magnificence, people protect Peruvians resulting from their cuddly and energetic personalities. They’re moreover curious and want to spend time with their homeowners, so that they’re not a present pet.

Does This Guinea Pig Get Alongside With Completely different Pets?

Guinea pigs do correctly in colonies, which moreover applies to the Peruvian guinea pig. They get alongside correctly with other guinea pigs, nevertheless it’s important to make sure that everybody appears to be spayed and neutered to avoid unintentional litters. As a prey animal, guinea pigs shouldn’t be allowed to work along with canines or cats, no matter how nice they seem. There’s not solely a risk of your canine or cat harming your cavy, nevertheless the stress of the state of affairs may set off effectively being points for the guinea pig.

Points to Know When Proudly proudly owning a Peruvian Guinea Pig:

Meals & Meals plan Requirements 🥕

Peruvian guinea pigs desire a right stability of pelleted meals, hay, and up to date greens. Like completely different guinea pigs, they may’t make their very personal vitamin C and should get it from their weight reduction program. Your cavy should have an enormous quantity of latest timothy hay each day, pelleted meals fortified with vitamin C, and a rotation of vitamin C-rich vegetables and fruit daily.

Habitat & Hutch/Enclosure Requirements 🏠

Guinea pigs don’t leap or climb, so it’s further important to have a much bigger enclosure with a great deal of flooring space. One guinea pig can have a cage that’s a minimal of 30” by 36”, nevertheless better is always larger. Plan one different three sq. toes per further guinea pig. A rodent cage is further acceptable for a guinea pig than plastic tubs, glass aquariums, or cages with wire flooring.

Prepare & Sleeping Needs 🐹

Guinea pigs should have on the very least three or 4 hours of free-range playtime each day. You in all probability have a much bigger enclosure with space to coach, your guinea pig might need a lot much less time exterior of their cage. Guinea pigs which have exterior time and workouts are usually larger adjusted and happier. With the Peruvian, it’s important to have this time for not solely practice nevertheless bonding, as they get hooked as much as their homeowners.

Teaching

Like completely different guinea pig breeds, Peruvian guinea pigs are intelligent, docile, and easy to educate. They’re typically expert to utilize a litter discipline, push a ball, spin in a circle, leap through a hoop, or come when referred to as. Teaching is finest with optimistic reinforcement and treats as a motivator, nevertheless it’s important to avoid overfeeding and making your guinea pig overweight or ailing.

Grooming ✂️

Peruvian guinea pigs are extreme repairs to groom. In distinction to completely different breeds, they’re unable to groom themselves appropriately. Along with spot cleaning and customary cage cleaning, your cavy will need each day brushing and customary baths to take care of their fur clear and detangled. A fragile brush or efficient tooth comb is nice for working through your guinea pig’s coat gently. In the event you occur to don’t maintain alongside along with your Peruvian Guinea Pig’s coat, they may get tangles, mats, and pores and pores and skin points.

It’s best to utilize a fleece cage liner to ensure that your guinea pig doesn’t get a great deal of hay, paper, or picket shavings of their coat. Their hair grows shortly, so most Peruvians will need month-to-month haircuts to forestall their hair from rising earlier their toes.

Lifespan and Properly being Circumstances 🏥

Peruvian guinea pigs have a healthful lifespan of 4 to six years. They’re inclined to a lot of the an identical effectively being circumstances as completely different guinea pigs, along with respiratory infections, gastrointestinal diseases, abscesses, and scurvy, a vitamin C deficiency. In addition to, the Peruvian’s prolonged coat leaves them inclined to completely different effectively being circumstances, resembling heatstroke, ear mites and infections, and flystrike, a scenario via which flies lay eggs of their pores and pores and skin and the maggots burrow out.

Male vs Female

Choosing a male or a female Peruvian guinea pig comes down to non-public alternative. Males are usually barely greater, whereas the females might be further standoffish. They differ by explicit particular person, however, so that you might need a male that’s further unbiased or a female that’s further affectionate. Each method, it’s best to spay or neuter your guinea pig to avoid behavioral points associated to intercourse hormones, along with effectively being circumstances which will affect the reproductive organs.

3 Little-Recognized Data About Peruvian Guinea Pigs

1. They Would possibly Not Be From Peru.

Whatever the title, Peruvian guinea pigs aren’t primarily from Peru. They nonetheless have wild cousins roaming all via South America, primarily in Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Argentina.

2. They Need Hairdos.

Peruvian guinea pigs have prolonged locks that develop on their sides, nevertheless moreover they’ve a rosette of fur on the best of their head. Left to develop wild, this hair will develop the an identical dimension of the physique, giving the guinea pig “bangs” which will affect their imaginative and prescient.

3. They Can’t Groom Themselves.

Most guinea pigs have shorter hair and engage in social grooming behaviors that do a great deal of the proprietor’s work. They secrete a milky fluid from the eyes that completely different guinea pigs drink and use to wash each other’s fur. Peruvian guinea pigs can’t engage in social grooming, even in colonies, as a result of dimension and amount of their fur. They’ll chew each other’s hair to skinny or shorten it, nevertheless most of the work is on the proprietor to take care of the hair trimmed and tangle-free.

Final Concepts

Peruvian guinea pigs are the celebs of the cavy world for his or her seems and personalities, nevertheless this isn’t a pet to be taken frivolously. Whereas they’re nice, loving, and easy to educate, Peruvian guinea pigs need way more grooming than completely different cavies, so that they’re not for an informal proprietor. In the event you occur to neglect this breed’s grooming needs, it should in all probability end up with important and painful effectively being circumstances. In the event you want to convey home a Peruvian guinea pig, be prepared to put further work into its coif than your particular person.

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