Cavies – wonderful and affectionate pets
If you are thinking of adopting your first guinea pig (or ‘cavy’) then congratulations! Cavies make wonderfully affectionate and intelligent pets. Cavies have a loving temperament and are relatively easy to care for. However, those of you who have already cared for guinea pigs will know that some cavy breeds do require a lot more time and attention than others.
It is important to learn about the different breeds of cavies and the various levels of maintenance that cavies require before you fall in love with a particular cavy breed. Do consider what you can reasonably afford in both time and money so that, whatever guinea pig you choose, you are able to give it the care and love that it deserves.
Categories of cavies
Cavies come in a great variety of breed. However, these cavy breeds can be roughly categorised as follows:
- Short coated cavies.
- Rough Coated cavies.
- Long Coated Guinea Pigs.
- Hairless Guinea Pigs.
- Smooth, short-coated cavy breeds categorised by colouring.
- Miscellaneous breeds.
What are cavies?
Cavies are domesticated rodents which originated from the Andes in South America. They were, in fact, first domesticated by the Incas over 5,000 years’ ago. The term ‘cavy’ is an abbreviation of ‘cavia porcellus’, the full name for this species of rodent.
Cavies are usually referred to by their more common name ‘guinea pig’. The term ‘cavy’ tends to be reserved for cavy breeders and cavy societies and organisations; that is to say ‘cavy’ is the more professional term used for guinea pigs.
So where did the term ‘Guinea Pig’ come from?
Despite their name, guinea pigs are not pigs and don’t come from Guinea! As already mentioned, they are in fact rodents from South America.
- Where does ‘Guinea’ come from? No one knows for certain but a possible explanation is that they were transported into Europe via Guinea, leading people to believe they originated from that country. It is a myth that they were sold for a guinea, from which they derived their name; guinea coins only came into circulation in 1663 and the term ‘ginny pig’ had already been used by then.
- Where does ‘Pig’ come from? Again, no one is sure. Guinea pigs do make certain pig-like sounds and certainly could be considered to eat like a pig. Their name could be derived from their lack of tail and rounded behinds, giving them pig-like features.
Visit guinea pig facts for more interesting facts about guinea pigs.
Cavies – clubs and societies
Cavies are sociable companions. There are also a great many cavy societies throughout the world dedicated to cavies. In Great Britain, the British Cavy Council arranges the exhibition of cavies and represents specialist cavy breed clubs. It also overseas the standardisation of certain breeds. It is not, therefore, a club in its own right but is well worth a regular visit to keep abreast of cavy related news and events.