Cavies?

[lylwhitetiger]

I have never had a Guinea Pig, and always wanted one ,but ended
up getting a chin! But why do they call them Cavies? I have never heard of that untill a couple of days ago. Just wondering.

[lylwhitetiger]

does anybody know?...well i guess i will have look it up on the net. and
let everyone know!

[MistyMeanor]

I believe that "Cavies" are the animal's real name. I think Guinea Pigs is something that other people came up with to call them.

[~Leah]

Yes, Misty is right, cavie is their "real" name lol Guinea pig is just cuter :inlove:

[lylwhitetiger]

These are two reply’s from people that I have asked about the name Cavy.

The name Cavy comes from the Latin name for the guinea pig, Cavia Porcellus.
As for the name 'guinea pig' people have speculated that it could be because
they were sold for one 'guinea' at the time. (A guinea is an amount of money
before £'s and pennies came in)
The word 'pig' may have come about due to the way they snuffle around for
their food likes pigs do and the fact that they squeal.


Today's domestic cavy probably descended from the Restless Cavy first arrived in Europe from Peru in around 1580 by the Dutch. They got there name from form the Dutch colonies on the Guiana coast on the North Eastern tip of South America they were first known as Guinana Pig which became Guinea Pig the ‘pig’ part is possibly because when the natives cooked them they tasted rather like pork. It seems that the first cavies to arrive in England was in about 1750 although it does not appear to be recorded who it was that bought them here.
taken from:~ "http://64.4.8.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=79e9dca215ed1d3399b064e97f04f65f&lat=1034203641&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2ejensroughcavies%2ecjb%2enet%2f"

[MistyMeanor]

Very good girl! Thank you for sharing that!!!!

[mia]

Here is some basic care for your new baby.Good luck!!
Good-quality food and fresh, clean water must be readily available at all times. Commercially available pelleted chows provide all of the essential nutrients, as long as the pellets are fresh and wholesome when offered. Some guinea pig owners are tempted to feed rabbit pellets, assuming that they are roughly equivalent to guinea pig pellets, but this is not so. Unlike most mammals (including rabbits), guinea pigs require a high level of the vitamin, folic acid. Unlike rabbits, guinea pigs cannot manufacture their own vitamin C and must, therefore, receive it from an outside source. Interestingly, people and our primate relatives share this dependence on vitamin C from the food we consume. Pellets milled for guinea pigs take these special requirements into consideration and are appropriately fortified with these 2 nutrients, among many other essential ones.
Guinea pig chows generally contain 18-20% protein, 16% fiber and about 1 gram of vitamin C per kilogram of ration. Even when the fresh pellets are properly stored in a cool, dry place, about half of the vitamin C content is degraded and lost within 6 weeks of manufacture. Therefore, the diet should be supplemented with vitamin C as follows: 200 milligrams of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) should be added to about 1 qt of drinking water, made up fresh every 12 hours, or a single guinea pig should be offered one handful of kale or cabbage or one-quarter of an orange daily.
Researchers are not in agreement on the advisability of adding other items to the balanced ration (pelleted chows). We recommend that fresh greens, hay and small amounts of fruit be offered daily with several precautions: These items should not exceed 10-15% of the daily diet Furthermore, the fresh items must be thoroughly washed to avoid pesticide residues and possible bacterial contamination.

All foods should be provided in heavy ceramic crocks that resist tipping over. The sides of the crocks should be high enough to keep bedding and fecal pellets out of the food, or the crocks should be elevated slightly above the bedding.

Water is most easily made available and kept free from contamination by providing it in one or more water bottles equipped with "sipper" tubes. Guinea pigs tend to contaminate and clog their water bottles more than other pet rodents by chewing on the end of the sipper tube and "backwashing" food particles into it. For this reason, all food and water containers should be cleaned and disinfected daily.

Guinea pigs tend to be creatures of habit and do not tolerate changes in the presentation, taste, odor, texture or form of their food and water. Pet owners should avoid making radical changes in the food and water containers. Any changes in the food itself should be made gradually. Failure to do so usually results in the guinea pigs' refusing food and water, which can lead to disease

[MistyMeanor]

Hey uhh Mia... she don't have a GP... But thanks for sharing the info! You might wanna move it to the health care section in GP's.

[mia]

LOL I knew she did not have one but thought she might like alittle info.
Ya know us mods are here to help LOL

[MistyMeanor]

oh ok... it said for your new baby so I didnt know if you misunderstood. Thanks Mia!

[lylwhitetiger]

y/w misty & thanks anyway for the GP info. sorry if i confused anyone.