Within the kingdom of guinea pigs, perhaps the one we associate with most is the American guinea pig. It is the most common, but also one of the oldest and most docile and affectionate in the world.
If you want to know the characteristics of the American Guinea Pig in its natural habitat and the care it needs as a pet, be sure to take a look at this information that we have compiled.
Characteristics of the American Guinea Pig
The American guinea pig, also known as the American guinea pig, or English guinea pig, is a small rodent, between 25 and 30 cm in its adult state. Its weight will not exceed 1-1,5 kg, although it depends on your diet and exercise.
It has a round and chubby body similar to other guinea pigs, with short straight hair. It can be single-shade (white, brown, black… in varying degrees of intensity) or bi- or tri-colored, ie with different colors.
As far as its head is concerned, the neck is hardly recognizable, as it looks like a complete set. Its slightly elongated and flattened muzzle stands out, with small hanging ears and round, black and fairly large eyes.
personality of which american
Regarding the personality of the American guinea pig, it must be said that it is one of the easiest to tame as well as tolerate humans. He is very polite and affectionate. Being able to get out of the cage and be close to their owners.
She loves to play and that’s why, when she knows that you are there, she wants your attention so that you spend time with her, whether to play, pet, etc.
American Cuyo’s Habitat
The American guinea pig is one of the oldest rodents in the world. In fact, there are indications that this species was domesticated in the Andes around 5000 BC . Therefore, although its name indicates that it comes from the Americas, the truth is that it is not. But the species migrated to America.
More specifically, they made it to South America in the year XVI and from that date, they began to breed guinea pigs, mixing and crossing them with others, until they gave rise to the American guinea pig.
Something that few people know is that the American guinea pig and the English guinea pig are the same, it’s just that it’s called one way in some places and another way in others.
The American guinea pig today is more of a domestic animal than a wild animal, although it can be found in the wild. However, it is not very common to see them, so Habitat focuses more on what breeders and pet owners provide.
Caring for the American Guinea Pig as a Pet
It’s not inappropriate to have a guinea pig as a pet right now, quite the contrary. More and more families are choosing this type of animal because of its small size, requires little care and costs little money monthly.
However, this does not mean that a range of factors should not be taken into account. Necessary care for the animal to live happily and not get sick. For this reason, we’ve compiled the most important ones below.
american whose cage
An American guinea pig’s cage is, as befits any guinea pig, its home. Therefore, it should correspond to the size of the animal so that it does not feel overwhelmed by being in it, especially if it spends several hours.
El minimum size of a cage for these rodents is 80 cm long and 40 cm both high and wide. But if you can buy a bigger one, it is always better to be able to introduce toys in it or even set up different areas: rest, play, food…
In addition to the cage, we recommend that you also have a park or an area where they can run, play, etc. They grow up and it helps to exercise them daily, plus you can spend time with them and thus foster bonding between the two of you.
American Guinea Pig Feeding
The American guinea pig is one of those animals that eats almost everything. You shouldn’t give up on hay, pellets, and water in their diet , but you should also provide fruits and vegetables so they can take in vitamins and nutrients that other foods don’t have.
You have to be careful because this is an animal that puts on weight easily, so you have to control the food you give it (something that requires daily exercise) to maintain its weight.
the cleanliness of the American whose
American guinea pig hygiene isn’t just for the cage. You need to make time for that too. And that is, you have to do a daily cleaning of the cage to remove food debris, dirt and excrement which if left unattended can make him sick. In addition, every 3-4 days (or once a week at most), you should do a thorough cleaning of the cage to remove any dirt, scrubbing the bars, floor, and toys and accessories.
As for the guinea pig, you should brush its hair so that it doesn’t get tangled or look messy and neglected. By doing this, you will remove the dead hair and encourage them to become healthy and shiny. Being animals that love to clean, it is important that you bathe them often. In the summer, and whenever it’s hot, you can put a bathtub or something like that in it and it’s possible that it will come in; But in winter, or if he is not in the habit of taking a bath, then to remove the dirt from his body, it will have to be done with a wet cloth.
Remember to hit it well in the area of the ears and feet, especially the second ones, as they are the ones that have the most contact with the food and the floor of the cage.
Breeding the American Guinea Pig
The American guinea pig becomes sexually mature at 2 months of age. However, when it comes to breeding, it is recommended that she do so between 8 and 10 months, which is when she is most ready for it. From two months onwards, females come into heat every 16 days, and have better chances of becoming pregnant in the first 12 hours of heat. For this reason, it is advisable to keep pairs separated if you do not want to have consecutive pups.
Once mating has occurred, and there is an insemination in the process, it takes about 2–4 days to produce 60 to 70 pups. The female will be in charge of the pups for a month after weaning begins. And at that time the pups will begin to eat and drink on their own (although in fact after 10 days they can already do so but they need the mother’s milk to develop properly).