KAISING GUINEA PIGS. 



5 



Before the arrival of Europeans in Peru and Bolivia the aborigines 

 of those countries had only three domestic animals used for food — the 

 llama, the alpaca, and the coiiy or cavy. The last, owing to its 

 abundance, was probably the most important. Spanish writers 

 always referred to the domestic cavy as the '^conejo" (rabbit), and 

 this name is still current among Spanish-speaking people in South 

 America. Naturalists have advanced several theories as to which 

 wild species of cavy was the ancestor of the domestic animal, but 

 nothing has been proved. From the great fecundity of the guinea 

 pig and its remarkable tendency to variation, we may assume that its 

 domestication took place in a very remote period. Velasco, in his 

 *^Historia del Keino de Quito," states that the Peruvians bestowed 

 much care on the selection and breeding of the animals at the time of 

 the Spanish Conquest. 



GUINEA PIGS AS PETS. 



For four centuries the guinea pig was regarded merely as a pet and 

 bred for show and fancy alone. Being a plastic animal, it was con- 

 siderably changed during this period, and several strains and mocUfi- 

 cations of the original were developed. Thus, besides the smooth- 

 haired forms, we have the Peruvian, which is a very long-haired type, 

 and the Abyssinian, a type with rather long hair standing out in curi- 

 ous rosettes all over the body. The long-haired cavies are not recom- 

 mended for ordinary pets, as their coats need much care. The smooth- 

 haired require less attention and make equally attractive pets. 

 They have the advantages of being easily kept and of never biting 

 when handled. However, it is not advisable to subject pet animals 

 of any sort to much handling or fondling. Even dogs and cats are 

 always the worse for such treatment, and pet rabbits or guinea pigs 

 soon show the results of much handhng in their roughened coats and 

 lack of sprighthness. Long-haired guinea pigs, especially if intended 

 for show, require some handling, since the hair has to be brushed 

 frequently. This is best done while the animal rests on a high shelf 

 where it need not be held during the brushing. 



GUINEA PIGS AS FOOD. 



It is difficult to account for the somewhat prevalent notion that no 

 rodents are fit for human food. Because of such prejudice, some peo- 

 ple will not eat rabbits or squirrels, and probably many others are 

 kept from eating such excellent game as muskrats and prairie dogs. 

 While guinea pigs are seldom eaten in the United States, their near 

 relationship to rabbits and the fact that they are wholly vegetarian in 

 habits should reassure anyone who may entertain doubts about their 



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