Introduction to Cavies
Guinea pigs are sentient, thinking beings, with fascinating personalities and distinct likes and dislikes. We have so much to learn about guinea pigs to truly understand what matters to them in their subjective lives (their life from their own perspective) but at least we can provide what we do know so far, such as compatible companionship, a safe but interesting environment, with plenty of refuge, which allows choice and control, good nutrition and appropriate diet and specialist veterinary advice/care. In the world of biology, domestic guinea pigs have another name, a Latin name, Cavia porcellus. They are considered part of the Genus Cavia, hence the name cavies. Although the Caviidae family as a whole includes other animals, the term cavies is commonly used to refer to guinea pigs. Cavies are rodents, a fascinating group of animals. The word Rodent comes from the Latin word 'rodere' means 'to gnaw' and guinea pigs are no exception - they like gnawing!
Wild guinea pig ancestors
It is generally agreed by scientists that domestic guinea pigs were primarily domesticated in the Andes region of South America and that they are genetically most closely related to the montane guinea pig, a species of wild cavy, whose Latin name is Cavia tschudii. Some consider C. tschudii to be a subspecies of the wild 'Brazilian guinea pig', whose Latin name is Cavia aperea, however, C. tschudii has now been recognised by others to be a species in its own right. Without getting too complicated, both C. aperea and C. tschudii are related to domestic guinea pigs. There are very limited ecological studies of wild guinea pigs, but what we do know is that they're found in various habitats in both lowland and highland areas, including grassland and wetlands, in South America. The main active period reported for C. aperea is crepuscular, so twilight, before sunrise and after sunset. Another study found C. tschudii to be mostly nocturnal. This activity pattern is likely related to predation risk. Guinea pigs are prey animals, in the wild they have many predators; they have evolved to hide or 'freeze' i.e., remain motionless, when a threat is perceived. These animals prefer environments with greater extent of vegetation cover; areas of dense ground vegetation, presumably providing safety from predators - they venture into more open areas using a system of runways amongst the vegetation. They feed on various grasses, a low-energy, high-fibre food. Wild cavies are thought to have very good spatial memory to navigate their home range. Indeed, domestic guinea pigs have demonstrated efficient learning ability in spatial problem-solving tests and even though they are prey animals, wary of potential predators, they are also very curious and like to explore their homes, having a potter and chatter while foraging or playing, for example.
Adrian and Sachser concluded in their 2011 review, that pairs or harems of one male with one to three females as well as their unweaned offspring, seem to characterise wild C. aperea. One of the principal researchers studying C. tschudii, Manuel Quispe-López, informed me that trail camera studies have so far recorded pairs of C. tschudii moving together (either an adult and juvenile or two adults). This is unpublished research by Quispe-López et al. - please see footnote* for author credits. Rood (1972) studied free-living and captive guinea pigs, and suggested that domestication results in greater tolerance of conspecifics. Domestic guinea pigs are social, they can experience chronic stress kept alone. They need to chat, to groom, to play or to just be around their own kind. I will use the plural terms, cavies, guinea pigs or piggies, throughout this website, because guinea pigs shouldn't be kept alone.
*Manuel Quispe-López, Sue Barreda, Diego Marcelo-Carranza, Ricardo Mejía, Carlos Santana & Dámaso W. Ramirez
Cavy Communication
Guinea pigs have a rich vocal repertoire, which Monticelli and Ades (2013) proposed may be associated with a complex social life and other ecological factors. Some sounds we understand, whereas others are not yet understood. Domestic guinea pigs talk to each other all the time, for example when pottering about exploring, they also seem to chatter to themselves. Chirrups, chunters, purrs, rumbles and teeth chatters are among their vocalisations that will soon become familiar to you. Communication though is not only vocal. Body movement and posture also provide information for piggies, such as raising hairs (pilo-erection), possibly to look bigger when threatened. You will observe interesting body language related to different intentions/functions that are not fully understood, such as what I call 'head-tossing', which looks like a quick head shake or wobble. Chemical signals, for example gland secretions or urine, provide information about individual identity. You will see your piggies gently sniffing another piggy's bottom or scent-marking areas e.g., by wiping their bottom on the ground, which leaves a smell understood by other piggies. Males may mark females with urine, females spray urine as a deterrent. We have much to learn about their communication, as well as everything else guinea-pig related! More on communication here.
Applying cavy biology to the design of captive environments
The way in which wild cavies utilise their habitat, as well guinea pig anatomy, in conjunction with behavioural studies on domestic guinea pigs and their preferences, provide us with key information about what domestic guinea pigs need in their captive environment, i.e., what we need to provide for them. They have a strong need for refuge, where they can hide, so they must be provided with appropriate housing and seclusion. They like to gnaw so their diet should be mostly grass/hay, with other safe items to gnaw such as branch parts, stems, twigs or logs from safe plant species (see Diet and Useful Products). We can create indoor and outdoor environments to reflect our knowledge, using enrichment to provide a stimulating 'habitat' for our pets; Kind to Cavies explores how we can do this.