Fun Holidays - Guinea Pig Appreciation Day

Among domestic animals, rodents occupy a special place. Owners choose these pets because of their cute appearance, small size and unpretentiousness. Guinea pigs were domesticated in the 5th millennium BC. - during the Inca civilization, whose representatives valued them as a source of dietary meat. Animals were also sacrificed to the Sun God. Descendants of ancient tribes living in Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador, Chile and Colombia still eat guinea pigs. Today, these mammals are bred for decorative purposes. July 16 is Guinea Pig Appreciation Day. The fun Guinea Pig Appreciation Day celebrates the affectionate pet that is easy to eat, doesn't require much attention and takes up little space compared to cats and dogs. Rodents of the family Caviidae were brought to Europe on ships in the 16th century, and therefore began to be called overseas, i.e. brought from afar. Pigs had a reputation as exotic animals that only wealthy people could own. As an attribute of luxury, rodents were depicted on the hands of people in family portraits of the aristocracy. Queen Elizabeth I was a big fan of this species of mammal. Kind and sociable animals love to sit in your arms and purr like cats when you pet them. Owners say that their pets can also squeal, grunt, squeak, snort and even grumble. They quickly get used to the owner, joyfully greeting him when they meet him by raising him on his hind legs. Unlike other rodents such as rats, hamsters and mice, guinea pigs can see colors. The aristocratic Peruvian breed has a silky coat that grows up to 50 cm, creating a kind of mantle along the entire body. Owners make ponytails out of their pets' lush bangs, similar to the hairstyles of Maltese dogs. There are many interesting facts about guinea pigs. Their DNA has 64 chromosomes, like that of a horse, while humans have only 46 (23 pairs). Guinea pigs breed well in captivity. A month after birth, the animals are ready to reproduce. An unusual fact is that a pregnant female can "change her mind" about becoming a mother. In this case, the embryos are resorbed inside the mammal's body or preserved for several years. The oldest representative of rodents is a guinea pig named Snowball, who lived for 15 years. It was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 1979. Typically these mammals live no more than 4-7 years. The average body length of a guinea pig is 25-35 cm, the weight of adult males can reach 1.5 kg. Animals' teeth grow throughout their lives, so they need to be ground down like the claws of cats and dogs. Smart animals are easy to train, they can distinguish the owner’s voice and respond to their name. Kind and cute rodents evoke a lot of positive emotions in their owners. To express the boundless love for pets, Guinea Pig Appreciation Day was invented.