They come spotted like Dalmatians. With long, straight hair, like stubby Barbie dolls. Even with Shirley Temple curls.
Guinea pigs have come a long way from the days when they had sharp, ratlike noses and a reputation as a researcher’s favorite subject.
The fat, compact rodents are an ideal pet, thanks to selective breeding that emphasizes a cute, button nose and appealing colors, say fans such as Ronald Smelt, Marolyn Briese and Janet Carradine. The three Orange County, Calif., residents are enthusiastic guinea-pig breeders and veteran judges for the American Cavy Breeders Association.
“They’re small, they’re cuddly, and they don’t need a lot of space,” Smelt said.
And they’re one of the easiest pets around. If you could write a pet blueprint, you couldn’t devise a furry creature better suited to children, said Melissa Whitney, who runs the county’s 4-H guinea-pig program.
Blessed with a low-key character, most guinea pigs don’t try to escape, like hamsters, or bite, like some rabbits, proponents say. Most important, their care and feeding is simple enough to entrust to a responsible 6-year-old, Whitney said. Guinea pigs need fresh water and food and, at least once a week, a cage cleaning (once every four days during summer).
Originally from South America, guinea pigs are domesticated cavies, a group of short-tailed rodents. Their life expectancy is three to eight years. You can buy one for $10 to $20, not including the cage, and food and other care requirements cost about $10 a month.
Body shape varies little and is, according to guinea-pig show standards, ideally a “brick with rounded corners,” but owners have a choice of long hair or short, curly hair or straight, satin sheen, calico coloring-you name it.
While not aggressive or destructive, guinea pigs do need amusement.
“They need toys when they’re bored,” Briese said, adding that cardboard toilet-paper rolls are a good diversion.
Most guinea-pig shows include a costume ball of sorts. Guinea pigs, offering further evidence of their unflappable personalities, have shown up in bridal gowns, bumblebee costumes and even a Dracula cape.
“And there’s always someone who has to dress them like a cowboy,” Briese said.
