Baby guinea pigs are on my top ten animal cuteness list. So, several years ago I decided I absolutely had to create some guinea pig charms, earrings and pendants. The design process started out slowly, but before I could turn around, I found myself making different guinea pig breeds in all kinds of jewelry. Now I have a full range in pewter, sterling silver, bronze, enamel and 14K gold. Seeing that silly little piggy face in a piece of expensive gold jewelry still makes me laugh. And of course I still make custom guinea pig jewelry in polymer clay!
Little Critter with Surprising Reproductive Habits
I did a little research on the reproductive habits of guinea pigs, and discovered that a mama pig has a relatively long pregnancy! (For an animal her size, anyway) It lasts 3 months, just 1/3 the length of a human pregnancy. And think how dinky these little mamas are! It must be a load to carry around a litter of baby guinea pigs for that long.
I also learned that their babies are born with their eyes open, and that they are weaned in about 6 weeks. I’m wondering if I read this right: females can get pregnant at 6 weeks. How could you possibly be weaned off your mother’s milk and become pregnant on the same day? Pretty strange.
Great Pet for Vegans!
Are you a vegetarian? Guinea pig feeding will not be a painful chore for you. They eat no meat, and love a diet heavy on leaves, grass, flowers, chickweed and so on. Be sure and research exactly what your guinea pigs should eat to remain healthy before you bring them home. And because they are so small and relatively frail (compared to a dog or cat) you have to look after them carefully. They can fall off furniture, and possibly eat something that could make them ill. They aren’t particularly long-lived pets, but with good care they live about 4 years. But the Guinness Book of World Records in 2006 reported a guinea pig that survived for 14 years!
So when you bring that baby guinea pig home, create a clean and safe home, and you’ll be friends for quite a while to come. Have a guinea pig story to share? I would love to hear it! And if you have a hankering for some cute guinea pig jewelry, feel free to stop by and visit the Magic Zoo piggy collection!
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