Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig

1 Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig Breed Overview

The Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig can live as long as ten years; if you are sure you want it as a pet, make sure no other dogs, cats, or animals at home can harm it.

The Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig has silver-white intermingled fur, hard and spiky, and is also called Dutch rat, Dutch pig, calico cavy, cavy, and Guinea pig. Its ancestors came from the Andes of South America and were brought west by European merchants in the 16th century, when people liked this little animal and kept it as a pet.

The Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig is gentle, cute, and relatively easy to care for, and remains a common household pet. Some organizations compete to breed guinea pigs, developing many varieties of different coat colors and forms.

2 Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig Physical Characteristics

The ideal adult Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig body length is 22–34 cm, and the ideal weight is 400–700 g. Its coat is silver-white intermingled, hard and spiky, with a short, stout, round build.

The Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig has a large head, large round bright eyes, round ears, a split upper lip, and small short ears; short limbs, front feet with four toes, hind feet three toes, and no external tail.

The Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig has rich varieties, all bred after being shipped to Europe and North America, mainly differing in fur and color. The most common pet variety is the English Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig, with short, smooth fur; the Abyssinian has upright, unruly fur. The Peruvian and Shetland varieties are also common pet varieties.

3 Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig Living Environment

Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig (details)

If you prefer a quiet life but want a pet that is not noisy, choosing a Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig is absolutely best. The chubby guinea pig is clumsy and cute; although a rodent, it is more lovable than the traditional mouse.

Keeping a Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig only requires a properly sized cage, fresh water and food daily, regular playtime, and periodic nest cleaning, and it will grow up healthy and happy. Note that in hot summer, too high a temperature in its environment makes it prone to heatstroke; the chinchilla’s tolerance limit is below 32°C. In winter, try not to let it drop below 5°C. It is comfortable between 18–22°C.

4 Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig Feeding Guidelines

The Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig is herbivorous; if you get a chance to take it out on a lawn, it will be very happy. But do not feed it medicine; after all, outdoor grass carries more pesticide, bacteria, and viruses.

Wild guinea pigs mainly eat grass and some plants. Although these plants are rich in natural fiber, they contain far fewer other nutrients than guinea-pig-specific feed. Vitamin C is crucial for guinea pigs; they are animals that cannot synthesize vitamin C themselves, so they must keep taking it from feed.

Vegetables and fruit are also the Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig’s favorites. Among vegetables it prefers lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers; these three are harmless when fresh. Carrots contain much carotene needed to form vitamin A, maintaining skin and mucous membrane health, protecting the eyes, and promoting metabolism. But because carrots are hard and less digestible, do not feed too many.

A Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig drinks about 80–150 ml of water per day. You do not need to know its exact need; just keep the water bottle full and it will drink when thirsty. But keep the bottle clean and change water often. Where tap water meets international standards, give it directly; otherwise give cooled boiled water or mineral water. Note that distilled water is not a good choice, as it contains no minerals or trace elements.

If you can be with your Silvered Agouti Guinea Pig 24 hours a day, the small-frequent-meals feeding mode is better. If you are a working person, use two meals a day. Whether or not the guinea pig finishes the bowl, when serving the next meal always throw away the leftovers, because food left exposed to air for long becomes stale.