Most people get guinea pigs for the same couple of reasons. They are relatively low maintenance, they are cute, and they are really small. This makes it very easy to accommodate them, as you can put their cage in just about any room.
The average size of a guinea pig is around 8-12 inches when they are full adult size. They also usually reach an average weight of around 2 pounds.
Now just like any animal species, there are always outliers. That will be the topic of today’s article, as we will discuss
Biggest guinea pig in the past?
For starters, we will discuss the biggest guinea pig to ever exist in the world. This guinea pig was called the Phoberomys pattersoni and reached a size of over four meters tall and reached a weight of 1,500 pounds.
This ancient guinea pig was actually semi-aquatic and lived primarily in Venezuela. Similar to guinea pigs today, the Phoberomys pattersoni’s teeth never stopped growing. For this reason, they primarily ate sea grass and hay in order to help grind down their teeth.
These massive guinea pigs eventually went extinct because they were unable to flea predators, whereas similar sized animals like deer were fast and able to flee. Smaller guinea pig fared better in the wild than their bigger ancestors, as they are able to either hide or bury themselves into holes when predators come.
Biggest guinea pig in the world?
The biggest guinea pig in the world is the Cuy Criollo, which is a guinea pig breed native to South America. These guinea pigs can reach a weight of 8-10 pounds. They have also been reported to reach lengths of up to 14 inches.
Unfortunately, due to their large size, they are much more at risk for health problems. In particular, these types of guinea pigs are prone to heart disease and cardia arrest. Because of this, these giant guinea pigs only have a life span of around three years. This is much shorter than the average life span of a guinea pig which is around 6-8 years. They are also not as fast as smaller guinea pigs.
Are Cuy Criollo easy to take care of?
Unfortunately, these giant guinea pigs are very hard to take care of. For starters, they need a very large living space to be comfortable. Some animal activists have even suggested that these giant guinea pigs be kept in an outdoor pin instead of inside in a cage.
Secondly, while they do have a very mellow temperament, they do get scared easily. Despite their large size, they can still move very fast. This means they can be hard to catch if they happen to escape the cage or jump from your hands.
Where are Cuy Criollo’s bred?
The Cuy Criollo, also known as the Cuy Mejorados, was originally bred in Peru. They were genetically bred in Peru at La Molina National Agrarian University. Interestingly enough, they were not bred for pets but rather for food. They were bred because they could carry a lot of weight and were therefore bred and sold as cheap meat. The Cuy Criollo comes primarily in brown shades, but they can also be white.
