The History Behind the Site
Our club is determined to let everyone know how wonderful these small gentle animals are. They have been often misunderstood. The Guinea Pig originated in South America. The wild Guinea Pigs are much larger than the ones you see today. As much as it may upset our digestion, these animals were often bred to feed the poor people of South America. This happens even today. The speculation of the origin of the name Guinea Pig is a long and varied one. One of my favorite theories is that the name Guinea came from the English, where piggies were apparently sold in the market place for 1 Guinea. The pig was from the squeals and wheeks the guinea pigs used to communicate with us. It is said that the aristocrats of Europe would often have a guinea pig as a "lap dog". They are usually a quiet well behaved animal, once they get used to you. They love to be petted, coddled and given treats.

Young children need not be frightened of them and make a very good first time pet. Of course no youngster should handle any animal unsupervised. They are sturdy, but could be hurt unintentionally.

Guinea Pigs are not known to bite, unless ample reason is given. Their first defence is to run.

BREEDS OF GUINEA PIGS
There are 13 different breeds recognized by the ARBA Association.

ABYSSINIAN - rough coated breed with short hair, with rosettes or whorls covering the body.

ABYSSINIAN SATIN - same as above but with shiny hair that glows in the light.

AMERICAN - the most common breed of cavy. It has a short smooth coat.

AMERICAN SATIN - same as above with shiny hair that glows in the light.

CORONET - long coated breed with smooth sweeping hair. It has a crest or rosette in the middle of the forehead.

PERUVIAN - long coated breed where the coat divides along the back bone and forward over the head. A good peruvian will give people trouble seeing which is the head or which is the rump.

PERUVIAN SATIN - same as above but with shiny glowing hair in the light.

SILKIE - long coated breed with a clean face and hair that sweeps back in a tear drop shaped cape.

SILKIE SATIN - same as above but with the shiny glowing hair.

TEDDY - short haired breed that has dense plush hair standing upright from the skin. It looks very much like the cartoons of someone putting its paw in the light socket.

TEDDY SATIN - same as above with the shiny glowing hair, especially in bright light.

TEXEL - Long haired breed with curly hair. It looks like a silkie with a perm.

WHITE CRESTED - short smooth coated breed just like the american with the exception of a white complete crest on its forehead. It can be any color but can have no other white on his body.