Cuy Data

CavyHouse · Post » Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:21 am

Paula Bunyan is strong! All 4 of the smaller piggies won't go in the pigloos. They hang out behind the pigloos. If you make eye contact, they stampede to the other side.

I don't know the age of any of them so there's no telling right now if the smaller ones are regular or cuy. They are all "strays". I'm hoping the 5 smaller ones aren't related to Paula. SHe's got long nipples though so she must have been bred before

Charybdis · Post » Tue Jul 12, 2011 3:37 am

Thank you, CavyHouse. So disappointed to see that our Cuy radius is getting larger. If only we could make the case that they are not native to California and shouldn't be sold here (this is the argument against ferrets and gerbils).

Charybdis · Post » Fri Jul 15, 2011 2:11 pm

Here is the Cuy from the Lancaster shelter:

She is 1100 grams, I think she is an adolescent.
Wild as can be, stampede is a good term for what she does when I try to catch her.
Toes are normal in number but feet are really big.
She has CL and had 7 lumps removed, and she has bumblefoot on one of her front paws.

calicavylover · Post » Fri Jul 15, 2011 3:44 pm

Her feet are huge and yes she does stampede. I think she will pass that 1100 grams as soon as she gets all healed up.

Charybdis · Post » Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:12 pm

Thanks for the photo! I wanted to credit you but could not remember your GL name.

Dr. k said she was 1200 grams there.

JudiL-MetroGPRescue · Post » Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:40 am

I cannot believe the SIZE of these piggies! Ginormous! They are quite lovely, though, being that I love piggies. What's not to love in a supersized guinea pig? Except, of course, for the fact that they shouldn't be pets. But it does appear they can live with regular piggies.

CavyHouse · Post » Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:49 am

Paula Bunyan put on 200 grams (almost half a pound) in her first week here - and she's not fat. So at 1640 grams, I think she isn't full-grown yet.

Charybdis · Post » Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:23 am

That's a good weight gain. Poor Fiona is still hovering around 1150 grams. I can't get her to eat even though there are three kinds of pellets, two kinds of hay and veggies always in the cage. She is so terrified of humans that hand feeding was incredibly stressful and made her sulk and hide even more.

CavyHouse · Post » Wed Jul 20, 2011 11:16 am

Paula and her 4 cagemates absolutely won't eat if anyone is in the room. None of them will even peak around the pigloos when I bring veggies in. I have 2 hayracks in the cage. They will eat all the hay in the back of the cage but barely touch the hay in the front of the cage.

new piggie mom · Post » Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:40 pm

I have a stupid question since I just rejoined this forum after several years absence- since Cuy are such poor prospects for pets how/why does PetCo etc get them shipped to them? How did they get into the trade? (I guess I'm wondering since some breeder/supplier is obviously contracting with them. )

sus4rabbitsnpigs · Post » Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:44 am

You think Petco cares? They may be cheaper or easier to get.

Charybdis · Post » Thu Jul 21, 2011 4:25 am

Or less traceable. The pet mills that Petco usually buys from have to be licensed and are subject to inspection by APHIS, an arm of the USDA. They regulate the pet mill industry. Also, organizations such as PETA and the HSUS are familiar with Petco's usual distributors and keep infiltrating and getting video footage of inhumane conditions. It causes a lot of bad press for Petco and the like.

Exotic meat dealers however are not subject to inspection by APHIS. They are regulated by the FDA. They get a lot less attention from animal welfare groups. They may not have to provide the same conditions for the animals, hence they could theoretically charge less for them.

But these are theories because we really don't know exactly where Petco is getting the Cuy. And since they are breeding with regular guinea pigs they will soon be more difficult to differentiate.