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Are Peruvians hardier than other guinea pigs2007-11-24 21:58:01

I've raised guinea pigs for years, and out of all of the ones I've raised, the two that lived the longest were both Peruvians, at 8 and 9 years. All my other guinea pigs lived from 4 to 6 years.

Answers:

That is a good question. I think that because long haired guinea pigs (like peruvians) need brushing everday things like lumps, parasites etc get noticed quicker and therefore get treated before it gets bad. Short haired guinea pigs do not need brushing every day and the majority of people only look for lumps, parasites etc once a week during the health check ups that you do from home. I know for sure that this is not the case with my 3 girls but I do know that it is the case with other families that I know that have guinea pigs. 8 and 9 years is very elderly, you must have given them heaps of care and attention.

Addition:

LADIDAH - you just made my day!! Peruvains are a breed of guinea pigs, there are heaps of different breeds and varieties of guinea pigs for eg peruvians, abbysian, rex etc. Here is a list of different guinea pig breeds:

http://www.comfycavies.com/info/breeds/b...

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umm what are peruvians? im guessing their horses... but i dont think thats right since your comparing it with a guinea pig.

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That's a good theory that Buzzare has. I was thinking along the same lines. Peruvians require more grooming, so they are thoroughly handled and examined more often so you would notice any oddities sooner. Unfortunately, a lot of guinea pig owners won't give the same kind of attention to short haired pigs.