Are Guinea pigs really long haired rats?

Question

I read that Guinea pigs are a type of rat which genetically grows longer hair. Someone used to call them hippie rats it said, but they are from Guinea so that name stuck. That means people are buying rats for their kids? Isn't that kind of, well , nasty?Aren't rats dirty?

Answer 1

yeah same with cats

Answer 2

Guinea pigs are not long haired rats. Yes, they are both rodents, but very different. Guinea pigs dont' have tails. Also, it's a myth that they are from Guinea, they actually got their name because sailors would sell them in England for the cost of one guinea...the pig part is either from them sounded like an oinking pig or the fact that they *gasp* tasted like pork to those who ate them. There is actually a debate within the scientific community on whether guinea pigs should be classified as rodents or not because they are significantly different in gestation, preganancy, and birth of babies along with their behaviors then other rodents. And pet store rats are just as clean as any other pet, it's the ones that root through the trash in cities that are dirty.

Answer 3

You are sadly misinformed and there is nothing wrong with pet rats.

Guinea pigs and rats are only related in that they are both rodents and that's where the similarity ends.

History of the Guinea Pig:
http://www.guineapigsclub.com/gp_site/history.asp
"In 2000 BC the first common Guinea Pig was domesticated for food by the Inca, in the Andean region of South America, in what is now Peru and Bolivia. In these countries the Guinea Pigs continue to be a food source. In Peru Guinea Pigs are called cuy and are considered as a culinary delicacy. Guinea Pigs also play the role of evil-spirit collector in these country traditional healing rituals.

Guinea Pigs were brought to Europe by Dutch and English traders. As soon as they were introduced Guinea Pigs became popular as exotic pets. No one knows exactly why they came to be thought of as "pigs". Maybe it's because the sounds they make are similar to the sounds of the pigs, also they are built something like a pig with a large head relative to the body, a stout neck, and a rounded rump with no tail of any consequence."

From the website
http://www.eriezoo.org/guinea_pigs.htm
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Caviidae
Genus: Cavia
Species: porcellus

History of pet rats:
http://www.petwebsite.com/rats/rat_history.htm
The domestic or fancy rat is descended from the Brown Rat (also known as the Norwegian Rat) and is thought to have originated from Asia moving into Europe in 1553 and then onto the US in 1775. It lives in burrows and is a good swimmer and can often be found inhabiting sewers.

There can be much prejudice against the rat due to the spread of plague, but it was the Black Rat that played a part in this epidemic and it was not the rat itself that carried the plague but the fleas that it carried.

In the early 1800s rats were kept, and bred and used for ratting contests where rats were released and terriers were competed as "rat catchers". In the late 1800s rats were bred in captivity for scientific research into nutrition, intelligence and disease and it was noted in the laboratories that the rat was highly suited as a pet due to its intelligence and tameness. By the late 1800s rats were kept in captivity as pets and by the early 1900s had become a popular pet. However, the keeping of rats as pets declined in later years due to the introduction of more "appealing" pets such as the hamster but the popularity of the rat as a pet is once again rising.

From the website
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway_rat
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Subfamily: Murinae
Genus: Rattus
Species: R. norvegicus

Our pet rats decended from the wild Norway, or Brown Rat, and Rattus Norvegicus had nothing to do with the plague. It was the Black Rat, Rattus Rattus that carried the flea, Yersinia Pestis, that caused the plague.

spazrats
"my life has gone to the rats"

Answer 4

guinea pigs aren't really rats at all they originated from wild cavies that people kept and domesticated.they were usually used for food before they became a popular children's pet. rats and guine pigs are rodents, but they are certainly not the same. first and most noticeable, guinea pigs do not have tails like rats. second, the head shape, body shape, life expectancy, and habits of these two are very different. the rats that are sold in pet stores are very smart and can learn tricks. they have personalities just like any other type of small rodent and are not to be included in your stereotyping.

Answer 5

Yes, the whole Guinea Pig=Long Haired Rat is true. But Guinea Pigs are much different from your regular rat. Pet rats can be accually be kind and clean. You are thinking of your sewer rat. They are VERY dirty and can grow over a foot long.

Answer 6

umm.. actually.. guinea pigs are a totally different animal, and are much larger than rats. Guinea pigs also don't have tails, yet rats do. And many people buy rats as pets if they're domesticated.

*ps- Guinea pigs are actually from india.. not guinea. They're called guinea pigs because they cost "one guinea" and people thought they looked like little hairy pigs.

*pss- i have a very beautiful rat named gemini, and she doesn't appreciate you called her nasty and dirty.

Answer 7

Guinea pigs are not from Guinea, they originated in the Andes. And they are not rats! They are simply guinea pigs. They are from the rodent type just like squirrels.

Answer 8

Rats are only dirty if they are well... left untamed. Pet rats can be just as clean as a cat. And Stray Cats can be just as dirty as stray rats. Guinea Pigs are rodents, along with hamsters, gerbils and mice.

Answer 9

guinea pigs are rodents so are hamsters and gerbils but rats are not nasty, guinea pigs are and hamster and gerbils bit rats are nice and clean and usually don't bit i have owned all three and i like rats the best

Answer 10

they are related in the fact that they are both in the rodent family.