Small animal Midterm: Guinea Pigs and Rabbits
what is the life expectancy of domestic rabbits?
10-12 years
What is the average guinea pig litter size?
2-3 pups
what is the life expectancy of wild rabbits?
2-3 years
How long is rabbit gestation?
31-33 days
what many recognized rabbit breeds are there?
49
How long is guinea pig gestation?
60-70 days
what is a mature Female Guinea pig called?
A Sow
What is a mature male guinea pig called?
A boar
What is a group of guinea pigs called?
A pack
what is a young guinea pig called?
A pup
what is a group of burrows called?
A warren
Where do rabbits live?
Almost everywhere
What does ARBA stand for?
American Rabbit Breeders Association
when are cecotropes made?
At night
Where do wild guinea pigs live?
At the rocky bases of mountains and the flat grasslands of South America, as well as the edges of forests
What is a male rabbit called?
Buck
What are some foods that guinea pigs eat?
Carrots, lettuce, apples, kale, grass, Dandelion's, leaves, oranges
what is the scientific name for guinea pigs?
Cavia porcellus
What is a domestic guinea pig called?
Cavy
what characteristic within rabbits varies even with breed?
Coat and eye color
What are Andes folk doctors that use guinea pigs for medicinal purposes called?
Curanderos
What are wild guinea pigs called?
Cuy
What is livestock guinea pig called?
Cuy
what is the gap between a guinea pigs Incisors and premolars called?
Diastema
True or false: in 2017 a document in Peru was discovered revealing the real true reason for Guinea pig's name
False, Nobody actually knows why they're called guinea pigs
What is the diet of a rabbit consist of?
Grain, Hay, grass, lettuce, carrots, apples, other fruits and veggies
what is the common name for guinea pig?
Guinea pig
What does it mean that guinea pigs are "precocial"
It means they they are born relatively mature and mobile from the point of birth, being able to leave their mothers after only a few days.
what are rabbits giving birth called?
Kindling
What order are both rabbits and hares a part of?
Lagomorpha
Are Guinea pigs born helpless or mature?
Mature
what specific biomes do rabbits live In ?
Meadows, tundra, forests, grasslands, deserts, wetland,
What are rabbits third eyelid called?
Nictating membrane
Where does more than half of the worlds rabbit population live?
North America
What do all rodents have in common?
Open rooted incisors
What are some symptoms of scurvy?
Painful joints, tooth loss, not eating/loss of weight, tiredness, stiff joints
what are guinea pigs middle teeth called?
Pre molars
what two droppings do rabbits produce?
Round dry fecal pellets Cecotropes
What disease are Guinea pigs prone to, and what is it caused by?
Scurvy, a lack of vitamin C
what are the uses of a rabbit?
- Cuniculture (meat) - Wool - companionship - therapy - Breeding - feed studies - animal testing - show - agility
Rabbits vs hares: Flavor
- Hares: stronger, gamier flavor than rabbits
What are some domestic dangers of Guniea pigs?
- Other pets - human feet - hot objects (because they're attracted to heat) - Electrical wires - Sun - Doors - Poisonous food - Falling off tables (due to poor depth perception)
What are some uses for guinea pigs?
- Pets - Therapy - Bred for show - Scientific Research - Food
Rabbits vs Hares: Diet
- Rabbit: Prefers more soft food, soft stems, grass, veggies -Hares: prefers more hard food, bark, rinds, buds, twigs, shoots
Rabbits vs hares: jumping
- Rabbit: Up to 8 feet - Hares: 15-20 feet
Rabbits vs hares: Name of their young
- Rabbit: kitten, Kit - Hare: Leveret
Rabbits vs hares: fighting and mating
- Rabbit: males fight within a group to become the dominant male, and then the dominant male mates with most of the females In the area - Hares: Almost no fighting, just pairs off
Rabbits vs hares: Precocial vs altricial
- Rabbits are born altricial, blind, hairless, and helpless - Hares are born precocial, with hair, and vision
Rabbits vs hares: How long do they have to stay in the nest?
- Rabbits don't leave the nest for 10-14 days, can't survive without mom for 3 weeks - Hares are able to fend for themselves an hour after birth
Rabbits vs hares: Main Defense mechanisms
- Rabbits: Hiding - Hares: Running
Rabbits vs hares: Color depending on season
- Rabbits: Stays mainly the same color all year round - Hare: some, who live in snowy areas, all turn whiter in the winter
Rabbits vs hares: Living space
- Rabbits: Underground - Hare: nests above ground
Rabbits vs hares: Physical features
- Rabbits: shorter ears, and feet - Hares: longer ears, and feet
What are some characteristics modern rabbits share with their wild European ancestors?
- They sense that staying with their offspring would call a predators attention to the nest, due to adult rabbits strong smell
Why are they *possibly* named guinea pigs?
- from the traders who brought the rodent to Europe on ships from Guinea - from a British coin called a guinea that may have been the amount they were sold for when first brought to England - possible they got the "pig" because they're short, plump, and squeal and grunt like pigs
Rabbits vs hares: domestication
- rabbits: have been domesticated - hares: have not been domesticated
Rabbits vs hares: Sociability
- rabbits: lives in colonies - hares: lives mostly by themselves, coming together to mate only
Rabbits vs Hare: Stature and Speed
- rabbits: smaller and slower - Hares: larger and faster
How are guinea pigs used in southern folk medicine?
- they're rubbed along a patients body to diagnose diseases (black guinea pigs are particularly used for this) - Its entrails (internal organs) are studied to determine wether a cure has been effective
what are some wild predators of guinea pigs?
- wild cats - coyotes - Maned Wolves - Snakes - Humans - Birds of Prey
Where did guinea pigs originate?
South America (Peru)
What is the scientific name for a wild boar?
Sus Scrofa
What is the scientific name for a domestic pig?
Sus scrofa domesticus
What are open rooted incisors?
Teeth that continuously grow
what does cuniculture mean?
The raising of rabbits for their meat
what is the Angora rabbit usually bred for?
Their soft Angora coat
what is different about "skinny pigs" (baldwins) diets?
They must be fed 3x more than haired guinea pigs to produce body heat
what do guinea pigs need because of their open rooted incisors?
They need things to chew on to grind down their teeth.
How will most mother rabbits behave regarding their nest?
They watch from a safe distance but don't go check on their babies during the day to not call attention to the nest
What is unique about "skinny pigs" aka baldwins
They were created by people to be completely bald for lab research (they're now seen as a designer pet)
How are guinea pigs used in some traditional societies in south america?
They're exchanged as gifts or used in religious ceremonies and traditional medicine
True or false: rabbits usually live in groups
True
how much protein and fiber do cecotropes have in comparison to round dry fecal pellets?
Twice the protein and half the fiber
What color eyes are very common on hares?
Typically brown amber eyes.
What is one thing guinea pigs *MUST* consume in their diets?
Vitamin C
When are animals considered mature?
When they can reproduce
Are rabbits born altricial or precocial?
altricial, blind and hairless
What is a baby rabbit called?
bunny, Kit or Kitten
What is a group of rabbits called?
colony, herd
what is the consumption of feces called?
coprophagia
what is a female rabbit called?
doe
what do rabbits do with cecotropes, why?
eat them to reingest nutrients
True or false: Guinea pig breeds are based on their color and pattern
false, its based on their "hairstyle" and coat characteristics
what disease are rabbits prone to
gut statsis
What should the largest part of guinea pigs diet consist of?
hay and grass
Are guinea pigs herbivores or Carnivores?
herbivores
Where do wild guinea pigs make their shelters?
in the crevices of rocks, in shrubbery, or in the burrows left by other animals (anywhere they can hide)
what are guinea pigs front teeth called?
incisors
what is guinea pigs back teeth called?
molars
What odd thing do rabbits also eat?
poop
what is the largest animal order?
rodentia
whats another phrase for open rooted?
rootless
What does ARBA do?
set all official breed standards
How can rabbit wool be removed?
shearing, combing, plucking
How large are guinea pig herds?
small (5-10)
Where do European rabbits "house" themselves
they created underground burrows connected by tunnels
What does parturition mean?
to give birth
