Guinea Pigs

BIG RODENT...... Did you know.....

A guinea pig the size of a buffalo has been identified by scientists as the biggest rodent that ever lived.

The huge creature was a monster version of the pet kept by thousands of children.

Phoberomys pattersoni measured 9 feet (2.74 metres) long, stood 4.2 feet (1.28 metres) tall.

The giant rodent roamed the banks of an ancient Venezuelan river about eight million years ago,

munching sea grass and avoiding crocodiles.

Analysis of a 90 per cent complete fossil skeleton found at Urumaco, near Caracas,

showed it to be the evolutionary sibling of modern-day guinea pigs.

Much like the guinea pig, its hindquarters and rear legs were far more powerful than its forelimbs.

But unlike its relatives, Phoberomys had a long tail - thought to be used for balancing upright on its hind legs.

(KeepAhead 23/9/03)

This was Hercules (left). Better picture of him below - but it was a little dark in his hutch - (right). Here he is with his two girlfriends.

Here are pictures of all of my guinea pigs. These two babies were born in August 99 (left). More babies pictured (right).

I was reluctant to let this quartet go.

Although all guinea pigs are cute and some of them remind me of Tribbles from Star Trek - especially in the noise they make - I seem to prefer the white ones or white and grey.

I tried to keep all my guinea pigs with a pal so that they could snuggle up together. Girls are fine together but boys tend to fight when they reach maturity. Especially if there are girls nearby.

This run I bought flat packed for £30 - £35. The screws that hold it together are used to assemble it and most of them form the holes to minimise the amount of work involved. The advantage of this run is that the whole top comes off which makes them easier to catch when it's time to go back to their hutches. Also it keeps them secure from the neighbourhood cats which often come nosing. We had three of these runs and the guinea pigs were very useful at keeping the grass short.