Guinea Pig History: Guinea Pig Art in Europe

We've made several posts on guinea pig history, in which we've talked about the journey of guinea pigs.

• We started out in South America, and had some giant ancestors there. We got domesticated, and started showing up in ancient Peruvian art around 200 AD. 
• Guinea pigs then started showing up in Europe in the 1500's, including in Conrad Gessner's Historiae Animalium in 1553, and painted portraits in 1580. 
• Our next stop in guinea pig history comes shortly after this, when a European artist named Joris Hoefnagel first depicted guinea pigs in the Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium, etc.) in 1592.

Joris Hoefnagel was a Netherlander who lived from 1542 to 1601. He was born to wealthy merchant parents, and traveled around Europe with them in his youth, drawing his experiences. While working in Munich, he was commissioned to produce a four-volume book on natural history. The book is known as the Four Elements, and each volume is named after a different element: Animalia rationalia et insecta (ignis); Animalia quadrupedia et reptilia (terra) ; Animalia aquatilia et conchiliata (aqua); and Animalia volatilia et amphibia (aier). Guinea pigs appeared in the earth (terra) volume (right next to porcupines):

Don't let those porcupines poke you, guinea pig! [Caption reads: "Plate 48 of the Animalia Qvadrvpedia et Reptilia (Terra) from 1592 by Hoefnagel (copyright National Gallery of Art Washington)" (source)]

If I was that guinea pig, I would jump down from that branch and eat that melon!

Guinea Pig Pageants: Cute, but Controversial

We read a crazy news story recently about how several guinea pigs were stolen from their owner. Yes, we're very cute animals, but we're also not difficult to find in guinea pig rescues across the country (and the world). So why would someone want to steal guinea pigs instead of just adopting them? Apparently, it was because these guinea pigs were frequent winners at guinea pig pageants.

We should point out that there are different types of guinea pig pageants. There are some that are put on by guinea pig rescues that are just for fun. There was an interesting account of a guinea pig pageant on the Useless Critic that was put on by a guinea pig rescue in Phoenix, AZ. According to their account, it sounds like it was largely a costume contest that was done for fun. The grand prize was a bag of peppers. It sounded a lot like the costume contest that we saw at the PIGSTRAVAGANZA! Pignic 2013.

On the other hand, there are guinea pig shows like the Bradford Championship Show that take pageantry a lot more seriously. At these shows, guinea pigs are judged according to some pretty strict standards. For example:

source: qz.com/American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA)

Here are some videos that show what goes on at these sorts of pageants:

We found it noteworthy that the woman in the first video said: "I like perfection in flowers, and animals, and people, and all sorts of things. And it's just achieving perfection." This quote really illustrates the difference between the two types of shows: one is more about fun, while the other is about competing to achieve "perfection." If you ask us, we're perfect just the way we are, regardless of what some chart about breed ideals says!

Here are some of the problems that have been pointed out with guinea pig pageants:

• Trying to achieve the sort of perfection expected in pageants like the Bradford Championship Show can encourage breeding to meet those characteristics. Most likely, those who breed their guinea pigs as show guinea pigs will want to take good care of them so they'll have the best shot at winning, so it's unlikely there will be the same sorts of bad conditions with regular breeders who supply pet stores. Still, there are a lot of guinea pigs in shelters who need good homes, so many would say there's an ethical problem with breeding more guinea pigs when so many need homes.
• Shows held outdoors can be uncomfortable for guinea pigs if the temperature is too hot or cold.
• Guinea pigs are not social animals, so participating in these pageants can be stressful for them.

We're generally fine with having casual costume contests with other piggies outdoors as long as the temperature is right, and the piggies aren't forced to participate when they are obviously not comfortable with it. We haven't completely made up our minds about things like the Bradford Championship Show yet, but we have to admit that we are suspicious of them. We would want to know more about how the guinea pigs who participate in these shows are treated. If these shows are detracting from the quality of guinea pig lives somehow, then we would be against them.

Have you had any experience with guinea pig shows, either the professional or the amateur/casual kind? What are your thoughts on them? Let us know in the comments section!

Guinea Pig History: Conrad Gessner and Historiae Animalium

It's time for another guinea pig history lesson! Today, we're going to be talking about an important human in guinea pig history named Conrad Gessner.

Conrad Gessner was a Swiss naturalist who lived from 1516 to 1565. One of his greatest accomplishments was writing his five-volume Historiae Animalium ("Histories of the Animals") in 1551–58 and 1587 (the last one published posthumously). There were over 4,500 pages between all five volumes, and it was considered the beginning of modern zoology. The purpose of this book series was to catalog everything known about animals at that time.

Interestingly, Gessner included animals from many sources, including religion and folklore such as unicorns. This led to the inclusion of many animals that aren't real, but Gessner tried to distinguish between what he thought were real and imaginary animals in his text. It was in Gessner's Historiae Animalium that guinea pigs were first described to the Western world in 1554. (As we previously mentioned, the Moche people of ancient Peru were already familiar with guinea pigs far earlier than this. However, in Europe, the earliest known portrait of a guinea pig is from 1580.)

Here is Gessner's artwork for guinea pigs in his Historiae Animalium:

Caption: "Guinea pig, from Conrad Gesner (Swiss, 1516-1565), Historia animalium (vol. 1, De Quadrupedibus viviparos), 1553, Woodcut. Los Angeles, Research Library, the Getty Research Institute."

Gessner had a pair of guinea pigs that were given to him, but he also cited the descriptions and photographs of others in his book for the sake of completeness.

Even though he lived in an era where the existence of unicorns couldn't be completely discounted yet, it sounds to us like Gessner did his best to put out the most accurate information on animals he could, including guinea pigs.

You might say that Gessner was the guinea pig blogger of his day!

Guinea Pig History: Cavies in the Moche Valley

I hope everyone's ready for another guinea pig history lesson! We've already shared guinea pig art from Europe in 1580 and 1615. Here's some art that is not a painting, is not from Europe, and is much earlier than those other two:

Caption: "Moche Guinea Pig ca. 200 A.D. at the Larco Museum in Lima, Peru" (Original source.)

The Moche civilization flourished in northern Peru from about 100 AD to 800 AD. Wikipedia says: "The Moche people of ancient Peru worshiped animals and often depicted the guinea pig in their art." This kind of makes it sound like the Moche worshiped guinea pigs, although other sources we've read make their relationship with guinea pigs sound not quite as nice. According to The Moche of Ancient Peru: Media and Messages by Jeffrey Quilte, "Guinea pigs and ducks were domesticated and kept within easy reach for their meat." Not cool, Moche people of ancient Peru! We're way too lovable to be treated as food!

Although we completely disagree with their dietary choices, we do have to admit that their art is pretty cool.

Product Review: Oxbow Timothy Club Bungalow, Medium

Today we're reviewing Oxbow Timothy Club Bungalow. This is a product in Oxbow's Timothy Club line of products, which also includes the Oxbow Timothy Twists we previously reviewed.

Hooray, Oxbow! We like reviewing their products because they're usually good.

The defining feature of Timothy Club products apparently is that they are "made from 100% timothy hay," according to the package. This is a good thing since timothy hay is the bulk of our diet already, so you know it's safe. This puts our minds at ease after dealing with a lot of questionable stuff in guinea pig products like burlap and peanuts. The only thing in this regard to be aware of is that there's a moisture absorbing silica gel packet inside the Timothy Bungalow when you first open it. Make sure your humans throw this thing away before giving it to you!

The packet says: "Do not eat." That's good advice! That is NOT a treat.

One the packet was removed, the humans put down the timothy bungalow as part of our floor time piggy city. 

It sure is dark in the back of this thing.

Plenty of room to turn around in it!

It was a lot of fun to chew on this thing at first. However, after floor time was over, the humans decided to temporarily replace one of our pigloos with it to give us a chance to continue using it. It was during this time that one of the big differences between the bungalow and a pigloo emerged: a bottom. Having a bottom on the bungalow means that when nature takes its' course, the bungalow starts getting dirty. The humans seem concerned that having the bottom will make this thing get gross too quickly, causing them to throw it out and not get their money's worth out of it. But we think this thing will be great while it lasts!

Oxbow Timothy Club Bungalow gets 4/5 stars!

Product Review: Oxbow Pure Comfort Small Animal Bedding

The world has gone topsy-turvy. We always thought of Oxbow as the people who make hay and pellets, while Carefresh are the people who make bedding. Then we discovered that Carefresh sells their own hay. Now, we discover that Oxbow makes their own bedding! What's next, guinea pigs sleeping in human beds and humans sleeping in pigloos?

Okay, we know that Oxbow knows how to make a bedding, but do they know how to make a good bedding? Let's find out by reviewing Oxbow Pure Comfort Small Animal Bedding.

We like the colors.

We discovered that this bedding comes in three colors: White, Natural, and Blend. We got the Blend, which looks like someone mixed some Carefresh Natural and Carefresh Ultra bedding together. It looks nice.

Clever. It's like you're looking at the backside of the guinea pig on the front.

We had recently discussed the issue of baking soda in guinea pig bedding, and came to the conclusion that while companies claim it's in a harmless form in their bedding, it's probably still better to avoid bedding with baking soda just to be on the safe side. The good news is this stuff doesn't contain baking soda or anything else that's questionable; it's just made of "Pure, Never-printed Paper Bedding."

I just woke up, and I've determined that it's good for napping.

Apparently, it also makes a good bathroom. Thanks a lot, Broccoli. That was my napping spot you used!

It turns out that not only do we like Oxbow's hay and treats, but also their bedding. Oxbow Pure Comfort Small Animal Bedding is soft, controls odors well, is safe/non-toxic, and we think the Blend's color mix is pretty cool.

The only other consideration we should point out is the price. (As long-time readers know, we wouldn't care much about that money stuff ourselves, but our humans do, and it's better to have happy humans, right?) Let's do a quick comparison of prices from an online store (note that prices may vary from store to store, different sizes of products, and other factors):

• Oxbow Pure Comfort™ Small Pet Bedding - White or Natural = $14.99 for 42 L = $0.36 per Liter
• Oxbow Pure Comfort™ Small Pet Bedding - Blend = $16.99 for 42 L = $0.40 per Liter
• CareFRESH® Custom Natural Rabbit & Guinea Pig Bedding & Litter = $19.99 for 60 L = $0.33 per Liter

So the only issue we have with this stuff is that it might not be your cheapest option. Otherwise, we have no complaints about this stuff at all. We give it 4.5/5 stars!

Product Review: All Living Things Yummy Drop Treats

Last year, we did a review of All Living Things Cookie Treats where the humans just took pictures of the product at the store, but didn't bring it home because of suspected bad ingredients. If the ingredients had turned out to be okay, we would have had our humans go back to the store and buy them. As it turned out, those cookie treats were full of junk ingredients, so we felt confident giving a 1-star review without eating it.

Today, we're going to continue that trend with a new product: All Living Things Yummy Drop Treats.

Those things don't look natural.

Let's take a look at what's in this stuff:

That's a lot of ingredients...

Wow, the ingredient list is still going on the other side!

I bet many of our long-time readers are already shaking their heads at this point, but let's review a few of the ingredients they list here anyway. Here are four ingredients that jumped out at us:

• Sugar - Guinea pigs should not have too much sugar.
• Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil - "Partially hydrogenated" means that it contains trans fat. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Trans fat is considered by many doctors to be the worst type of fat you can eat." They also point out that: "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made a preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is no longer 'generally recognized as safe' and should eventually be phased out of the production of food." This stuff is obviously bad news, and shouldn't be in our treats.
• Partially Hydrogenated Palm Oil - Not only is this more trans fat, but palm oil has negative environmental impacts. 
• Dried Nonfat Yogurt Powder - Guinea pigs should not be fed dairy products.

Another 1/5 star product! Glad the humans left that junk at the store.