Warning on "New Breed" of guinea pigs

[3lilpigs]

I was recently informed that there is a new type of animal called a cuy, which is supposedly larger than a guinea pig and has extra toes. Confused by this, I did some research and found this article. Please read!!! I find this worrisome and inhumane! These guinea pigs are so inbred that they have started referring to them as a different breed or species all together!

Warning on "New Breed" of guinea pigs.
Reports are now circulating that Petco stores on the west coast are marketing some of their guinea pigs as a "new breed". These guinea pigs are polydactyl (they have many extra toes on both front and back feet) and are on the larger side. One anonymous employee claims they were imported from Peru, while another store reports that they're a "new breed" and that "They were excited to hear that people noticed and liked them."

These are NOT a new breed. Polydactyl pigs occur frequently when guinea pigs are inbred, although it's rare for those toes to be so well formed. The amount of inbreeding required to consistently get these many toed pigs is staggering to think about. These "new breed" guinea pigs are already turning up in animal shelters and rescues, so if you really think they're neato and want one, wait a few weeks.

You can read about it on Wee Companion's (a local rescue's) facebook here, or on a local vet's facebook here.

Our rescue had 2 polydactyl pigs born with additional back toes less than 4 weeks ago (although their toes are poorly formed and not attached well) as a result of a brother/sister mating (when they were abandoned at the shelter). Polydactyl pigs are common, are not a new breed, and are very frequently the result of ongoing inbreeding. Shame on Petco for selling genetic defects as a fancy new breed.
Reports are now circulating that Petco stores on the west coast are marketing some of their guinea pigs as a "new breed". These guinea pigs are polydactyl (they have many extra toes on both front and back feet) and are on the larger side. One anonymous employee claims they were imported from Peru, while another store reports that they're a "new breed" and that "They were excited to hear that people noticed and liked them."

These are NOT a new breed. Polydactyl pigs occur frequently when guinea pigs are inbred, although it's rare for those toes to be so well formed. The amount of inbreeding required to consistently get these many toed pigs is staggering to think about. These "new breed" guinea pigs are already turning up in animal shelters and rescues, so if you really think they're neato and want one, wait a few weeks.

You can read about it on Wee Companion's (a local rescue's) facebook here, or on a local vet's facebook here.

Our rescue had 2 polydactyl pigs born with additional back toes less than 4 weeks ago (although their toes are poorly formed and not attached well) as a result of a brother/sister mating (when they were abandoned at the shelter). Polydactyl pigs are common, are not a new breed, and are very frequently the result of ongoing inbreeding. Shame on Petco for selling genetic defects as a fancy new breed.

[Holly&Fred]

I agree that it's not right, but any "new breed" of animal is the result of genetic defects, and any new breeds engineered by humans (such as basically every dog breed out there -- think about what it took to make a pug, or bassett hound with those exact qualities) comes from the inbreeding of those animals who have the desired trait. No, it's not humane, and no, it's not usually healthy. But this is not something new or unique to this particular "breed" of guinea pig.

Also if I remember correctly, a cuy is typically what guinea pigs that are used as food are called.

But honestly. Why would anyone want to cause a rather large group of animals to go through the kind of irresponsible treatment that these must have for the sake of an extra toe? That's just not right.

[DalesLass]

There are certainly a few wires crossed there.

A polydactyl cavy is indeed one that has more toes than the normal number. However, to suggest that this is actually the desired feature or even the defining characteristic of this ‘new breed’ is putting a rather bizarre twist on things to say the least. No-one is causing "a rather large group of animals to go through the kind of irresponsible treatment that these must have for the sake of an extra toe?”

For some reason, polydactyl is most common in one particular breed of cavy -Abyssinians. Many crossbred pets having this feature may have several Abyssinian ancestors.

These ‘new’ cavies are a different species from Cavia porcellus the normal cavy or guinea pig. These animals are of (or are mainly descended from) the species Cavia aperea or Brazilian Guinea Pig and were originally domesticated for meat.

They have been popular in Scandinavian countries (which is where I have handled some) as pets for several years; they are less common in the UK. The usual name for them is ‘Cuy’

Their defining characteristic is not their number of toes but the fact that they are a significantly larger animal than a normal pet cavy. They are sufficiently closely related to Cavia porcellus to have occasionally been interbred with them (which, contrary to the comments here, would actually increase rather than decrease the gene pool).

They (obviously) need larger housing than a normal cavy and it is unfortunate if the pet superstores are marketing them as the latest novelty must-have. However, I am sure that they will be offering them as ‘Giant Guinea Pigs’ not ‘Rare Extra Toed Guinea Pigs’.

[Jennicat]

You are quite wrong. They are currently selling them as a new breed of guinea pig. They are already turning in up rescues. There's quite a lengthy thread on Guinealynx about it, including pictures of those guinea pigs that have already been abandoned by their owners.

[VoodooJoint]

There is a member here who is dead set that the guinea pig they bought from Petco is a "cuy" and that all of those extra toes are a distinguishing feature. She didn't take the hint when she was told that all of it's siblings died. It's rather frustrating and infuriating.

[Catayn]

Do these piggies show any other health problems? I know it's not "normal", but is it like a deficiency in humans, or do they have more underlying problems?

[Jennicat]

Honestly, I doubt that they've been around a long enough to be studied much.

You can extrapolate a bit from other oversized breeds of animals -- oversized dog breeds are very prone to heart problems (which regular sized guinea pigs already are) and tend to die much earlier.

I had an associate report to me that one of the stores that had these guinea pigs was having a lot of them die and they considered that unusual.

Edited to add: Here is the thread on Guinealynx discussing the polydactyl guinea pigs!

[DalesLass]

You are quite wrong.

I wrote my response having only read 3lilpigs posting and believed what she was describing to be Cuy; Cavia aperea.

Having read your post and now looked at the posts on Guinealynx it is very obvious that they are Cuy.

Whatever Petco decide to call them is slightly irrelevant – in fact you have not said what name they are using, it would be interesting to know.

It is rather illogical if they are selling them purely on the grounds that they are polydactyl as not all Cuy are polydactyl although they are certainly very prone to it. Similarly, not all polydactyl pigs are Cuy.

They may well be describing them as a ‘new breed’ as they are, indeed, ‘new’ to Petco.

[Jennicat]

They are not using a specific names. They are generically saying they are "a new breed" of guinea pig. It's all in the thread, the rescue that has these pigs was told they were "a new breed" by one of the associates.

[VoodooJoint]

PinkRufus on that GL thread said

"I have seen several children at Children's Hospital, LA who had extra fingers/toes, sometimes fused. This syndrome was also accompanied by other defects including mental retardation. Do these guinea pigs have any other problems besides their extra toes?"

The member here said their "cuy" is' "bit mentally slow"

How wonderful

[FlowersGrandma]

PinkRufus on that GL thread said

"I have seen several children at Children's Hospital, LA who had extra fingers/toes, sometimes fused. This syndrome was also accompanied by other defects including mental retardation. Do these guinea pigs have any other problems besides their extra toes?"

The member here said their "cuy" is' "bit mentally slow"

How wonderful

Voodoo,
As the sibling of a child with mental retardation, I can assure you my parents would have done nothing to have created my sibling's health problems, but I can also assure you, that I take offense to the statement above. We adored my sibling and never once regretted that God created him the way He did. While I do not agree with inbreeding animals (or humans) to the point of creating genetic problems, those of us who grow up with siblings or children with mental disabilities would not have them any other way. My sibling lived a very long and happy life with severe mental and physical retardations that had nothing to do with inbreeding and I assure you he was both loved and well cared for.
We can only hope the member here will do the same for her Cuy.

[VoodooJoint]

Voodoo,
As the sibling of a child with mental retardation, I can assure you my parents would have done nothing to have created my sibling's health problems, but I can also assure you, that I take offense to the statement above. We adored my sibling and never once regretted that God created him the way He did. While I do not agree with inbreeding animals (or humans) to the point of creating genetic problems, those of us who grow up with siblings or children with mental disabilities would not have them any other way. My sibling lived a very long and happy life with severe mental and physical retardations that had nothing to do with inbreeding and I assure you he was both loved and well cared for.
We can only hope the member here will do the same for her Cuy.

You must be a tad confused. I did not make the above statement. I was quoting someone else.

That statement has nothing to do with placing blame on parents. It shows a correlation. I could also say that children with autism often also have food and environment allergies. That statement simply draws a correlation between polydactylism and other issues that children can have.

Humans and animals with retardation of any sort should be loved and cherished as the special, lovely and glorious beings that they are. I have a 55 year old cousin who will forever have the lovely mind of a 6 year old. I adore her. However, specifically getting her to reproduce in the hopes of creating more lovely beings who cannot care for themselves and will likely suffer from severe physical illness or disfigurement is unconscionable.

[FlowersGrandma]

Humans and animals with retardation of any sort should be loved and cherished as the special, lovely and glorious beings that they are. I have a 55 year old cousin who will forever have the lovely mind of a 6 year old. I adore her. However, specifically getting her to reproduce in the hopes of creating more lovely beings who cannot care for themselves and will likely suffer from severe physical illness or disfigurement is unconscionable.

While I agree, not all physical and mental illnesses are genetic. Unless your cousin's handicap is caused by a genetic marker, it's quite possible for her to have perfectly healthy, so called "normal" children. The trauma on her to reproduce, however would make it unconscionable in my mind.

I admit my understanding of Cuy and guinea pigs is very limited. Some sources say Cuy are a totally new breed that sometimes are poly-dactyl, others say they are guinea pigs bred to be large and the extra toes are a consequence of that breeding. I don't think it's fair that they are being mislabeled when sold to unsuspecting buyers who are expecting to get a guinea pig. Instead they are getting an animal that requires more care, that gets larger than expected and will probably have a shorter lifespan. If they were sold as Cuy upfront, I'd have no issue. You know what you are buying, you have time to research it and make an informed choice and you could choose not to buy.

Is there any indication that these animals have any different personalities than regular guinea pigs? Like do they bite? Are they vicious? Anything other than their health to point to them not being good pets?

[Catayn]

I don't know if they would make good pets or not.
What I think is, genetic mutations sometimes happen and they my cause deficiencies that may or may not damage the being in question.
Personally I have a persian cat. which I deeply love and care for, but no, she isn't even close to having that flat, deep face considered to be "perfect".
Cats bred to have those perfect faces are often sick and need much more care than other cats.
I am not saying they shouldn't be loved and cared for as much as the others, but people should not remodel cats until they are turned into little frankensteins just because we like it. It's "fancy" to have a sick cat that has so many respiratory problms I wouldn't know where to start counting them.
It's the same with piggies, malformations and stuff like that happen, but that's just it, they happen. They shouldn't be caused by us, for the sake of our vanity.

[Catayn]

You know what you are buying, you have time to research it and make an informed choice and you could choose not to buy.

And I seriously doubt people really care or imagine they are getting a pet with special needs.
I care a lot about animals and I suffered a lot with my piggies because there was no info available and I would have never crossed my mind that they needed hay, for example.
So I don't think people would consider all that before getting one of those animals.

" It's cute, it's new, it's fashionable, it's fancy, it's bigger. Let's get one and show our neighbors!" - That's what people normally think about.

[FlowersGrandma]

I wouldn't have had. I would have said what is a Cuy? I wanted a guinea pig. If they told me it was a guinea pig only larger, I would have been fooled, but if they told me it was a Cuy, I wouldn't have bought it. I think at the very least they should be forced to truthfully advertise the animal for what it is. Now I am sure Voodoo is going to say they shouldn't be allowed to sell it at all. But if they are, they at least ought to have to be truthful with consumers about what the animal is. They can't sell me a parakeet and tell me it's a zebra finch and use the excuse I should have been more informed.

[Catayn]

I am sure you should have been more informed by them, but I seriously doubt that your, or the animal's comfort, is their greatest interest. Honestly, I don't even believe they know anything about it at all...

[FlowersGrandma]

I think I am probably different than most new owners. Our last pet, a dog was very sickly, probably because he was a pure bred. I didn't get him because he was pure bred, I got him because we fell in love with him. We would have took him if he'd been a mutt. But because of his breeding, he had multiple health issues his entire life. When we got ready for a new pet, the one thing I wanted to know was what can I do to keep this animal the most healthiest. Mine get fresh veggies and fresh hay every day. A clean cage every 3 days. Lots of loving and I watch for signs of illness like a hawk.
There is no way I would have bought or adopted an animal, if they had told me that:
1) he just came back from the vets-even if they told me he was getting a checkup I would have been leery
2) all of his siblings have died

The one pleasure I get from my piggies is they are healthy and happy. No longer do I have to hold an animal to give him medicines and torture him with treatments that are supposed to make him healthier. I loved my dog with all my heart and wouldn't redo any of his 10 years on this earth. I could have sent my children to med school on what I spent caring for him. My only wish is that he'd been healthy and hadn't needed the care.
Should our piggies ever need care, they will get it, I just pray that they don't. Deliberately looking for an animal that needs that kind of care is just crazy. I feel for the rescues that will have to clean up the mess when the owners get tired of doing the job. It gets tiring at two am rocking a sick animal.

[ingrid]

this is an interesting topic, and it makes me nauseous. i wanted to see what a cuy looks like as opposed to a guinea pig and i found some disgusting pics. please do not do the same you won't be able to erase them from from your memory. also makes me a little sick to think of the meat industry in general.

i am still interested to see if anyone has a pic comparing the two.

[Sugar&Ellie]

I think if anyone is stupid enough to think this is a new breed, they shouldn't be owning guinea pigs in the first place.

If there was a 'new human' with 6 toes and 6 fingers, people wouldnt be saying 'Oh it's a new human!' they'd be saying, 'Oh my gosh, this person is inbred and deformed.'
Which is exactly what these guinea pigs are. Anyone who takes the bait, thinking they're a new breed is very gullibal. Chances are these guinea pigs have 100 other things wrong with them, not only on the outside and won't live past 1-2 years of age.

Luckily I haven't seen a petco in my province, which im hoping means there are no petco's in Canada. But I could be wrong, I'm hoping Canadians cannot support petco if they're trying to make money off deformities, let alone guinea mills. If I see this start to arise in petstores in my city and/or province I'll definately make it noticed, working in the shelter, I have a few connections to PR and local news stations.