Where People & Piggies Thrive

Newbie or Guinea Guru? Popcorn in!

Register for free to enjoy the full benefits.
Find out more about the NEW, drastically improved site and forum!

Register

What breed? Part Cuy?

  • Thread starter ginipigsinspace
  • Start date

ginipigsinspace

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Posts
265
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
265
I can't seem find a definitive answer to whether there are part-Cuy guinea pigs, so I was hoping someone here might have some thoughts. Sorry if there is already a discussion I missed.

Anyway, I am starting to wonder if my boar, Fin, is part Cuy. I don't think he's particularly huge for his age (about 900g @6 months), but he is incredibly muscular and strong. I do know that my other pig, Chewie, is uniquely small and svelte (has never been bigger than 850g) but the pig I lost last summer, Han, seemed to be a normal pig physique (hefty but pear shaped) and Fin is definitely different. He just feels muscular and dense in the way pit bulls feel muscular and when I pick him up, he is definitely stronger than the other two pigs.

He is also really fast, nimble, and jumps really high. I just watched him, mid rumble strut, leap straight up and clear Chewie by maybe 6-8 inches. I have always noticed his feet look particularly big. He has the normal 4 toes, but they look broad in a way the other pigs' feet do not. I used to think it was because he was a baby (I got him at 3 weeks while my other boys came to me at 9mo and 1.5yrs) and that he would grow into them, but at 6 months they still look big and I read that big feet (even if they do not have 5 toes) are typical of Cuys.

That said, he is orange and black, not the typical orange and white. Also, like I mentioned above, I think he is a pretty normal size. Thus, I don't think he is full Cuy. But, could he be part Cuy? Or are there just some exceptionally muscular guinea pigs?

Here is Fin.
 

Attachments

IMG_3187.jpg

jaycriae

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Posts
943
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Messages
943
There are part-cuy pigs, it'll be harder to tell if he is one until he's fully grown. I think it's kind of unlikely because of his black coloring, but if he takes after his non-cuy parent it's possible.

Are you on the U.S. West Coast? If not, it's unlikely you have a cuy or half-cuy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

ginipigsinspace

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Posts
265
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
265
@jaycriae I am in Los Angeles. I got him from a rescue so, unfortunately, I have no clue about his parentage. When you say "until he's fully grown," do you are you referring to how big he ends up getting? Or are there other defining features?
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Hmmm. I don't really know about cuy. I DO know that one of my little boys, Punkin, IS orange and white though he has some Peruvian lineage, but just enough to make the hair on his bum long. He is also a big pig, with big feet. He will be 5 months old tomorrow and has already cleared the 1200 gram mark a couple of weeks ago.
 

jaycriae

Well-known Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Posts
943
Joined
Jun 18, 2014
Messages
943
Oh, I forgot about polydactyly. If either of your pigs has extra toes, that makes it much more likely they're a cuy as well.
[MENTION=31547]ginipigsinspace[/MENTION] Being in LA does increase the chance he's a cuy. And I was referring to how big he gets.
[MENTION=35161]Guinea Pig Papa[/MENTION], that's pretty big for a 5 month old. If you're West Coast he's very likely cuy or half-cuy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Guinea Pig Papa

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
May 12, 2015
Posts
387
Joined
May 12, 2015
Messages
387
Oh, I forgot about polydactyly. If either of your pigs has extra toes, that makes it much more likely they're a cuy as well.
@ginipigsinspace Being in LA does increase the chance he's a cuy. And I was referring to how big he gets.
@Guinea Pig Papa, that's pretty big for a 5 month old. If you're West Coast he's very likely cuy or half-cuy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Southern Ontario, Canada, actually. Perhaps my boy is a bit of a monster. His brother from the same litter is actually 1025grams too.
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
Guinea pigs are no more the same size and shape than people are. But it's unlikely that he's even part cuy unless he winds up weighing four pounds or more when he's an adult.
 

cmyers.swc

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 25, 2015
Posts
8
Joined
Mar 25, 2015
Messages
8
What is cuy? One of my piggies is kind of a big dude. I just assume he's just a bigger size. He's not just chubby, he feels stout, like muscular.
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
(broken link removed)
 

cmyers.swc

Member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Mar 25, 2015
Posts
8
Joined
Mar 25, 2015
Messages
8
Well, after looking on the web, I know my Teddy isn't a cuy. I guess he's just hefty! lolBut OMG!!! I want one! :eek:What region do they come from and are there reputable breeders?
 

bpatters

Moderator
Staff member
Cavy Slave
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Posts
29,251
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
29,251
There are not any reputable breeders, and you should do plenty of research before deciding you want one. They are extremely skittish, much more so than normal guinea pigs, and many never become tame at all. They are also very strong and hard to handle. The average life span also seems to be quite a bit shorter than that of regular guinea pigs. Several I've known of have died at around two years of age, although a few have lived longer.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.

Similar threads

jenapher
Replies
5
Views
1K
bpatters
bpatters
momomiyamommy
Replies
4
Views
2K
bpatters
bpatters
GameOfCavies
Replies
8
Views
2K
bpatters
bpatters
magicpiggie
Replies
5
Views
1K
kairi26
kairi26
Top