Rex guinea pig, sometimes also called Rex Cavy Pig, is one of the guinea pig breeds.
The cavies have adorable, wavy, and frizzy whiskers with an amiable, kind, and still nature which makes them well-liked among other pets!
Besides that, they are cute pets, and they also come with some fun facts.
They are lovely pets with a short, thick and coarse coats that can be in many colors.
10 Interesting Facts To Know About A Rex Guinea Pig
If you have doubts about whether your next pet should be a rex guinea pig then you are on the right page.
So, let’s reveal and learn some interesting facts and information about our loved pets.
Rex Guinea Pig
Rex guinea pigs have a rapid growth of their toe’s nails, creating a need for extra grooming than any other breed of guinea pigs might require.
Oppositely, they have short hair growing within the range of 20-40cm that generates less grooming of them than other sorts.
Though this popular guinea breed has a pig word in its name but has a hedgehog-like appearance with a short height and length.
It has a thick coating of hair that covers its entire body.
They’re available in various colors and appealing patterns; rex guinea pet lovers have many choices to make when deciding to choose their pet’s color/pattern!
So, let’s take a look at the most interesting facts about our rex guinea pigs.
Live More Than 6 Years
Think of a rex guinea pig consuming an unhealthy, noxious, and unbalanced diet from his owner who feeds him with whatever he has, only because his owner does not know what to feed him and can lead to fatal conditions.
Or if we talk about the same breed of pig, living in a cage-like short room with darkness all over.
This frightened and innocent pet will also undergo poor conditions and can even die if kept in the same condition for a long time.
These certain stupidities can lead to a shorter life span of a rex guinea pig.
Therefore, it’s necessary to provide them with great conditions.
If proper care, supervision, diet, companionship, and living environment (including their accommodation and surroundings) are given to these pigs, they can live for even up to 6 years.
You heard it correctly, and these tiny creatures live far more than creatures like mayfly (lives for just a day or less) and Chameleon (lives for ~1 year).
However, the guinea pig that lived the longest of all guinea pigs, thus achieving in 2006 a position in the book of Guinness World Records, lived as old as going 14 years, 10 months, and 14 days!
Tailless Rodents
As we know that the rex guinea pigs are domesticated rodent species, we should also know that these pigs, among many other species, don’t have tails!
Just like everybody part is created for a certain reason that performs a specific task assigned to it.
The main purpose of having a tail for many animals is to fly away from the flies or insects elsewhere that have stuck upon them, or another reason for having a tail in animals can be to balance oneself.
If we look at these tailless rodents, they don’t even need one!
They’ve got a potato-like structure; how can a potato get a tail then?
The environment they live in is nearly leveled, and they may get into the burrows that other animals builts.
This hinders the need to have a tail in such an animal.
They don’t have tails, but a tailbone can still be found in them, though.
Does Your Rex Guinea Pig Have A Tail?
If you think your pet, specifically the rex guinea pig has a tail, then you are wrong.
Are you even sure the fact that the pet you own is a rex guinea pig?
It might be a totally different animal!
Sometimes, it feels like even if you have a rex guinea pig, it has a tail!
It’s because the animal has more hair on its body which may look like a tail.
But these tails are called “false trails.”
Because the hair, which may be looking like a tail when combed up, shows that it wasn’t an actual tail.
Rex Guinea Pigs Are Not Associated With Actual Pigs
Neither the structure and habits nor the appearance, nothing is in resemblance; why are they even given the pig’s name then?
Even so, these creatures have given a ‘pig’ word in their names; they don’t match with actual pigs in any way!
The female rex guinea pig might be called ‘sow,’ and the male rex guinea pig is known as ‘boar’ as actual big pigs.
But again, they’re way different from them.
Many people confuse these beasts with actual pigs when they first hear of their name as considering them as one of the breeds of large pigs; they’re simply rodents and not pigs.
They’re also hugely self-cleaning, unlike the pigs.
They literally spend almost a part of their day cleaning themselves.
The scientific name given to this breed is Cavia Porcellus.
This might be the reason why they’re called cavies.
Procellus, on the other hand, is a Latin word, meaning ‘little pig.’
They may have been given this name only because of the noises they make: squeaking noise like a pig.
Otherwise, there is no other similarity in them that would have become the core reason for adding a pig word in their name.
Popcorning
I’ve heard and eaten popcorns, but what is this ‘Popcorning’ thing, and how is this related to rex guinea pigs?
When happy and exciting, Rex guinea pigs express and show this feeling by hopping up and down.
Popcorning is an immensely delightful and enchanting act done by these little cuties!
Different rex guinea pigs popcorn in different situations.
It is usually done by most of the rex guinea pigs when their owner is about to provide them with either food, hay, or any treat.
While there are also some that popcorn when they are freed up from their cages or enclosures to roam around the house or garden or whatever area you have provided your pet with to play.
Your pet is popcorning; that’s a good sign showing that your pet is happy enough!
Older guinea pigs less popcorn as compared to those that are still young.
Is It Dangerous When Your Pet Popcorns?
Popcorning is just your pet’s sudden jumping activity to show that it’s joyful for a certain reason.
Though it is done without any signal, it is not a dangerous act at all, but it’s good if you ever observe this in your cavy.
They Have Got Less Sleeping Duration
A day has twenty-four (24) hours in it: an obvious thing.
Animals’ sleep duration varies from kind to kind.
A rex guinea pig sleeps an average of around 4 hours a day.
It does not sleep in a constant motion of 4 hours but in the form of shorter naps, naps that are not longer than 10 minutes per nap!
Animals like a lion (19 hours per day), tiger (18 hours per day), and dog (13 hours per day) sleep with an average of far more hours than that rex guinea pigs would have slept, showcasing that they’ve got less sleep.
Rex guinea pigs don’t require a dark place and environment to sleep in; they can easily sleep wherever they want and whenever they want since they don’t sleep at specific hours of the day.
While it is not mandatory to have a darker place but saying that they go for darkness over light won’t be wrong either.
Some even declare them to be nocturnal.
They are happy if they get a dark place with hay on their ground or bed.
Just like in popcorning, older rex guinea pigs sleep more than the younger ones.
The reason behind this is that they are weaker and more lethargic than the younger ones.
I Want To Know If My Guinea Is Sleeping, But How?
Since rex guinea pigs can also sleep or take naps while their eyes are opened, deciding when they are sleeping not to disturb them becomes quite difficult.
Knowing the signs of when they are sleeping will help you provide a better environment for your pet.
When you see that your pet stands totally motionless, that means that it is taking a nap, and you should better not disturb him.
And if you notice that your pet has burrowed inside a hiding place, has his head down, or on his side, these all also show that your pet is sleeping.
It is often fun seeing your rex guinea pig taking a nap!
Hay – Favorite Dish
Not to forget that rex guinea pigs are herbivores who prefer grassy things over others.
Rex guinea pigs must not be treated with poor or whatever food in each day of their life, but instead, their diet shouldn’t be overlooked as if overlooked, it can reach fatal conditions.
Their most favorite food item they are more likely to have is ‘hay’ and grassy enough.
Hay is something that should be available all the time before your pet; in the cage, playing area, and eating containers.
Hay is a kind of an airy, light-in-weight meal for rex guinea pigs.
They love to be surrounded by hay.
They can consume as much grassy hay as they want, but there should also be certain portion control.
Hay should be the main part of their diet.
It’s good and healthy!
You should never be scared of giving your rex guinea pig access to limitless high-standard grass hay.
Hay contains so many proteins, fibers, and minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium, etc.
It also stops your pet from getting up weight, diarrhea, and even wariness.
Therefore, providing them with this establishes their digestive system to a stronger level and makes them happy and tasteful.
Can Hay Hinder The Continuous Growth Of Rex Guinea Pig’s Teeth?
A rex guinea pig has a set of 20 teeth.
All these teeth have an open root, meaning that they continually grow in their whole life; there is no such point where the growth may be stopped!
When the size of their teeth becomes bigger than it should be, it becomes harmful for your pet, and it might also create problems in eating for them.
Whereas eating hay keeps the continually growing teeth at their right place, it requires chewing and biting,g which is an important act to wear down your pet’s teeth!
But always be remembered that the hay you provide to your rex guinea pig is garden-fresh, healthy, and great in quality.
Cavies Can Die If Living Alone
Whenever buying or thinking to buy a rex guinea pig or any breed of guinea pig, you should always keep in mind that buying 1 is never going to work.
If you think that you alone can make them happy and would get out of the trouble of buying another, then you’ve got the wrong mindset!
They require all-time playing to keep them happy, active, and nice.
Ask yourself, do you have that much time?
Again, if you think you can put them to sleep so recorrecting you afresh here:
They are awakened almost more than half of the day; they sleep for 4 hours or so only, thus remaining 18-20 hours of the day awakened.
Specialists think if you are buying only a single rex guinea pi, you make a great mistake as it can prove to be big silliness.
Even in Switzerland, it is not legal to buy only one rex guinea pig or any of its breeds in quantity (1).
This clearly shows that these innocents die of loneliness.
According to one research, guinea pigs live in groups.
Most commonly in three or four groups, so either buy a group including at least two to three of rex guinea pigs or don’t buy it!
Because rex guinea pigs are those animals that are social and love to express their feelings to each other.
Rex guinea pigs want to live with the ones that are of the same kind as them to chat with them.
Of course, you can’t understand their language or what they’re trying to explain to you.
Hence a need for a partner or a companion is necessary for them.
Or else, they can be tensed out and become ill, fatigued, or even die with the remoteness surrounding them!
How To Ensure Your Cavie Is Happy Alone?
Though, some measures can be taken to make sure that even if you have one rex guinea pig, it lives happily and not turns bore.
But these are not always helpful, and you’re not left with any other option than buying another rex guinea pig.
If you surround your pet with enough toys, give him a huge space to live in, play with him all the time, and give it a good and healthy diet, it would thrive.
But again, not to forget these don’t work all the time.
Need The Supplementation Of Vitamin C
It is strange to hear that just like us (humans), creatures like the rex guinea pig can’t save or produce their own vitamin C as well.
Vitamin C is beneficial for genuine growth and servicing of skin, mucosal surfaces, and joints.
It also helps in healing out the wounds of your pet.
They need an average of 10 to 30mg of the vitamin each day, and if they lack vitamin, they will consume the average of 50mg.
The amount of consuming vitamin C differs; thus, your veterinarian is the one who can guide you with the exact amount of vitamin C intake.
Your pet should be given the liquid vitamin C or vitamin C tablets directly through their mouth every day instead of first mixing them into the water and then providing them with that water as the vitamin breaks down quickly being in the water and loses its vigor.
If the rex guinea pigs are not given vitamin C in their diet even for just 2 weeks or less, they can undergo its deficiency and suffer from scurvy (like humans).
Hence, providing them with a diet that provides them with the right amount of proteins, fibers, and minerals along with Vitamin C is essential.
In case if you’re the owner of a rex guinea pig, then it’s your responsibility to take care of their proper diet.
Rapid Learners
While rex guinea pigs are easy-going, cute, and adorable, they are also rapid learners.
They catch up on things very quickly from their surroundings and are also easy to train a few of the simple steps or become able to perform the tricks you had made them memorize.
So, this would definitely require your patience with chunks of their favorite dish!
They’re very active and are gifted with intelligence since the day they were born!
It’s impossible for a human baby even to walk after he’s a few hours old.
Surprisingly, these little pups can ‘running’ just after some hours spent landing on this Earth when born.
After a few weeks of their life spent on Earth, they become weaned.
And after a time of three months, you can find them as fully mature rex guinea pigs.
Though their size is in constant growth until a year of their life finishes in this world.
Feelings
As told earlier, when they are excited, they popcorn, showing that yes, they do have feelings.
But their feelings are expressed in a bit different and strange way than that of humans.
They can’t manifest their feelings through words; how then they express them?
They use noises and sounds to communicate their feelings.
There are heaps of noises or sounds that they make to show what they are feeling at the moment; thus, understanding their noises’ meanings is also important.
Every different sound and noise produced by your rex guinea pig has some different meaning, you get?
Want To Know The Meanings?
Read the portion mentioned below.
Hissing is the sound which is produced by your cavy when it is either aggressive or angry.
When something done by you or any other rex guinea pig is disliked by your cavy, it generates a whining sound.
A wheeking noise is a noise that generally has a meaning of excitement and satisfaction, so next time when your pet will remain weak, you would know that it is contented and thrilled!
When your cavy feels some pain or trouble, it often comes out with a shrieking sound; this is its way of alarming you about the trouble he is facing.
Now, purring is a noise that has different meanings.
To understand its meaning, you would have to know the way it’s produced.
For suppose, if your cavy’s purr is deep and brief, that means he is happy.
The purr symbolizes fright and achiness if it is short but high-pitched.
Knowing the meanings would really help you understand your cavy in a more personalized way, and you would be more close to your pet as you would be able to understand their needs and wants at the time of their different feelings.
Of course, you won’t serve your pet with food at the time when he’s shrieking but would work to solve his trouble or pain!
Final Thoughts
Once you know the interesting and cool facts about a rex guinea pig, you would now be able to deal with your pet in a better way!
No matter what breed or species pet you’ve got, the more you will love your pet, the better it will be with you: loving and caring.
It is just the matter of love and attention that ‘you’ provide your pet with.
So, always love your pet with care and affection because they are lovely pets with short, thick and coarse coats that can be in many colors.
All in all, we hope that we have helped you with this interesting information about the rex guinea pig, and you should consider getting one as your future pet.
