Taste responses in wild and domestic guinea pigs

Responses of male wild (Cavia aperea) and domestic (C. Porcellus) guinea pigs to stimuli representing the taste qualities sweet, salty, sour and bitter were monitored in two bottle choice tests. Wild cavies showed statistically significant preferences for .008–.25 M NaCl and .001–.031 M sodium saccharin and rejected 1.0 M NaCl and .063 M citric acid. Domestic cavies' acceptances of solutions preferred by the wild form were lower on first series of presentations but increased to the level of C. aperea upon representations. C. porcellus rejected citric acid (.031 M), NaCl (.5 M) and sucrose octaacetate (.001 M) at concentrations not rejected by the wild type. Wild cavies did not reject SOA at any concentration and neither type rejected quinine sulfate. Absence of bitter rejection was postulated to be an adapatation useful to some herbivores. Changes in acceptance data over time and the interference of position preference with responses to solutions suggested the major difference between types to be the wild cavies' greater readiness to orient to stimulus cues.