Guinea Pig
Family
Caviidae
Scientific Name
Cavia porcellus
Basic Animal Group
Mammals
Diet
Herbivores
Length
~ 20 – 40cm
Weight
~ 500 – 1,500g
Gestation Period
~ 59 – 72 days
Litter
~ 1-6 pups
Lifespan
5 – 7 years
Origin
South America
Characteristics
Fun Facts
- According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest living caged guinea pig named ‘Snow Ball’ died on the 14th of February 1979 at the age of fourteen years and ten months and a half.
- Contrary to other rodents, they are precocial, meaning that they are born with fur, open eyes and ears and able to move around and eat solid food on the day they are born.
- They may have been domesticated as early as 5000 B.C. by tribes in South America.
- It is normal and natural that guinea pigs eat some of their poop as a means of absorbing the essential vitamins from the food that were not absorbed by the body the first time round (coprophagy).
- They do not sleep for long hours but they take a nap from time to time.