Guinea Pig
Cavia porcellus · Mammal, rodent (domesticated)
From the Capy Learning Corner encyclopedia
- Native range
- Fully domesticated over thousands of years in the Andes; their wild cavy relatives still live in South American grasslands.
- Size
- Typically 1.5 to 3 pounds of solid opinion.
- Lifespan
- Commonly 5 to 8 years in good care.
- Conservation
- Domesticated.
Little Learners Corner
When a guinea pig gets super excited, it does a straight-up happy hop called popcorning.
Say it like a scientist: KAY-vee-uh por-SELL-us
Where They Live
Human care, ideally in roomy enclosures with hideouts, hay, and at least one guinea pig friend.
What They Eat
Herbivore. Unlimited hay, fresh greens, and a daily source of vitamin C, which their bodies, like ours, cannot make.
How They Live
Deeply social herd animals with a full vocabulary: the wheek of anticipation, the purr of contentment, and popcorning, the vertical leap of pure happiness.
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Guinea Pigs as Pets?
One of the better starter pets when done right, which means pairs or groups, real space, daily vegetables, and vitamin C. Done wrong, a lonely pig in a tiny cage, they quietly fail to thrive.
Fun Facts
Guinea pigs must get vitamin C from food, one of very few mammals sharing that trait with humans.
Popcorning, the spontaneous happy leap, is exactly what it sounds like.
They are neither pigs nor from Guinea. Naming was not our finest hour.
Capy Quiz: Prove It
What vitamin must guinea pigs get from food, like humans?
Keep exploring: Sugar Glider came before this, Chinchilla is next, or head back to the full Animal Encyclopedia.
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