Facts About Guinea Pig

They are rodents, cute and can be domesticated and kept as pets. Wondering which rodent are we talking about? It is the adorable and friendly Guinea Pig. They are a member of the rodent family, but unlike most rodents, these can be trained and kept as pets at home. They won’t tear up the house and neither do they smell like other animals, since they don’t have musk glands. They are not really found naturally in the wild and have been domesticated since ages, primarily for their meat. Guinea pigs are also used in many scientific researches, as they are quite intelligent. Check out some interesting facts and amazing information about the Guinea Pig.

Facts About Guinea Pig

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Suborder: Hystricomorpha

Family: Caviidae

Subfamily: Caviinae

Genus: Cavia

Species: C. Porcellus

Diet: Vegetarian; mostly feeds on grass and hay

Natural Habitat: Open areas with grass cover

Age: 4-7 years

Number of Offspring: 1-7

Age of Sexual Maturity: Males: 3-5 weeks; Females: 4 weeks

Interesting & Amazing Information about Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs are good pets that are apt for people who do not have much space in their apartments. They are small and can be easily trained to live in a medium to large cage, thus hardly occupying any space.
They also make great pets because of the fact that they are affectionate and social, can be trained with some patience and don’t require regular vaccinations since they are not really prone to diseases.
They are naïve explorers and domesticated guinea pigs won’t wander out of their surroundings or their cage even if given the chance!
A female guinea pig can reach sexual maturity as early as four weeks and can lay a litter of pups even before being deemed as an adult.
The offspring of guinea pigs is called pup. Unlike other rodents, they are born with their eyes wide open, have fur on their body and can start running within 3 hours of their birth.
Like humans, guinea pigs cannot make their own Vitamin C and have to depend on outside food sources in order to get the vitamin. Else, they might develop scurvy, which can prove to be fatal!
Guinea pigs have sharp teeth and can gnaw on just about anything available with them. In fact, their front teeth never stop growing and they need to constantly gnaw on something hard to wear them down. Otherwise they will grow too long and the guinea pig won’t be able to eat anything!

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