GUINEA
PIGS
Cavia Porcellus
SIZE: Around 13cm tall
WEIGHT: 0.7 – 1.2Kg
DIET: Fresh leafy green vegetables, hay, grass.
LIFE SPAN: 4 – 8 years in captivity
CONSERVATION STATUS:
DISTRIBUTION:
DID YOU KNOW?
When a guinea pig is happy and
excited, it will often ‘popcorn’.
Which is a sudden jump often
accompanied
with a little squeak!
Guinea pigs are from various regions of
South America, It is believed Spanish
explorers brought guinea pigs back
from the Andes of South America to
Europe, where they were kept as exotic
pets. Guinea Pigs are found across the
South American continent, in open
areas ranging from moist savannas to
thorn forest and scrub desert. They live
in low elevations right up to 16,000 feet
(5,000 metres).
• They have sharp teeth for gnawing
and impeccable hearing even at high
frequencies which helps them identify
predators- This makes up for their
very poor eyesight.
• Guinea Pigs are closely related to the
rodent family including Rats, Mice,
Gerbils and Hamsters but are actually
more closely related to Porcupines,
Capybara and Chinchillas.
