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Guinea Pig


Guinea Pig

Guinea Pigs are not pigs, nor are they from Guinea; guinea pigs are a rodent species belonging to the Caviidae family. They originated in the Andes and do not exist naturally in the wild. In some Indigenous South American groups guinea pigs are a food source and used in folk medicine.

About Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs became popular household pets when European traders introduced them to the Europe in the 16th century. Thanks to breeding, guinea pigs come in lots of different colors and sizes.

The guinea pig is also a popular model organism, often used for researching human medical conditions. The guinea pig is a very smart mover and can navigate complex paths to a food source. They are good swimmers, but are poor at climbing and not very agile. Their vision isn’t as good as a humans, but have much broader periphery vision at 340 degrees. They communicate like humans with vocalization, and have a highly developed hearing and sense of touch.

Guinea pigs have up to five litters per year, with an average of three pups per litter. The average gestation period is 63–68 days. Unlike other animals, the guinea pig is well developed with hair, teeth, claws, and partial eyesight right away. They can also move right away and digest solid foods.

The main diet of a guinea pig is grass. They have a much longer colon than other rodents and must supplement their diet by eating their own feces. The feces are released as soft pellets, called cecotropes, which recycle fiber, B vitamins, and bacteria for proper digestion.

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