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Meet the guinea pig
Guinea pigs are highly social and should never live alone. Their happy leap is called popcorning, and they 'wheek' loudly when food is coming.
🏡 Grasslands of the Andes in South America.🍽️ Hay, grass and fresh vegetables. Like us, they can't make their own vitamin C.⏳ 5–8 years.
Friends and family
They live in herds and greet each other with gentle nose touches.
Baby guinea pigs are born with fur and open eyes and can run within hours.
How they talk
Wheeks, purrs, rumbles and teeth chattering all mean different things.
How clever are they?
Guinea pigs learn routines fast and will call for food at the same time each day.
What they feel
A lonely guinea pig becomes quiet and inactive — company changes everything.
Superpower: Vitamin C buddies
Guinea pigs and humans are two of the few animals that must eat vitamin C.
🤓 Did you know?
- In Switzerland, keeping only one guinea pig is against the law.
- A happy guinea pig jump is called popcorning.
- Guinea pigs can't make their own vitamin C, just like people.
Living alongside people
They are popular companions, and are also used in laboratories and farmed for meat in parts of South America.