Guinea pig

Guinea pigs eat only plants.

They munch hay, grass, lettuce and fruit. Their front teeth never stop growing. Chewing keeps them the right length.

Guinea pigs are herbivores. Pet guinea pigs eat hay, grass, leafy greens such as lettuce and cabbage, some fruit, and special pellets. The pellets include vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, that guinea pigs need to stay healthy.

Like other rodents, guinea pigs have teeth that keep growing all their lives. As a guinea pig chews, its teeth grind against each other, which wears them down and keeps them the right length. A guinea pig that eats dry food, such as hay and pellets, must always have fresh water to drink.

Guinea pigs are strict herbivores; domestic animals depend on people for leafy vegetables, grasses such as Timothy hay, fruit and manufactured pellets. Animal Diversity Web notes that the pellets supply vitamins and minerals guinea pigs require, including vitamin C.

The 20 teeth grow continuously and are kept at the right length by grinding against each other during feeding. Britannica notes that guinea pigs need no drinking water if their food is moist enough, but they must have water when fed dry commercial food.

Guinea pigs love company.

They squeak, whistle and purr to talk to each other. A scared guinea pig keeps very still. It is happiest with a friend.

Guinea pigs are very social and like close contact with others of their kind. They often huddle together for warmth. They are most active at dawn and dusk, and spend much of their time eating, grooming and exploring.

They are noisy talkers. Squeaks and squeals can mean danger or pain, whistles and chirps can mean food is coming, and a soft purr seems to mean a guinea pig is content. When frightened, a single guinea pig freezes, while a group scatters in all directions.

Guinea pigs are gregarious and crepuscular. Males form hierarchies with one dominant male and can be very aggressive over territory and mates. Animal Diversity Web describes two defenses: the immobility response, freezing when a single animal senses a threat, and the scatter response, in which a group bolts in different directions to confuse a predator.

Their vocal repertoire includes chutts, squeaks, whines, whistles, purrs and chirps. Squeals and squeaks signal injury or danger, whistles and chirps are used over distance and around food, and purring appears to indicate contentment. Scent marking also plays a part in communication.

Guinea pigs are popular pets.

They need hay, fresh greens, water, a clean home and a friend. Gentle hands help them feel safe.

Guinea pigs are not endangered: there are no wild ones, but people keep them all over the world. In Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia many families still raise guinea pigs for food, as people in the Andes have done for thousands of years.

They are also famous pets. A happy pet guinea pig needs a roomy, clean home, hay and fresh vegetables every day, and, because it is so social, another guinea pig for company. Scientists have also used guinea pigs to study nutrition, genetics and medicine.

As a domestic species the guinea pig is not assessed by the IUCN. In the Andes it remains a sustainable food source: Britannica notes that native peoples of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia keep guinea pigs in their homes or let them forage freely indoors and out.

The animal has also been widely used in laboratory research on anatomy, nutrition, genetics, toxicology and pathology, which is why a test subject is sometimes called a guinea pig. The origin of the name itself is debated: it may come from the price of one guinea, from ships or ports linked to Guinea, or from Guiana, while 'pig' probably refers to its squealing.