Fun facts about guinea pigs

You can’t fail to be charmed by gorgeous guinea pigs, they are a great size for cuddles, active, soft and furry and make amazing companions.

So, let’s look at some of the cool things guinea pigs do and find out some fun facts.

Cool guinea pig names

How about naming your female guinea pig Winnie, rhyming always works. For a male try Vinnie. If you have a brown male guinea pig Bruno (German for brown) is a great name. Bruna is Italian for Brown which would work for a brown female guinea pig. As guinea pigs are so cute, names of flowers are popular, like blossom and jasmine. The ideas are endless, so have fun.

What is a baby guinea pig called?

Baby guinea pigs are called pups and can run when only a few hours old. This helps them avoid predators as soon as possible. They’ll take around three weeks to be weaned and will be fully mature in just three months.

What do guinea pigs do when they are happy?

You have an excited and happy guinea pig when they start popcorning. This is when they jump straight up and down, often with a twist in mid-air. They also love to purr when content.

How long do guinea pigs live?

Guinea pigs can live a surprisingly long time for their size. The average life expectancy of a well-cared guinea pig is 7 years. The Guinness Book of World Records lists Snowball as the oldest recorded guinea pig, who lived for a whopping 14 years and 10 months.

Guinea Pigs need hay, a lot of hay

The main ingredient of a guinea pig’s diet is hay. This should be high quality and dust-free, just like that offered by The Little Hay Co. Guinea pigs are grazers and hay is perfect to keep their teeth in check and their digestive system in tip-top shape.

Famous Guinea Pigs

G-Force is a Guinea Pig focussed film the kids love. A specially trained squad of guinea pigs are sent to stop a maniac from taking over the world. There are a lot of famous owners of guinea pigs, including Lady Diana Spencer, Natalie Wood and Deborah Harry.

Do Guinea Pigs and Rabbits get along?

Rabbits can be quite the bully, especially when it comes to guinea pigs, so keeping them together is not a good idea. They both have different needs and rabbits can carry some diseases that are very harmful to guinea pigs.

Why are guinea pigs called guinea pigs?

There is not a clear answer to this question. It's thought that guinea pigs originated from Guinea in Africa, but this isn’t true. They are actually from the Andes area in South America. Some say they may have travelled through Guinea to Europe with Spanish explorers and that is why people think that's where they came from, but no one knows for sure.

Guinea pigs love a good natter

Your guinea pig will love playing with you, but they are also very social creatures and need the company of other guinea pigs to be truly happy. Guinea pigs should be kept in pairs or small groups. You’ll hear all sorts of noises from guinea pigs. The famous ‘wheek wheek’ is a sign of excitement, they purr when content and make ‘putt putt’ noises when exploring.

 Are guinea pigs related to pigs?

Male guinea pigs are called boars, females are called sows, just like pigs, but they are not related at all. Guinea pigs are rodents and sometimes referred to as little pigs probably because of the noises they make being fairly similar.

Guinea pigs are awake a lot

Most of the action takes place between dusk and dawn, but guinea pigs are usually awake for almost 20 hours every day. This is why they need constant access to food, water, toys and safe places.

Guinea pig's front and back feet are different

Guinea pigs have three toes on their back feet but four on their front, this is to help with burrowing and digging but hinders them should they need to climb anything, so guinea pigs are not the most agile of a creature.

Vitamins

Guinea pigs cannot make Vitamin C, so need to get it from other sources. This can be through supplements or their healthy diet. Including quality hay, food like leafy greens, spinach, kale and broccoli will help keep your guinea pig fit and healthy.