Animal of the Month

1. Guinea pigs usually live about five years, but some live as long as eight years, and one guinea pig made it to 15, earning him an entry in the Guineas Book of Records!

2. Using their whiskers to help them sense the world around them, guinea pigs can judge where objects are and estimate the size of holes so they don’t bump into things or get stuck in places which are too small for them.

3. Like many animals, guinea pigs need the company of other members of the same species in order to thrive and be happy. They should never be housed alone or with different species such as rabbits.

4. Guinea pigs are originally from South America, where many of their wild cousins still roam the grasslands, forests and mountains, living in large family groups and making their homes in caves and burrows.

5. Often considered to be good “starter pets” for young children, guinea pigs have been part of the pet trade for many years. Pet shops and some of the people who buy guinea pigs don’t always look after animals as well as one would hope, but fortunately, there are several organisations which rescue abandoned or neglected guinea pigs and re-home them with loving humans who know how to look after them.

6. From high-pitched squeaking when they hear the rustle of food to low growling when they feel threatened, guinea pigs have a language all their own and are not shy when it comes to letting others know what they’re feeling.

7. The guinea pig is one of the species most commonly used to test medicines and household products in laboratory experiments. Guinea pigs endure a range of painful procedures, including having chemicals dripped into their eyes or rubbed onto their shaved skin.

8. The commonly used medicine penicillin is toxic to guinea pigs, a fact which has led many to question the reliability of testing medicines on animals who are very different from humans.

9. Many toiletries and cosmetics companies no longer test their products on guinea pigs or any other animals, choosing cruelty-free safety tests instead.

10. Part of the cavy family, the guinea pig is related to the South American capybara, a riverbank-dwelling rodent who is more than a metre long!