๐ฆ Animal world ๐ Mammals
The guinea pig
๐ In short
The guinea pig is a sweet little animal that isn't a pig and doesn't come from Guinea! It's a small rodent from South America, like a big hamster with no tail. Many children keep one at home because it's calm and likes being held.
๐คฉ Did you know?
- A female guinea pig carries her babies for about 70 days.
- Baby guinea pigs are born with full fur and open eyes, and walk right away.
- A guinea pig lives about 5 to 7 years.
- Guinea pigs sometimes jump in the air for joy!
๐ Find out more
๐ A funny voice
A guinea pig makes lots of sounds: it squeaks loudly when it sees its owner or hears the vegetable bag, and purrs when it's comfortable.
๐ It loves vegetables
Guinea pigs eat hay, vegetables and fruit. Like you, they need vitamin C from their food every day, because their bodies don't make it.
๐ก Teeth that keep growing
A guinea pig's teeth grow all its life, so it needs to chew lots of hay and twigs to keep them short and healthy.
๐ฏ It likes company
Guinea pigs are sociable and like to live with another guinea pig; they feel lonely on their own.
๐ธ More pictures
๐งฉ Test yourself
1 Where did guinea pigs first come from?
2 Which vitamin does a guinea pig need from its food every day?
3 A female guinea pig carries her babies for about ?? days.
4 Which picture shows โThe guinea pigโ?
๐ฆ Discover more
๐ท Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons ยท CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mike Russell ยท CC BY 3.0
- Jennifer Dickert from Dover, NH, USA ยท CC BY 2.5
- Alex Lozupone ยท CC BY-SA 4.0
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