01 The cute little guinea pig "Guinea pig"

The scientific name of the guinea pig is guinea pig, also known as guinea pig, sunflower rat, Guinea pig and sea pig. It is a tailless rodent. Their ancestors came from the Andes Mountains of South America. After a long time, guinea pigs have become popular Internet celebrity pets

Most guinea pigs are gentle and easy to love. They have compact, stubby bodies, large heads and short necks, small petal-shaped ears, and small triangular mouths. Guinea pigs have short limbs and are very round and cute.

02 Habits and Characteristics of "Guinea Pig"

Living Habits

As a member of the guinea pig family, the living habits of guinea pigs are similar to those of mice. They are good at digging holes and like to live in groups. Because their vision is particularly sensitive, they mostly sleep during the day and move at night.

Dietary characteristics

Guinea pigs are vegetarians and mainly feed on grass, plant roots and fruits. They like to eat green peppers, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and other fresh fruits and vegetables. They are small, usually weighing between 700 and 1,200 grams (less than three pounds) and measuring between 20 and 25 centimeters in length.

Average lifespan

The average lifespan of guinea pigs is generally about 8 years. They can live longer if they are carefully raised, so you need to be mentally prepared to raise this little guy. oh!

03 The origin of the name "Guinea Pig"

Since Q is a "rat", why is it called a "pig"?

A Actually, this is because the Dutch initially promoted guinea pigs in Japan as noble pets that must be kept by the upper class, but the Japanese thought keeping mice was too silly and unacceptable. So the Dutch had an idea and changed their name to the guinea pig, saying that it was a special kind of pig from the Netherlands with delicious meat. Later, guinea pigs became a Japanese food, and the name guinea pigs also spread.