Do you ever sit there and ask yourself a load of questions about Guinea Pigs? Well look no further, because I have gathered 100 interesting facts about our little furries and some might actually surprise you!
21. Wild Cavies live in Andes in South America
Is anyone else’s dream to go visit a Guinea Pigs natural habitat? Because mine is!
22. Peruvian culture involves keeping Guinea Pigs in the home as livestock and preparing them as a meal for special occasions.
23. Guinea Pigs are common lab testing animals. This is where the phrase ‘Be the Guinea Pig’ came from.
24. Guinea Pigs are friendly with animals, especially with Bunnies and Hamsters, but shouldn’t live together.
Sadly I have no pictures of my Guinea Pigs with other animals, simply because my other animals pay no attention what so ever to my Boys. Please enjoy some of my friends pictures I have been sent!
25. When Guinea Pigs clean themselves, a white substance come out of their eyes, which they then rub with their front paws and clean themselves.
Not many people know this fact, just like I didn’t when I first got my boys. The first time Loki cleaned himself in front of me and I saw white stuff come out of his eyes, I panicked! But was later told this is 100% normal.
26. Female Guinea pigs can get pregnant in adulthood. The cartilage around the pelvic bone (hipbones) start to stiffen with age so this may require a c-section.
27. Neutering a male Guinea pig will not change their dominance behaviour between other Guinea Pigs. The only thing it will do is stop sows getting pregnant.
So when I first got Herbie and added him to the pack, to begin with he was naughty and was always humping the others to gain dominance. I did have thoughts that maybe if I got him done he would stop, because it’s like that with other animals, like dogs. Luckily I discovered this fact and went against my decision. I also wouldn’t of liked to of put my Guinea Pig through an operation and potential risk of them not making it through unless absolutely necessary.
28. If your Guinea Pigs are struggling to get along, sometimes bathing them together helps.
My boys don’t like the bath at all, so I’m lucky I only have to do 2 of them occasionally!
29. Guinea pigs don’t normally require baths, because they can clean themselves.
Loki and Thor never need a bath, unless they get super dirty, but this is very rare. Herbie and Lumi on the other hand need regular baths. Herbie grease-gland gets too gross, so needs to be cleaned and Lumi gets very mucky when eating and he really doesn’t care if he poops and pees on himself.
30. Guinea Pigs require regular nail trimming, as they are constantly growing.
If you don’t get piggies nails clipped often then they will become overgrown and will cause them problems, such as: joint issues and bone issues. It’s just like us humans, if we don’t clip our toe nails for a very long time, we start to struggle to walk, because they’re too long to do anything with.
31. Many Fruit and Vegetables are safe for your little furries.
If you are interested in what foods Guinea Pigs can eat, I will be doing a series on it very soon, so keep your eyes peeled. I’m still shocked as some of the things they can eat.
32. So like us humans, Guinea pigs can’t create their own Vitamin C, so we need to help them a long a little, with giving them fruit, veg and pellets, which have vitamin c in them.
33. One of the best sources of Vitamin C is Red Bell Peppers (not spicy)
Personally my boys don’t like any other peppers apart from green ones, but these are still good.
34. If you give Guinea Pigs too much calcium, it can cause Urinary tract stones. This is found is dark leafy greens, including Parsley.
Due to my Guinea Pig Thor having bladder issues, things like Parsley, Kale, Spinach etc, mustn’t be given to him often, else he will become poorly.
35. Guinea Pigs will often sleep with their eyes open. This is to appear alert to any predators.
We call this death napping (I know, weird right) but what else would you call it? They
36. Guinea Pigs digest their food twice and eat their own poop the first time through.
37. Abyssinian Guinea Pigs are covered in swirly cowlicks. These are called rosettes.
Thor from @lokiandthor18 
Mulle from @mumlemuffin 
Nibbles from @OfficialPigDad 
Diva from @lespatichons 
Cecil from @LadyPigford 
Tiggy from @shirepiggies
38. When a Guinea Pig has a flat spot of fur on the top of its head, this is normally called a ‘crest’
I normally call these ‘The Crown’
Chester from @joyfulwheeks 
Herbie from @lokiandthor18 
Gordon from @adventuresofgordonandgio 
Toffee from @life_of_guinea_pigs_ 
Pumpkin from @loopyloola1
39. Baby Guinea Pigs are called pups.
Pea, Toby and Posie from @shirepiggies 
Roger from @ladypigforc 
My Lumi 
Indie from @xlivpiggiesx 
Mondonico and Sannicola From @pigspiggie
40. Despite their docile nature and supreme cuteness, guinea pigs aren’t ideal pets for small children to be the primary caretakers for as they require a lot of upkeep and gentle handling.
I hope you have enjoyed the next 20, so 40 out of 100. If you did, please keep an eye out for the next 20, which will be uploaded tomorrow.
Lokiandthor18 