Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs are a type of rodent that originated in the Andes Mountains in South America, in the area now known as Peru and Bolivia. They are medium-sized, tail-less, and most commonly are either eaten or taken as pets. They were introduced to Europe in the late 1500's and early 1600's where they because pets for the aristocracy and eventually everybody else.

They measure about 8-10 inches long and weigh about 1-2 pounds as adults. How old they can get depends on who you ask, some people say 5-6 years and others say 5-8. Guinea pigs can come in a huge variety of colours and all lengths of hair, from really short to looking like someone put a wig on them. They tend to be more active during dawn and dusk when predators would have a hard time spotting them, but they don't follow very much of a sleep schedule. They are relatively intelligent and can remember some complex paths for months. They can jump over some small obstacles, but they aren't very agile and are very poor climbers.

Guinea pigs make amazing pets. They are very social animals, they are fairly easy to care for, after initial expenses they don't cost much to maintain, and they are very loving. Guinea pigs are generally extremely docile and as long as they aren't mistreated, won't bite or scratch anybody, including children. Unlike many other rodents, they are very interactive and can actually get depressed if they aren't given enough attention.