Mammals · Rodentia · Caviidae

Guinea Pig

Cavia porcellus

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

Unlike most rodents it is born extraordinarily well developed, with a full set of teeth and its eyes open, thanks to an unusually long gestation. It was domesticated in the Andes thousands of years ago.

Weight

700 g – 1.2 kg

Size

20 cm – 25 cm

Lifespan

6 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Irregular activity

Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

GrasslandHerbivore Variable activity Colonial Grassland Mammal

5countries3same family

Fun facts

It is born with a full set of teeth, its eyes open and able to walk almost at once.
It was domesticated in the Andes thousands of years ago.
It is wholly domestic: there is no wild population of Cavia porcellus.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Wholly domesticated, with no wild population; its wild relative (Cavia aperea) lives on South American grassland
Birth weight: Exact weight not found as a precise figure
Size at birth: Extremely precocial: born with its eyes open, fully furred, and able to move and eat solid food almost at once
Sexual maturity: Male: 56-70 days | Female: 60-67 days
Gestation / incubation: 59-72 days (~2 months), among the longest gestations of any rodent
Litter / clutch size: 1 to 6 young per litter (most commonly 2-4)
Lifespan in captivity: 3-8 years on average (a documented record of up to 12)