Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs – also called cavy – are rodents originally from the Andes. Guinea pigs play an important role in the folk culture of South American, as a food source as well as in medicine and religious ceremonies. In this country, guinea pigs are a common pet due to their small size, friendly nature and the fact that they are easily tamed.

Guinea pigs are very sociable, friendly rodents that happily live in pairs, or large family groups. They come in a variety of colours with different types and lengths of coats. They are very good first pets and we would always recommend a guinea pig over a rabbit, as a pet for children.

Guinea pigs live for 5-6 years, though some have been known to live up to 10. They are easy to care for, however as any pet, guinea pigs need to be handled from a young age to be socialised correctly. In the wild guinea pigs life in family groups of 10 or more individuals, so a guinea pig should never be kept on its own! They shouldn’t be kept shut up in a hutch. They need a lot of space to run around as they are active for up to 20 hours a day, with several short periods of sleep.

It is important to raise guinea pigs on a suitable diet, as they lack enzymes to synthesize vitamin C and can only store it for a short time, so need a diet that will regularly supply them with fresh vitamin C.

Photo taken by Ryan MacGillivray

Did you know that you can support the farm by adopting our animals? Why not adopt the guinea pigs?

Check out the guinea pig products in our shop!