COMMON NAME:  Guinea Pig, Cavy
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cavia porcellus
DIET:  Their diet in a natural habitat is grasses and other vegetation. As pets, Guinea Pigs eat pellets, many types of vegetables and Timothy grass which is a type of hay.
YOUNG:  In nature, Guinea Pigs live in small groups of several females and a single male. The babies are born in litters of 2 to 4 pups.
HABITAT:  Guinea Pigs live naturally in the Andean area of South America. As pets they live everywhere.
FACTS:

• Guinea Pigs were domesticated in the Andes of South America 7,000 years ago where they were raised for food and used in folklore rituals.
• They are a type of rodent and in spite of their name, not related to pigs at all.
• Unlike many other rodents they do not store food or dig burrows.
• Guinea Pigs make a popular pet because they are fairly easy to take care of and handle.