History
All domesticated forms of guinea pig, also called cavies, have been developed from the wild guinea pigs (Cavia aperea) of Brazil and Peru. They were domesticated by the Incas over 500 years ago and were brought over to Europe by Spaniards.

It is thought that the term 'guinea' may be a mispronunciation of the South American country of Guyana. Alternatively, it could be that when Spaniards called at ports in Guinea on the African coast when returning from South America, and then arrived back in Spain, people thought that the animals had come from Guinea.

Guinea pigs are used as a source of food in their native regions. Folk doctors in the Andes use guinea pigs to detect illness in people. They believe that when the rodent is pressed up against a sick person, it will squeak when near the source of disease.

Life span
Guinea pigs live for 4-8 years.

Distribution and Habitat in the wild
Guinea pigs inhabit grassland and rocky regions from Peru to North Argentina.

Behaviour in the wild
Wild guinea pigs live in family groups and occupy underground burrows. They are active at dawn and dusk and feed on grass and leaves.

Guinea pigs breed in the summer. The female produces a litter of 1-4 young after a gestation period of 60-70 days. The young are well developed and look like miniature versions of their parents when they are born. They can survive on their own after 5 days.