---
title: "What the sources say about the Guinea Pig | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "50 claims from the Guinea Pig profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/guinea-pig/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Guinea Pig (*Cavia porcellus*)

> 50 claims from the Guinea Pig profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Guinea Pig](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/guinea-pig/)

## Guinea Pig. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/guinea-pig

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| It is a stout little rodent | Guinea pigs, also called cavies, are stout little rodents |
| One theory is that a guinea was the price of one in 16th century England. Another is that the name could reflect their squealing, and a third is that their meat is similar in taste to suckling pig | Theories include that one guinea was the cost of one in 16th century England; the name could reflect on the squealing sound the rodents make; or that their meat is similar in taste to suckling pig. |
| San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says pups are born with fur and their eyes open | Guinea pig pups are born with fur and their eyes open. (note: Fun Facts on the Cavia porcellus page) |

## Guinea pig. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/guinea-pig

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A tailless rodent | Guinea pigs have no tails. (note: tagline; order Rodentia per the same page) |
| six main calls | Guinea pigs produce six main vocalizations: chutts, squeaks, whines, whistles, purrs and chirps. (note: tagline) |
| Domestic: kept worldwide as pets and for meat, most likely descended from an Andean wild cavy | most likely derived from the Andean montane guinea pig (Cavia tschudii) (note: habitat) |
| kept worldwide as pets and for meat | are now globally distributed as pets and for their meat |
| Hay, leafy greens, root vegetables and compressed plant pellets | guinea pigs eat a variety of root vegetables, leafy greens, hay, and nutritionally complete pellets (note: diet) |
| compressed plant pellets | pellets that are made of compressed plant material |
| is a tailless rodent | Guinea pigs have no tails. |
| generally range from 20 to 25 centimetres long and weigh 700 to 1,100 grams | these rodents range from 8-10 inches (20-25 centimeters) long and weigh between 25 and 39 ounces (700 and 1,100 grams) |
| males tend to be larger than females | Male guinea pigs tend to be larger than females. |
| They can live up to 8 years in human care, but an average life is 4 to 5 years | Guinea pigs can live up to 8 years in human care but live an average 4-5 years. |
| Guinea pigs make chutts, squeaks, whines, whistles, purrs and chirps | Guinea pigs produce six main vocalizations: chutts, squeaks, whines, whistles, purrs and chirps. |
| Whistles and chirps convey the presence of food and are used for long-distance communication | whistles and chirps convey the presence of food and are used for long-distance communication |
| Squeals, squeaks and tweets indicate the presence of danger or injury | Squeals, squeaks and tweets indicate the presence of danger or injury. |
| A guinea pig has two defensive responses | These rodents have two defensive responses: the immobility response and the scatter response. |
| When one animal senses danger, it goes completely still until the threat has passed | The immobility response occurs when a single guinea pig perceives danger. During this response, the guinea pig becomes completely immobile until the threat has passed. |
| When a group senses a threat, the animals scatter and split up to confuse a predator | When the group perceives a threat, they scatter and split up to confuse a predator. |
| At the National Zoo they eat root vegetables, leafy greens, hay and nutritionally complete pellets | At the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, guinea pigs eat a variety of root vegetables, leafy greens, hay, and nutritionally complete pellets. |
| The domestic guinea pig does not live in the wild | The domesticated guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) does not live in the wild |
| It is most likely derived from the Andean montane guinea pig, Cavia tschudii | most likely derived from the Andean montane guinea pig (Cavia tschudii) |
| The Smithsonian's National Zoo dates its first domestication to 5,000 B.C. | Guinea pigs were first domesticated in 5,000 B.C. |
| Today it is kept around the world as a pet and for its meat | are now globally distributed as pets and for their meat |
| The Smithsonian's National Zoo says they are domesticated and not threatened or endangered | they are domesticated and are not threatened or endangered |
| Six main vocalizations | Guinea pigs produce six main vocalizations |
| a rodent with six main calls, from chutts and purrs | Guinea pigs produce six main vocalizations: chutts, squeaks, whines, whistles, purrs and chirps. (note: vibe.reason, task #976) |
| the whistles and chirps that tell others where the food is | whistles and chirps convey the presence of food and are used for long-distance communication (note: vibe.reason, task #976) |

## Cavia porcellus (Guinea pig). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cavia_porcellus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Not Evaluated | IUCN Red List Not Evaluated (note: conservationStatus; the prefetch found no Red List assessment) |
| Animal Diversity Web lists the IUCN Red List status as Not Evaluated, and says the animal is no longer found in the wild | Guinea pigs are extinct in the wild and only live in captivity. IUCN Red List Not Evaluated |
| Animal Diversity Web calls the young precocial, meaning relatively well developed when born | young precocial Close young are relatively well-developed when born (note: ADW glossary entry for 'precocial' on the same page; the Parental Investment field reads 'precocial') |
| pups can usually survive on their own without extended maternal care. Mothers still nurse them for 14 to 21 days until weaning | pups can usually survive on their own without extended maternal care. Females nurse their young for a period of 14 to 21 days until weaning. |
| the pellets fed to pet guinea pigs carry many of the vitamins and minerals, vitamin C among them, that guinea pigs require to stay healthy | Feed pellets contain compressed plant material (barley or alfalfa) and many of the vitamins and minerals (e.g., vitamin C) guinea pigs require to stay healthy. |
| guinea pigs are often used as subjects in biomedical research on scurvy | they are often used as subjects in biomedical research investigating scurvy, tuberculosis, juvenile diabetes, and pregnancy complications. |

## Elsbacher et al. (2025). Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus) Welfare: Associations Between Husbandry Practices, Human–Animal Interactions, and Animal Behaviour. Animals.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15081157

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a habit of popcorning | play behaviour, like “popcorning” (locomotor play), were common (note: tagline) |
| Popcorning: playful jumps that researchers list among the signs of good welfare | “Popcorning” (playful jumping) and engagement with toys and enrichment were strongly associated (note: superpower; the welfare-sign half is claim 13) |
| That is a playful jump that scientists file under locomotor play | “Popcorning” (playful jumping) and engagement with toys and enrichment were strongly associated |
| scientists file under locomotor play | play behaviour, like “popcorning” (locomotor play) |
| In an online survey of 1,181 German-speaking guinea pig caretakers | Through an online survey among 1181 German-speaking guinea pig caretakers |
| In the same survey, popcorning, friendly behaviour between animals and use of enrichment were more frequent when caretakers interacted positively with their animals and provided food enrichment more often | friendly behaviours exchanged among animals and popcorning and use of enrichment were more frequent when caretakers interacted positively with their animals and provided food enrichment more often |
| The study lists play like this among the signs of good welfare | Signs of good welfare, such as eating and resting peacefully next to conspecifics and play behaviour, like “popcorning” (locomotor play), were common. |
| 26.8% said they saw it at least daily | locomotor play (“popcorning”, which was observed at least daily by 26.8% of caretakers) |
| tags: rodent | prolonged chewing, which is essential for controlling the continuous growth of guinea pig teeth (note: task #976; tag def: continuously growing incisors. SDZ also: 'stout little rodents') |

## Spotorno et al. (2006). Ancient and modern steps during the domestication of guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus L.). Journal of Zoology.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00117.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| 15 adult wild cavies of C. tschudii averaged 295 grams, significantly smaller than 25 creole guinea pigs from Bolivia and Chile | The mean weight and body length of 15 adult wild cavies (295±31 g, 242±8.3 mm) were significantly smaller than 25 creole guinea pigs from Bolivia and Chile (639±157 g |
| 25 creole guinea pigs from Bolivia and Chile, which averaged 639 grams | 25 creole guinea pigs from Bolivia and Chile (639±157 g, 287±23.7 mm, respectively) |
| Two improved breeds were selected for size and meat, and one of them, Peru's Tamborada, averaged 1,241 grams | 25 improved ones from Peru (Tamborada breed, 1241±75.4 g, 317±12 mm) (note: the two improved breeds are Tamborada (Peru) and Auqui (Ecuador)) |
| Two improved breeds were selected for size and meat | producing two improved guinea pigs selected for size and meat |

## Valdez (2019). Inka sacrificial guinea pigs from Tambo Viejo, Peru. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2755

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Early Spaniards reported that the Inkas periodically slaughtered hundreds of animals, and that guinea pigs were the most common sacrificial animals | Early Spaniards reported that the Inkas periodically slaughtered hundreds of animals, guinea pigs being the most common sacrificial animals. |
| At the Inka site of Tambo Viejo in Peru, several dozen sacrificed guinea pigs were found, some adorned with colourful string earrings and necklaces | Recent research conducted at the Inka site of Tambo Viejo, in the Acari Valley of the Peruvian south coast, encountered several dozens of sacrificed guinea pigs ... some of guinea pigs had been adorned with colorful strings that were placed as earrings as well with colorful necklaces |

## Animals in Space. NASA History.

https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In 1961 the Soviet dog Chernushka was launched on Sputnik 9 with a dummy cosmonaut, some mice and a guinea pig | On March 9, 1961, another Russian dog, Chernushka (“Blackie”) was launched on Sputnik 9 or Korabl Sputnik 4. Chernushka was accompanied into space with a dummy cosmonaut, some mice, and a guinea pig. |