{"topic_id":"exotic_pet_profile_guinea_pig","category":"exotic-pet-profile","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_pet_profile_guinea_pig\ncategory: exotic-pet-profile\ntitle: \"Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.org, University of Michigan) — species account Cavia porcellus\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/guinea_pig.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-07-28\ntokens_estimated: 0\nverified: true\nverification: c1_substring\nsource_document: \"Animal Diversity Web species account (Cavia porcellus)\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Animal Diversity Web (animaldiversity.org, University of Michigan)\"\n  title: \"Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\"\n  url: \"https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cavia_porcellus/\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-07-28\"\n  ref: \"ADW species account Cavia porcellus\"\n  doc_type: \"expert species account (.edu, compiled from primary literature)\"\n  needs_review: false\n---\n\n# Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)\nAuthoritative first-hand species account (Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan). All bullet facts are verbatim from the cited source and C1-substring verified.\n## Natural History & Origin\n- Guinea pigs no longer exist in their wild, native, grassland habitat.\n- For example, they can live in a broad range of elevations, from sea\n- hot or cold, guinea pigs can tolerate a large range of temperatures, from 22˚C in\n## Habitat\n- Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that\n- Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical\n- and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.\n## Size\n- Guinea pigs, also known as cavies, no longer exist in the wild.\n- Guinea pigs are tailless rodents that weigh between 700 g and 1100 g, with males being\n- from 20.3 cm to 25.4 cm in length.\n## Lifespan\n- from a now extinct wild species that lived in northern and western South America.\n- Guinea pigs can live up to 14 years in captivity, but have an average lifespan of\n- Reproductively active guinea pigs generally have shorter lifespans of about\n## Behavior & Social Structure\n- Guinea pigs are gregarious and prefer close contact with other conspecifics.\n- are active during dusk and dawn (crepuscular) and when not sleeping, spend a majority\n- pigs establish social hierarchies in which a single alpha male dominates subordinate\n## Reproduction\n- As a result of selective breeding, 20 different phenotypes\n- Male guinea pigs reach sexual maturity at 56 to 70 days old and females reach sexual\n- Female estrus occurs 3 to 4 times per year and lasts approximately\n## Diet\n- Guinea pigs are strict herbivores and depend on humans for food.\n- consumption by domesticated mammalian herbivores such as guinea pigs.\n- animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently\n","sources":["exotic-pet-profile — Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics) (retrieved 2026-07-28)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-profile","title":"Guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) — species profile (taxonomy, origin, lifespan, husbandry basics)","url":"https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cavia_porcellus/","retrieved":"2026-07-28","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Animal Diversity Web species account (Cavia porcellus)","verification_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/guinea_pig.txt"},"source_document":"Animal Diversity Web species account (Cavia porcellus)","source_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-profile-2026/guinea_pig.txt","tokens_estimated":540,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}