### animal | vertebrate | mammal | ungulate | pig:

Guinea pig
* CAN live outside.
* Guinea Pigs communicate vocally indicating their likes and dislikes.
* appreciate small fruit treats, such as blueberries or apples, a few times a week.
* are a mix of colors
  - active mostly at night when they feed on plants
* are also cute and quiet
  - highly trainable animals
  - social and are happier when another guinea pig is around
  - susceptible to both abdominal, intestinal, and chest tumors
  - cavies
  - cute, lovable, social animals native to South Africa
  - easy to care for and, if handled frequently and gently, make great family pets
  - endemic to the Andes mountain range of South America
  - famous for playing with , spitting in and draining their water bottles
  - furry South American rodents very popular as pets
  - gentle by nature, clean and easy to care for
* are good pets for younger children who want to handle the pet a lot
  - gregarious and prefer close contact with other conspecifics
  - herbivores, grazing animals
  - kept as family pets and bred for showing
* are known to be more sensitive to spider venom than people are
  - waste food when they play with it
  - low maintenance, low cost pets
  - mammals
  - messy housekeepers
  - most active at dawn and dusk, but they are active throughout the day
  - native to the Andes
  - natural herbivores and graze on grass and seeds most of the day
  - originally from Peru, South America
  - pregnant less than three months
* are prone to abscesses under their chins, too, where their lymph nodes are
  - stress-related problems if their environment is too frenetic
  - vitamin deficiencies, mange mites and allergic dermatitis
  - quadrupedal
  - really prone to illness, dieases, etc
  - relatively weak and can die in a very short period
  - remarkably fast breeding
  - rodents just like mice and hamsters, so they have only four long teeth
  - small animals that can get sick very quickly if left untreated
  - small, gentle, social creatures and can be great pets
  - sociable animals and tend to live in groups
* are social animals and do better in pairs
  - animals, so it is best if they live in pairs
  - somewhat larger and tend to enjoy handling their owners
* are strict herbivores and cecal fermenters, as are rabbits and horses
  - herbivores, social and most active at twilight or before sunrise
  - the preferred species used in the skin sensitization test
  - timid creatures and like something to hide in
  - useful models in studies of allergy and specific parasitic diseases
  - very docile and easy to keep pets
* are very sensitive to certain antibiotics
  - the effects of many antibiotics
  - susceptible to colds, which can be deadly
* can also accidentally injure their young when giving birth
  - be quite vocal, making a variety of noises
  - undergo health-related issues with the aging including arthritis
  - be a great stress reliever
  - catch respiratory infections from rabbits, cats, dogs, and other species
  - choke
* can get hot very quickly
  - various tumors but skin tumors and mammary tumors are the most common
* can have an upset tummy and diarrhoea, if they eat fresh food that is too cold
  - either short or long hair
  - literally die of dehydration before they learn how to use a new water source
  - live in hutches just like rabbits
  - recognize all the colors of the spectrum
* can suffer from a number of health conditions
  - very acutely from itchy skin
  - very easily get their feet caught in the wire mesh, and break their limbs
* come in a variety of colors and can have from one color to five or more
  - many colors and patterns
* communicate with both sound and body language.
* die at half the dose necessary to kill rats or rabbits, for instance.
* drool whenever there problem with chewing or swallowing.
* eat hay, corn, oats, barley, wheat, green vegetables, and rabbit pellets
  - plants, grasses, and fruits
  - their own droppings for beneficial vitamins
* establish strong dietary preferences early in life.
* exhibit a different type of implantation, with similarities to the human.
* give birth to, on average, two to three young per litter.
* have a poor sense of sight, but well-developed senses of hearing and smell
  - sensitive digestive system which is easily upset
  - very sensitive digestive system
  - either white or black coats
  - good eye sight
  - keen hearing, sense of smell, and eyesight
  - many adaptations
  - no vocal chords
  - poor sight, but well-developed senses of hearing, smell , and touch
  - quite an extensive array of sounds and actions to display their emotions
  - relatively long gestation periods and the young are well developed at birth
  - several unique biological characteristics
  - tiny ears and no tails
  - to be vaccinated and afterwards challenged with fully virulent cultures
* inhabit a variety of terrains ranging from mountains to grasslands.
* is also slang for a person who is the first to try something.
* like to be held in hand
  - hide in cardboard boxes or tubes
* live wild in areas of South America.
* look like larger version of hampsters and gerbils.
* love fresh grass and warm sun
  - their Guinea pig Igloos so much so that they oftentimes move things inside
  - to be pet and talked to
* make great pets
  - wonderful pets for adults
* occupy open grasslands, forest margins, swamps, and rocky areas.
* require Vitamin C in their diet
  - grass hay
  - grooming once or twice a week
  - vitamin C in their diets daily
* sleep a lot.
* sounds can range from chirpings, rumblings, purring to squealing.
* spend most of their time grooming themselves.
* suffering fungal skin infestation have different symptoms altogether.
* tend to contaminate and clog their water bottles
  - urinate in one corner of their cage
* thrive in a dry, cool environment with adequate ventilation.
* tolerate cold better than hot temperatures.
* use flight to avoid predators, Guinea pigs are small and live down in the grasses.
+ Guinea pig, Housing and Breeding guinea pigs: rodents :: pets :: Domesticated animals
  * Guinea pigs need large open air cages in which to romp and frolic. They should also have unlimited grass hay, and at least one cup of a variety of veggies. Guinea pigs like to be held in hand
  - Other uses of the word
  * Guinea pig is also slang for a person who is the first to try something. It can also mean the subject of an experiment. This is because guinea pigs are used by scientists to do biology experiments