Guinea Pig Lifespan In The Wild
Wild guinea pigs can be a bit more aggressive than their tamed counterparts but overall they are passive rodents who gather in large groups.
Guinea pig lifespan in the wild. Hairless guineas are at risks most of the time. The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig cavia porcellus also known as cavy or domestic cavy ˈ k eɪ v i is a species of rodent belonging to the family caviidae and the genus cavia. And that s just naming a few. It s more on their vulnerability.
Depends on the proper care a guinea pig s lifespan is between five and eight years. How long do guinea pigs live in the wild. The actual precise number of the guinea pig lifespan is not known because the pet owner has their own assumption numbers. Although the young can scamper about and eat solid food the day they are born they are not fully weaned for about three weeks.
These wild guinea pig relatives are quite common. Although the guinea pigs that we all know today no longer exist in south america they have cousins out there who still live in the wild. When they do sleep it is more like power naps of 10 minutes or less at a time. Well the lifespan of a guinea pig doesn t necessarily depend on their kind.
Despite their common name guinea pigs are not native to guinea nor are they closely biologically related to pigs and the origin of the name is still unclear. This is much longer than most other small pets including other rodents such as mice 1 3 years gerbils 2 4 years and hamsters 2 3 years. While your guinea pig could easily be around for five years or more mice and hamsters live just a couple of years. With their small sizes guinea pigs are easy prey for other animals.
The average guinea pig life span is around 4 6 years although some can live as long as 8 years. Predators like wolves snakes hawks owls coyotes easy prey on them cutting the guinea pigs lifespan short. On the recent report investigation typical guinea pigs can survive for a maximum of 6 8 years. When in their natural environment guinea pigs lifespan can last up to 4 years while some don t even live that long.
How long do guinea pigs live as pets. The longer life span means more responsibility and a longer commitment especially if you want your guinea pig to live a healthy happy life. They originated in the andes of south america. The domestication of guinea pigs started in south africa wherein they were used by tribes as a food source.
How long do guinea pigs live in the wild. This is due to the fact that they are vulnerable to the continuous changes in the temperature. Females bear up to 13 young per litter 4 is average. On the other hand guinea pig life span as a pet may be a completely different story.
Guinea pigs have longer life spans than many other pet rodents. Guinea pigs average a about 4. Since guinea pigs are skittish creatures of prey they are constantly on alert for predators so they do not sleep very much. The more they are vulnerable the more chance for them to die since they are not given proper care and attention they need.
However guinea pig life span in the wild is typically much shorter than those in captivity ranging from one to four years.