Hi, Im Gerty Guinea Pig and Im proud of it! Dont be fooled by my size and soft fur, we guinea pigs make really exciting pets energetic, full of fun and talkative too!

Were also known as cavies a name that comes from our origins in South America where some of my cousins still live in abandoned burrows. I like company and, although yours is nice, Id prefer to have another guinea pig living with me. We will want a really large cage so we have plenty of room to run around. We can live indoors or out though inside is best in extremely cold, hot or wet weather.

If you are going to have two or more of us, then we girls will live quite happily together in any number. But if you want a male, either keep him with one of his littermates (boys prefer living in pairs), or pair him with a female - but only if you want piglets!

Please dont put us in with rabbits, because they are dominant and would probably try to bully us.

Dont worry, Gerty, well explain in more detail about your likes and dislikes and help people choose the right sort of guinea pig. There are lots of you smooth haired, long haired, curly haired, all different colors and textures. Theres so much to learn about you, so lets get started.