| Order | Rodentia (Rodents)* |
| Suborder | Caviomorpha |
| Family | Caviidae |
| Subfamily | Caviinae |
| Genus | Cavia |
| Species | Cavia aperea Cavia porcellus L. (guinea pigs) Galea Microcavia Keredon rupestris |
| Size | approx. 28 cm (11 inches) |
| Weight | up to 1.800 g (3.96 lbs) (male) up to 1.100 g (2.42 lbs) (female) |
| Body Temperature | 38,5 C (37,4 - 39,7 C) (101.3 F (99.32 - 103.46 F)) |
| Respiration Frequence | 100 - 130/Minute |
| Hart Rate | 230 - 380/Minute |
| Amount of Blood | approx. 6% of body weight (1/20) |
| opt. Temparature | 20 - 22 C (68 - 71.6 F) |
| opt. Humidity | 40-60% |
| Visual | good, colors |
| Hearing | very good, 16 - 30,000 Hz (Humans can hear up to 20,000 Hz) |
| Sense of Smell | very good |
* I know, some will complain about the fact that cavies are or are not rodents. But as of yet the 18 mammalian orders (Insectivora, Rodentia, Lagomorpha, Carnivora, Primates, etc.) did not change. I searched scientific databases and could not find any evidence that cavies are placed in their own order, however, there are suggestions to put them into an own order. This may take place in the future. I also know that there are some articles written in the New York Times or Chicago Tribune. But their are not scholarly and so far they don't count.
Literature:- Ilse Hamel, Das Meerschweinchen - Heimtier und Patient, 1. Auflage, Günter Schmidt, Meerschweinchen, Die Lehrmeister Bücherei, Philler Verlag
- Katrin Behrend und Karin Skogstad, Das Meerschweinchen, Gräfe und Unzer
- Kowiaski, Dziewitkowski, Kowiaska, and Morys, Comparative Anatomy of the Claustrum in Selected Species: A Morphometric Analysis, Brain, Behavior and Evolution 1999, 53:1:44-54
- Li, Hide, Zharkikh , Ma, and, Graur, The molecular taxonomy and evolution of the guinea pig, J Hered 1992 May-Jun 83:3 174-81