What better way to celebrate the beginning of spring than with an adorable, furry little friend? March reminds us about these little guys in shelters across the county with National Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month.

It’s unfortunate that people often don’t think to adopt these animals from a shelter but there are thousands in shelters across the country waiting for a new home.

Guinea Pigs make excellent family pets, are good with children, and are easy to care for. Guinea pigs are very friendly and social animals. Multiple guinea pigs can even be kept together. However as always, we recommend that same sex pairs be kept together to prevent unwanted breeding. They live on average 5-8 years, so be ready you are willing to commit that much time to your pet before buying.

According to Wikipedia, Guinea pigs can learn complex paths to food, and can accurately remember a learned path for months. Their strongest problem solving strategy is motion.While guinea pigs can jump small obstacles, they are poor climbers, and are not particularly agile. They startle extremely easily, and will either freeze in place for long periods or run for cover with rapid, darting motions when they sense danger.  When excited, guinea pigs may repeatedly perform little hops in the air (known as “popcorning”), a movement analogous to the ferret’s war dance. They are also exceedingly good swimmers.

So if you are looking for a new furry companion, consider a guinea pig and be sure to check out your local animal shelter.

Learn more about Guinea Pigs: