What are the differences between guinea pigs and hamsters?

  • Guinea pigs come from grassy areas of Peru, hamsters from desert areas in Syria.
  • Guinea pigs are awake on and off throughout the 24 hours, hamsters are nocturnal.
  • Guinea pigs can be kept outside in wooden hutches, hamsters have to be in a metal cage indoors (or they will just chew their way straight out and disappear).
  • Guinea pigs squeak and tweep, hamsters don’t make any sound that I’ve ever heard (being a small, nocturnal desert animal that squeaks might not be a survival characteristic).
  • Guinea pigs can be allowed to roam around in the garden, hamsters will be off in seconds.
  • Guinea pigs can be treated as semi-domestic, hamsters are designed to run miles in a night (and do).
  • Guinea pigs like other guinea pigs and live happily in colonies, hamsters all hate each other and have to live on their own.
  • Guinea pigs have babies that have fur, eyes that are open, and the ability to eat normal guinea pig food within a day or so – just miniature versions of grown-up guinea pigs. Hamster babies are tiny, pink, need to live on their mother’s milk, and are pretty helpless.
  • Guinea pigs are bigger, hamsters are smaller.
  • Guinea pigs don’t hibernate, hamsters do.

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