How did the Guinea pig get its name?

Well, there are several possibilities, nobody knows the exact truth. Some say that the animals were named after their selling price, because sailors at the time would sell them for one Guinea, a British coin. This theory has proven untrue, because they were named before the coins existed. read more

The guinea pig (or “cavy”), a small rodent of the genus Cavia, originated in South America but is now found in cages – and on laps – throughout the world. So it isn’t from Guinea (which is the name of both a country and a region in western Africa), and it isn’t a pig. read more

The Guinea Pigs real name is CAVY, or "Cavia porcellus" (porcellus is latin for pig). The best I can find on the subject (without discussing this with my daughter's "pig" Toffee) is that the name GUINEA is a corrupted form of GUIANA, which is in South America. read more