The oldest known guinea pig was 14 years 10 months old when he died in 1979. His name was Snowball, and he lived in Nottinghamshire, England.
Guinea pigs normally live four to five years on average. With proper care, the average guinea pig can live as long as eight years. Guinea pigs are social animals and do best when there are at least two in the home. They groom socially, and each group of guinea pigs has a hierarchy. They thrive when housed with other guinea pigs rather than other rodents such as hamsters to help avoid incidences of various types of diseases and aggression by the other rodents.
