1. Guinea pigs have four toes on their front paws, but only three on their hind paws, making 14 toes in total. Some guinea pigs may be born with additional toes, which is known as 'polydactyly'. 

2. Unlike many young mammals, baby guinea pigs are actually born with teeth and can eat solid foods almost immediately after birth. 

3. When guinea pigs are happy they are known to jump in the air, twist their body up to 90 degrees and kick their legs out to the side - this is known as 'popcorning' (like corn kernels bouncing around in a hot pan). 

4. In 2013 a handmade miniature suit of chain mail armour designed for a guinea pig was auctioned on EBAY with a winning bid of $24,300 after significant media attention. Unfortunately the buyer never paid up and the armour was re-auctioned, where it sold for $2000, which was donated to Metropolitan Guinea pig Rescue. 

5. Guinea pigs have 20 teeth in total, and their teeth never stop growing! This is one of the reasons why guinea pigs require high fibre diets such as long grassy hay to help keep their teeth worn down. 

6. Guinea pigs are not related to pigs at all. They are part of the 'Caviidae' family, which is made up of rodents. The scientific name for guinea pigs is 'Cavia porcellus', which means 'little pig' in latin. 

7. Guinea pigs have more bones in their body than humans! Guinea pigs have a total of 258 bones, whereas humans only have 206 bones. 

8. The closest relative to the guinea pig is the Capybara! 

Image: Britannica  

9. Guinea pigs are fast learners, and even have the ability to learn different tricks! 

10. The oldest guinea pig on record lived over 14 years and 10mths old.