One of our MH parents, Dil Kruketi, whose son will graduate next month, visited us today for a special “show and tell”.

She brought her two domestic guinea pigs, and our students were super excited. Most of them were surprised to see that guinea pigs look NOTHING like pigs! Dil explained that some of the sounds they emit are very similar to those made by pigs. But no, the guinea pig is actually a species of rodent and nope, they do not come from Guinea nor do they exist naturally in the wild.  Wow! So many things!

Here’s more: not only are guinea pigs herbivores, but they must also supplement their diet by coprophagy, the eating of their own feces. Imagine the faces of our students 🙂 This doesn’t mean they eat all of their feces, though! They only reingest the soft ones they produce (cecotropes) for added nutrients such B vitamins, fiber, and bacteria required for proper digestion.

Our students had the chance to hold them, pet them and feed them! And our guests were so so so so patient!