Guinea Pigs Animals Experiments Eslpod Popular Experimentation Easy

Scientists began "conducting" (carrying out; implementing) experiments on guinea pigs in the 1600s, and they continued to be popular "laboratory" (place where experiments are done) animals until the late 1900s. Some guinea pigs are still used for experimentation, but their use is "declining" (decreasing). Today, mice and rats are more common animals for experimentation.

Guinea pigs are a popular choice as laboratory animals because they are "docile" (tame; calm), they don't mind being "handled" (held by humans), they are easy to feed, and easy to care for. They also "reproduce" (have babies) quickly.

Guinea pigs have been used to study "anatomical structure" (the structure of bodies), to understand how "calories" (units of energy from food and fat) are used to produce heat, and to understand the "spread" (transmission) of "infectious diseases" (illnesses that are passed among people). They have also been sent into outer space several times on experimental "spacecrafts" (vehicles that fly into space). Guinea pigs have been particularly useful in studying "scurvy" (a disease produced by a lack of Vitamin C), because they cannot make Vitamin C on their own, but instead must get it from food, like humans.

However, there is always "controversy" (disagreement) over the use of animals in scientific experimentation. This is particularly true for "cuddly" (cute and fuzzy) animals like guinea pigs, which some people "keep" (take care of) as "pets" (animals that are kept for fun, not for food). Some people are "appalled" (shocked and horrified) by the use of guinea pigs in laboratories, and some organizations fight against experimentation on animals, including guinea pigs.