This guinea pig hug bookmark shows that guinea pigs aren’t just great pets – they’re also great reading companions for kids of all ages!

Most animal names are some indication of their identities – where they’re from (African elephant, Bengal tiger), or how they look (one-horned rhino). But there’s one animal whose name is a complete misnomer and has nothing to do with their identity – the guinea pig!

Yes, neither is the guinea pig from Guinea nor is it in any way related to pigs! In fact, guinea pigs originate from South America, and they’re actually part of the rodent family. Today, guinea pigs are the fifth most common pet in the world – seems like people love them quite a lot! If you’ve been thinking about bringing home a guinea pig, here are a few things to know.

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Things to know before getting a Guinea Pig

Cheerful Guinea Pig Hug Bookmark

Supplies required:

How to make the Guinea Pig Hug Bookmark:

Things to know before getting a Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs live for 5-7 years on average
They’re very social and prefer living with other guinea pigs
Guinea pigs need a lot of space, which means they need large cages
They need a lot of grass and hay in their diet to stay healthy
Guinea pigs groom themselves and don’t need to be bathed often

With Guinea Pig Appreciation Day coming up next month on 16th July, we think it’s a great time to adopt a guinea pig! While you’re considering that, why not make a cute little guinea pig hug bookmark – it’s super easy and you’ll love opening your book to a cheerful face!

Cheerful Guinea Pig Hug Bookmark

Supplies required:

Craft paper in assorted colors
Sharpies or markers
Scissors
Glue

How to make the Guinea Pig Hug Bookmark:

1. Download and print the guinea pig hug bookmark template. The template features parts of the guinea pig, including the face, body, ears, eye patches, paws and body stripe.

2. Trace the parts of the template on craft paper of the appropriate colors and cut them out. We’ve chosen white and brown to keep our guinea pig as realistic as possible.

3. Let’s start with a simple step – stick the inner ears inside the larger outer ears of the guinea pig hug bookmark.

4. Now attach the ears to the guinea pig’s head, applying glue on the back of the head.

5. Take the two leaf-shaped patches and stick them on either side of the guinea pig’s head, so they are close together at the top and then flare out at the bottom. These are the ‘eye patches’ of our guinea pig hug bookmark.

6. Time to make our guinea pig cute! Stick on his little pink cheeks on either side of the bottom part of his face. Next, take out your markers and draw some eyes, a nose and a mouth with some adorable protruding teeth.

7. Assemble the guinea pig’s paws by sticking the pink parts to the end of the white paws. Do the same with his feet, sticking the pink parts to the ends of his body.

8. Stick on the brown stripe to the bottom of the body of the guinea pig hug bookmark, so that it looks like the pink parts of his paws come right out of the brown stripe.

9. Time to finish assembling the body! Apply glue on the left and right edges of the guinea pig’s body.

10. Attach the guinea pig’s arms to his body, so that they point inwards. Remember – only the edges should have glue – the ends of the paws should be free.

11. All that’s left to do is to put everything together! Stick the head on the body and your guinea pig hug bookmark is complete!

12. To use the guinea pig as a bookmark, simply slide the top edge of your page between the free ends of his paws and he’ll be sure to hold on tight!

Isn’t this guinea pig hug bookmark craft one of the cutest crafts you’ve ever seen? We’re sure that this adorable little face will encourage you to pick up your book more often!

If you liked this craft, you may also like these animal hug bookmarks: