Chapter Nineteen

Guinea Pigs

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(Images) Guinea Pigs

Guinea Pigs

Cavia porcellus or “cavies”

Extremely docile animals & rarely bite

Originated in Andes Mountains of South America

Related to chinchilla & porcupine

Used in nutrition (vitamin C), immune system function, infectious disease (TB) studies

Dunkin-Hartley outbred stock; albino

2 inbred strains available: Strain 2 and Strain 13

Handling & Restraint

Easy to restrain Place 1 hand over shoulder area, w/ thumb &

forefingers directly behind front legs.

Place other palm under hindquarters to support weight.

For greater control, with fingers supporting rump, grasp

and restrain hind legs.

Physiological Data

 Body temp: 37°-39.5°C (98.6°-103.1°F)  Heart rate: 230-320 per min  Respiratory rate: 42-104 per min  Weight: adult 500-800 gm, newborn 70-90 gm  Water: 50-80ml / day, or 10 ml / 100 gm body

weight// day  Food: 30-48 grams / day, or 6 gm / 100 gm body

weight /day  Feces: firm, dark pellet  Urine: yellow and slightly cloudy  Life span: 4-6 years

Sexing & Breeding

Penis felt under skin in inguinal area & protruded by manual pressure

Male = boar Female = sow Special breeding considerations:

Bred at a weight of < 550 - 600 gms.Usually ~ 12 wks. oldFemale bred older than 7 mo. may have dystocia Maintain pregnant sow on nutritious diet.

Keep a consistent roughage flow through intestines.

Estrous cycle varies w/ strain.avg. 16 days; estrus lasts 6 - 11 hrs.

Has postpartum estrus.

Sexing & Breeding II

Gestation varies by litter size & strain. Long gestation compared w/ other lab species.

avg. 63 days; range of 59 - 72 days litter size 1 - 6, normally 2 - 4 Cannibalism of young is not serious problem.

Babies born precocious - fully furred, eyes open & they able to eat solid food.still nurse until wean at 14 days (150-200 g).

Sexual maturity: 60-90 days Estrous cycle: 16-18 days Gestation: 60-65 days

Behavior

Cannot climb or jump well. Louder vocalize volume than most rodents. Loud squeal if in pain or distress. Chorus of whistles w/ familiar feeding sounds. Approach slowly to avoid startle & injury. Waste large amounts of food. Sit in feeder, urinate & defecate in it.

Blow partially chewed food into water sipper tubes.Need to clean tubes & replace water more often.

Barbering common when housed together.Dominant animal will chew subordinates hair, leaving

bare patches; can be confused with a skin problem.

Husbandry

Group housed in contact bedding. Suspended cage systems also used. Cages do not normally require lids. Large volume of urine and feces. Sanitation several times per week, depending on

density.

Diet

Need diet rich in vitamin C.only use if milling date is less than 90 days

Microencapsulated ascorbic acidnew form of vitamin C used by food manufacturersshelf life is extended to 180 days

Vitamin C deficient diet = scurvy, fatal if not treated

Commercial guinea pig & rabbit diets look similar.

Additional Reading

Anderson, R.S. and A.T.B. Edney. Practical Animal Handling. Pergamon

Press, Oxford, UK. 1991.

Fox, J.G., B.J. Cohen, and F.M. Loew, (eds.) Laboratory Animal Medicine.

Academic Press, Orlando, FL. 1984.

Harkness, J.E. and J.E. Wagner. The Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and

Rodents. Williams and Wilkins. 1995.

Hrapkiewicz, Karen, Leticia Medina, and Donald D. Holmes. Clinical

Laboratory Animal Medicine: An Introduction, 2nd Ed. Iowa State University

Press, Ames, IA. 1997.

Laber-Laird, K., M.M. Swindle, P. Flecknell, Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit

Medicine. Pergamon Press, Oxford, UK. 1996.

Terril, Lizabeth A., and Donna Clemens. The Laboratory Guinea Pig. CRC

Press, Boca Raton, FL. 1998.

Wagner, J.E. and P.J. Manning, (eds.) The Biology of the Guinea Pig.

Academic Press, Orlando, FL. 1976.