Guinea Pigs

Guinea pig scientific name

Cavia porcellus

Term for female guinea pigs

Sow

Term for male guinea pigs

Boar

Term for baby/young guinea pigs

Pup or piglet

Cavy

Another name for guinea pigs

Where do guinea pigs originate from?

South American Andes

What does Porcellus mean?

Little pig

Special anatomy of guinea pigs

Large cecum/hindgut fermenters, Aradicular hypsodont (incisors, premolars, molars grow continuously), large perianal sebaceous glands for scent marking (requires bore cleaning)

What breed is this?

Hint: Short hair, common in research

English/American

What breed is this?

Peruvian maybe Silkie?

What breed is this?

Baldwin, Skinny, Hairless or Nude guinea pig

What breed is this?

Hint: short coat and single white rosette well centered on the forehead

White crested

What breed is this?

Hint: long coat, flowing from the front to the back. Single rosette well centered upon the forehead

Coronet

What breed is this?

Hint: rough hair coat, rosettes or whorls

Abyssinian

What breed is this?

Hint: kinky hair, requires a lot of grooming

Texel

What breed is this?

Hint: Short fuzzy hair

Teddy

TPR and weights (don’t really need to memorize but here is the info)

Temp: 99°-103.1° F

HR: 240-310 bpm

Resp: 7-130 rpm

Adult male: 900-1200g

Adult female: 700-900g

How can guinea pigs be sexed or not sexed??

Cannot sex by anogenital distance. Penis can be felt and protruded manually

At what age should guinea pigs be bred before and why?

7 months, because pubic symphysis ossifies

Guinea pig babies are……..

Precocial

What kind of estrus cycle do guinea pigs have?

Seasonally polyestrous, having multiple estrous cycles during breeding season

What does a herd of guinea pigs consist of?

A harem, only one fertile dominant male and 3-6 females, females will nurse each other’s young

Guinea pigs have what kind of hearing and eyesight?

Highly developed hearing and poor eyesight

Guinea pig behavior

Social-responds to human companionship and can recognize their owner

Vocal sounds of guinea pigs

Large range of vocal sounds: Chirping, whistles, and chuckles

Guinea pigs will freeze up if….

scared alone, run if in group

What is drilling and why do guinea pigs do it?

Low almost guttural sound and rapid d-r-r-r-r-r produced by teeth, not a purr. They are warning of danger or boars will do it to pursue females

Guinea pigs are what?

Coprophagic

Guinea pig diet

Herbivores. Timothy or other hay high in fiber 80%, pellets-guinea pig specific, Vitamin C supplement (cannot synthesize)-peppers or commercial supplements, fresh greens and veggies (stay away from sugars)

Cage parameters for guinea pigs

Have a cage cover to protect form outside, need a hide box (in middle of cage), need stretching room, no wire cage bottom (pododermatitis)

Bedding parameters

No aromatic bedding, fleece preferred, paper bedding, or aspen shavings (not scented)

Can guinea pigs jump????????

No, they got the short legs

Why must we check their water bottles frequently?

They can clog the sipper tubes because they will drink with their mouth full

What kind of eaters are guinea pigs? (messy? clean?)

Messy, wastes large amounts of food and will urinate and defecate in their food bowls

What is the correct way to handle a guinea pig?

Support hind end & can also hold back feet with bottom hand, can burrito wrap

When do you inject guinea pigs IP?

Sometimes used for fluids

Where to draw blood on guinea pigs?

Jugular (very lateral)-large volumes

Cephalic, Lateral Saphenous- small volumes

Where to inject for IM?

Epaxial muscles or quadriceps

Where to inject SQ?

Scruff of neck (be aware of brown fat

Why would we need a larger needle for guinea pigs?

They got thick skin

Guinea pigs are easily stressed, what happens when they do get stressed?

Hyporexia/anorexia