Guinea pig (scientific name: Cavia porcellus) is also known as guinea pig. guinea pigs are tailless rodents with compact, stubby bodies, large heads, and short necks. They have small petal-shaped ears that flank the top of the head and small triangular mouths. Short limbs, as a result of selective breeding, there are 20 different phenotypes of hair color, and 13 different phenotypes of hair texture and length.
Temperate terrestrial nocturnal animal, feeding on leaves, roots and tubers, fruits, flowers. Social and gregarious. The average captive lifespan is 8 years. Breeding guinea pigs usually have a short lifespan, about 3 to 5 years.
Cage bedding
The breeding box should establish a clean and hygienic system. Generally, the bedding should be changed twice a week, the tableware should be washed once a week, and the room should be disinfected regularly.
Environmental requirements
Guinea pigs have good hearing, are timid and easily frightened, so the environment should be kept quiet, the noise should be below 50 decibels, and the optimum temperature should be 20-24 °C. Control requirements range 18 ~ 26 ℃. When the temperature exceeds 30°C, the guinea pig loses weight, miscarriage, stillbirth, and high mortality. When the temperature is lower than 15°C, the reproductive rate, growth and development rate decrease, and the incidence of disease increases. Humidity should be maintained between 40% and 60%. Too high or too low temperature will cause guinea pigs to decrease their resistance and be susceptible to disease. The ammonia concentration is below 20mg/L, and the air velocity is 10-25 cm/s. The level of ammonia concentration is closely related to the incidence of pneumonia in guinea pigs. Guinea pigs need a certain area of activity, and a larger area of activity is required during lactation. Generally, a guinea pig with a weight of 300 grams needs about 300 square centimeters of activity area, and an 800-gram guinea pig needs 1,000 square centimeters.
feed water
To keep the inside of the enclosure dry, a ball drinker is recommended. Avoid choosing plastic or other materials that can be eaten by the guinea pig’s food bowl. It should be made of ceramic or stainless steel, which has a certain weight and is not easy to be knocked over. Feed once in the morning and once in the evening. Guinea pigs are nocturnal animals and should be fed more at night.
Note: Do not feed guinea pigs onions, shallots, garlic, leeks, ginger, chocolate, coffee. Guinea pigs have a relatively large demand for cellulose, and should be fully paid attention to in the feed. The proportion of crude fiber in the feed is low, which can easily cause serious hair loss and mutual eating in guinea pigs. Guinea pigs cannot synthesize vitamin C by themselves and must obtain it from the feed. Guinea pigs weighing 100 grams need 4 to 5 mg of vitamin C per day, and pregnant or lactating guinea pigs need 30 to 40 mg. The supply of vitamin C mainly depends on daily feeding of fresh and juicy green vegetables, which can be replaced by carrots and malt in winter in the north. Adding vitamin C to drinking water or adding trace elements, vitamins, essential amino acids, etc. to the drinking water to replace the green feed, the effect is also better.
Standardize farming
On September 30, 2020, the State Forestry and Grassland Administration issued the “Notice on Regulating the Scope of the Classification and Management of Wild Animals for Fasting” on its official website. For 19 species of wild animals such as guinea pigs, the “Notice” stipulates that breeding activities for the purpose of eating are prohibited. However, farming for non-edible purposes such as medicinal, display, and scientific research is allowed. In addition, the “Notice” also requires that the forestry and grass authorities for these 19 species of wild animals should work with relevant departments to formulate management measures and breeding technical specifications, strengthen policy guidance and services, strengthen daily supervision and management, and strictly implement relevant requirements for epidemic prevention and quarantine.
