Guinea Pigs Flashcards
Scientific name of Guinea Pigs
Cavia Porcellus
Guinea Pigs are native to which mountains?
Andes
3 reasons Guinea Pigs are used in research
- Tuberculosis
- Anaphylaxis
- Nutrition studies
Life span
5-7 years
Temperature
99-103.1
Respiration rate
70-130 RPM
Heart Rate
230-300 BPM
Gestation period
63-68 days
Average litter size
2-5 pups/piglets
Pups are AKA
piglets
4 varieties of guinea pigs
- Shorthair (English)
- Abyssinians
- Silky
- Peruvian
Which variety of guinea pigs has chronic bed head? What are their curls called?
Abyssinians
whirls/rosettes
When a guinea pig hears an unexpected sound, they tend to
freeze
When a guinea pig sees unexpected movements, they tend to
stampede
Guinea Pigs are active during the day, so they are considered
diurnal
To recycle vitamin B, they perform
coprophagy
Guinea pigs are afraid of new things so they are considered
neophobic
To restrain a guinea pig they should be
scooped out of the cage and scruffed around the shoulders and back while supporting their rear
Lack mammary glands
Males
Guinea pigs’ teeth do not ______ as they get older
yellow
You must breed female guinea pigs before
6 months of age
This makes up 65% of their abdomen
Cecum
How many pairs of teats do guinea pigs have?
one
2(I-1/1, C-0/0, P-1/1, M-3/3)
dental formula
They lack L-gluconolactone oxidase enyzyme, which is required to make
Vitamin C
If female guinea pigs are not bred before 6 months of age, this can occur
dystocia
These occur in Heterophils and more often in females
Kurloff bodies
Males are known as
boars
Females are known as
sows
Partuition is known as
farrowing
The estrous cycle lasts
15-17 days
Breeding age
2-3 months
Breeding is successful when a
copulatory plug is found
This stays closed at all times, except estrous
Vaginal Closure Membrane
Sows do not build ________ for young because they are born precocious
nests
Delivery of pups should take
1/2 an hour, with 5 minutes between pups
Weaning age
3 weeks
Having these in a guinea pig’s cage could cause liver failure and respiratory illness
cedar shavings
Room temperature
18-26 degrees celsius
Guinea pig food is good for how long?
90 days
You should not feed guinea pigs
rabbit food
To supplement their diets, you can give them fruits and veggies high in
vitamin C
A guinea pig’s diet should be high in
protein and fiber
Max dose for PO
20 ml/kg
Max dose for SQ
20 ml/kg
Max dose for IM
0.3 ml per site
Where should and IM injection be given?
gluteals
Max dose for IP
20 ml/kg
Max dose for IV
5 ml/kg as a bolus
20 ml/kg/day as an infusion
Not a common route of injection
IP
IV injections should be given
in the saphenous vein
When giving an injection or taking a blood draw, it is advised that a guinea pig should be
anesthetized or sedated
This type of cage separates urine and feces from bedding
Metabolic cage
Venipuncture sites
jugular and saphenous
Most accessible sites for venipuncture, but small
Lateral saphenous and cephalic
What size needle should you use for venipuncture?
25-27 gauge
Site of venipuncture used to collect larger samples
jugular
Site of venipuncture that can result in the most traumatic bleeding
Cranial Vena Cava
Site of venipuncture that is used for terminal blood draws
Cardiac
If a guinea pig accepts being captured and restrained, it is a sign of
pain/illness
C/S of this disease: color change in teeth and gums, and enlarged, painful, swollen joints
Can be treated with a daily dose of Vitamin C
Scurvy
Iatrogenic
Caused by commonly used antibiotics that kill intestinal microflora
Treated with probiotics
Antibiotic-associated enterotoxemia
You should avoid giving these 4 antibiotics
- Penicillins
- Lincomycin
- Clindamycin
- Erythromycin
4 less harmful antibiotics for guinea pigs
- Baytril
- Sulfonamides
- Chloramphenicol
- Tetracycline
Caused by Streptococcus zooepidemicus and sometimes Streptobacillus moniliformis
C/S: swollen lumps on neck
Treated with surgical lancing to drain fluid and systemic antibiotics
Cervical Lymphadenitis (Lumps)
Caused by Bordetella bronchiseptica and Streptococcus pneumoniae
Treated with fluids and antibiotics
AKA kennel cough
Bordetella
Euthanasia is recommended
Caused by S. typhiamurium and S. enteriditis
C/S is sudden death
Diagnosed by blood culture or culture of spleen
Wash hands and food before feeding
Salmonella
C/S of this include: swelling of feet, lameness, and reluctance to move
Obese guinea pigs are more prone
Caused by neglect or poor housing
Bacterial pododermatitis
Bacterial Pododermatitis is AKA
Bumblefoot
Dominant pig will chew on coats of others
Typically on rear limbs and hind quarters
Caused by overcrowding and boredom
Separation is the only treatment
Barbering
A burrowing/sarcoptic mange mite that causes pruritis, self-inflicted wounds, wild running, crusting, hair loss, and scabbing
Dx: skin scrape
Trixacarus cavie
Fur mite that infects guinea pigs that causes few clinical signs
Chirodiscoides cavie
2 Biting lice that causes occassional alopecia and mild pruritis
Gilricola porcelli
Gyropus ovalis
Avoiding fluctuations in temperature is the best way to prevent
heat stroke
Guinea pigs tolerate what kind of climates?
cooler
Guinea pigs are more prone to this because all of their teeth are hypsodontic
Malocclusions
A hereditary condition that causes excessive drooling
Treated by periodically trimming or filing teeth
Malocclusions AKA slobbers
GP should be fasted for how long before anesthesia?
2-4 hrs
Usually used for anesthesia
Atropine
Most common ER and critical care problem
dystocia
To determine sex, Females have a
Y shaped genitalia
To determine sex, Males have a
Straight slit
