Guinea Pigs and Chinchillas An Flashcards
who are the cavia porcellus?
guinea pigs
What are the main breeds of guinea pigs?
America, Silkie, Abyssinian and peruvian
what breed of GP is most commonly used in lab?
Hartley
What is the LS of a GP
4-6
What is the MOST important thing to remember about having a GP
They require dietary vit C!!!!!
Can you auscult GP and Chins?
YES
You have a GP come in and you are doing a PE on it, you come to the base of the ear and you see some alopecia, what are you concerned with?
NOTHING, normal
What do GP have near their butts?
Supracaudal grease gland
What kind of glands to GP have all over their body?
Dermal sebaceous glands
whats abnormal about GP feet
4 fore digits and only 3 hind digits
overgrown nails are common!
Preparturient sows produce what? and what does it do?
Relaxin
degrades pubic ligament and allows passage of her pups!
What should you be able to feel in the last week of pregnancy?
The pubic symphysis that has progressed…should be aboue 1cm.
What happens to females if you don’t breed them by 6 mo of age?
Their pubic symphysis ossifies!
GP Dental formula
2 ( I 1/1 PM 1/1 M3/3)
What is different about the GP mouth?
Their dental formula
their incisors are white!
anisognathism
they have malocclusions which can cause their maxillary teeth to grow buccally, and their mandible teeth to grow lingually
Why is it difficult to pass an ET tube on a GP and chin?
Palat ostium
GP blood
Heterophils
Kurloff cellls
What are Kurloff cells and who do you see them in?
GP–pregnant sows
Mononuclear leukocytes
Estradiol dependent
Displaces nucleus, they contain secretory organelles
What do GP lungs look like?
4 R lobes
3 L lobes
Why is it hard to produce cardiac infarct on a GP
Well developed coronary colateral network
What is unique to the GP gastrointestinal system?
Monogastric-hindgut fermenters (G+ lactobacilli)-which means they have a large cecum.
Older boars can develop fecal impaction
Who has a vaginal closure membrane?
GP and Chins
What do the boars have?
Os penis
can produce copulatory plug
When can you palpate the fetus in a sow?
by day 15
Gest: 59-72 days
How fast can you rebreed a sow?
Fertile post-partum estrus…2-10hrs
How do the pups come out?
Precocious
O hasn’t seen pups nurse in a few hrs postpartition
Normal! might not nurse for 24 hrs
What is also normal of pups?
Voluntary micturition for 7-14 dats
What are GP social behaviours?
Harems
Intolerant to change in their food/water.
Coprophagic
What else do GP need in their diet?
HAY!!!
What do you need to think about when setting up GP housing?
can become hyperthermic
messy
defecate in food and water containers so might want to elevate them
sipper tubes! check often
Can have open top cage if walls are higher than 10in
Chinchilla lanigera
Chinchilla chinchilla
long tailed
short tailed
LS for a chin?
10 YEARS
Can you auscult a chin?
YES
Chin Dental Formula
2 (I 1/1 PM 1/1 M 3/3)
Are Chins anisognathism?
yes!
What are Chin used for in lab testing and why?
Auditory tests
Large tympanic bullae
large ears
large infraorbital foramine
Why are Chins unable to vomit?
Pyriformed shaped stomach
How can you sex Chin?
its hard bc females have a prominent urogenital papilla that can be mistaken for a penis/prepuce.
Do Chins or GP have a vaginal closure membrane?
BOTH do
Whats different about the male Chins
Penis is like a cats-backwards facing spines
os penis
no true scrotum
no nipples
What kind of estrous cycle does a GP have?
Seasonally polyestrous
When can you palpate the Kits in Chins
60 days
Gest: 105-115
remember they live for a long time so you’ll have a longer gest
Are kits precocious or altrocious?
Precocious
Why don’t you want to give a Chin an enclosure without a solid bottom?
They are prone to get their feet stuck and there for tibial fractures, also pododermatitis like others
Why can’t you give a chin a wooden cage, what other considerations might you want to tell O about
They can chew through wooden cages
They are jumpers…
and they need a place to hide
What is important to remember about chins husbandry?
They have really thick fur, so they need to be in a color drier place.
They NEED dust baths!!!!!
When would you not give a chin a dust bath?
Pregnant/dams with pups. remember their vaginal membrane will be open==UTI, mastitis, etc
What else do Chins need for nutrition and to stay healthy
Something to gnaw on! but be careful with poisonous trees
How do you hold a GP
Support entire body
How do you hold a Chin
Support body and you can grasp at the base of the tail
Why dont you want to try to catch a fleeing chin?
Fur Slip
Where can you collect blood from a GP and a chin
GP: Nail bed, digital veins
GP/Chin: lateral saphenous vein, cephalic, femoral
If Anesth: Jugular, cranial vena cava
What is normal in a GP in regards to blood work?
ALT is not a marker for hepatic injury
Hypercholesterolemia is common
Kurloff Cells
Urine pH is HIGH 9
What is normal in regards to a UA in a chinchilla?
pH is 8.5
USG is high 1.045
What do you need to remember about giving Ab to GP?
Dysbiosis
Penicillins
Cephalosporins
Lincosamides
Macrolides
How do naked mole rats live?
in a Eusocial Colony
How do NMR adapt to the temp?
They are thermoconformers
How do you euth a NMR?
DO NOT USE CO2 ASPHYXIATION
they can hold their breath for almost 20 mins
