Guinea pig

Guinea pig.

Guinea pig: also known as guinea pig, colorful guinea pig, guinea pig, guinea pig, all black is called black guinea pig. It is a valuable multi-purpose herbivore that uses both skin and meat.

The adult weight of the Dutch rat is 1-1.5kg, and the body length is 20-30cm. Its fur is tightly draped and shiny. Its fur can be processed to make high-quality fur clothing, shawls, gloves, and fur hats. .

The Dutch rat is smart, lively and docile, and is a special ornamental animal. The Dutch rat has a high reproductive rate, strong disease resistance, early sexual maturity, and a short sexual cycle, usually about 16 days; the gestation period is 60-65 days, and it can give birth to 6 litters per year, with an average of 4-8 piglets per litter. About 100g, it will eat and move after giving birth. Piglets become sexually mature in 35 days, and a pair of guinea pigs can reproduce 80 pairs in a year. The market price is more than 30 yuan, but the cost of raising a pair of guinea rats is no more than 5 yuan. The economic benefits of raising guinea rats are considerable.

Dutch rats are easy to raise and require extensive management. They feed mainly on weeds, including grass and vegetable leaves. They like to eat everything. Adding some concentrated feed will help you gain weight by half. In winter, corn stalks, wheat straw, rice straw, peanut stalks, etc. can be crushed and added with some bran to meet the growth needs

The English name of the Dutch rat is guinea pig. Usually called guinea pig, guinea pig, guinea pig, guinea pig, mouse rabbit, etc. The origin is in Peru, South America. Its natural food is grass, plant roots and fruit seeds. It is an absolute vegetarian. Wild guinea pigs are slender and athletic. They have been kept as pets for a long time and have become chubby due to lack of exercise due to eating habits and laziness. They are very cute. The meat of guinea pig is still very delicious. They like to huddle together in large numbers, because living together in the wild can increase the chance of finding an enemy. They communicate with each other through slight calls.

If the space you live in is too small for cats and dogs to move around, or you are afraid of being scratched or bitten, then choose a Dutch rat with a small size and gentle personality! He is chubby, clumsy and cute. Although he is usually a rat, he is more lovable than a traditional rat and has a very docile personality. The guinea pig is a vegetarian, has no special requirements on food, and has a strong body and is not prone to illness. It is very smart. If you treat it well, it will recognize you and play with you. It is of medium size, neither too small like a mouse nor too big like a rabbit. It is more suitable to be held in the hand and played (about 15-20 cm). It is clumsy and cute, unlike squirrels that cannot be caught once it runs away. It is very suitable for children or the elderly to raise. It is not expensive and does not require professional breeding equipment. As long as you prepare a cage of appropriate size, supply fresh water and food every day, play with it frequently, and clean the nest regularly, it will grow up healthily and happily. When it is well-raised, it will come out to greet you when you come home from school, and will run up to you and ask for food from you.

The lifespan of a Dutch rat can be as long as 10 years. You must be mentally prepared before raising one. Make sure there are no cats, dogs or other animals in your home that could harm it. Water and food must be provided every day, its excrement will smell, and it will sometimes bark and chew things. If you can accept this, let's learn about guinea pigs

Teeth: There are two teeth (incisors) on the top and bottom of the front of the mouth, which are mainly used to cut food. The front teeth grow very quickly, so you must chew high-fiber foods regularly, otherwise the front teeth may grow too long and you will be unable to eat.

Breeding box: If you don’t have time to prepare a nest for it when you buy it, you can first find a box (wooden, plastic or even cardboard is fine) and put some clean rags inside. Because the ink on newspapers is not good for small animals, it is best not to use it. This box is only temporary, because when it adapts to the environment and becomes bolder, it will start to use the box to grind its teeth, and maybe sneak out. So you must prepare a suitable and sturdy box to make a nest for it. You can buy small animal boxes on the market or special Dutch rat boxes. The interior of the former type of breeding box is divided into two layers. The bottom layer is a tray and the middle is a wire mesh. The advantage is that it is easy to clean, but the disadvantage is that the feet of guinea pigs can easily get caught between the wires and cause injuries. The breeding box for guinea pigs has only one layer, is slightly larger, and has the opening at the top. When raising it, the inside must be covered with wood chips, sawdust, etc., so that the guinea pig can move easily. The disadvantage is that the excrement is difficult to clean, and the bedding must be cleaned and replaced frequently. Note that the breeding box should be as large as possible, otherwise it will gain weight because it does not get enough exercise, and even cause mental stress and other problems. This is especially true when raising multiple animals. Keep the storage location away from cats and dogs, away from direct sunlight, wind and rain, and pay attention to ventilation.

Food bowl: Avoid choosing plastic or other materials that can be chewed. You should choose ceramic or stainless steel ones that have a certain weight and are not easily knocked over.

Drinking water: In order to keep the breeding box dry, it is recommended to use a licking water feeder.

Cushion material: The function of the cushion material is to absorb the moisture and odor of the excrement, making the guinea pig feel comfortable. You can choose wood chips, sawdust, hay, rags, etc. Cat litter is also a good choice, as is shredded paper from a paper shredder.

Breeding: If you want to breed, you can raise a pair, or one male and two females. The gestation period of guinea pigs is about 60 to 70 days. Puppies are born with teeth and fur, their eyes are open and they can start eating immediately. However, it is recommended that young rats should not be raised alone within 2 weeks after birth. It is better to be taken care of by the mother rat. Young mice reach maturity in about 3 months.

Disease: The most common disease in guinea rats is scurvy. Since guinea pigs cannot synthesize vitamin C in their bodies, they will suffer from this disease if there is a lack of vitamin C in their food. Symptoms include joint swelling, accompanying pain, lameness, etc. If ignored, there is a risk of death. The best treatment is to take vitamin C by mouth until symptoms resolve. Adding vitamin C to drinking water has a good preventive effect.

Breed differences: The ordinary short-haired Dutch rat is a famous experimental animal and has almost become synonymous with experimental animals. Therefore, it is more common in the pet market and the price is cheaper. The long-haired Dutch rat is also called the satin rat. It is not only larger in size, but also has silky soft body hair. It is beautiful and cute, making it a good family pet. Some places even hold beauty contests for curly guinea pigs.

Precautions for raising dutch rats

If small animals like dutch rats get sick, it is not easy to find a suitable doctor, so the main thing is prevention and treatment. It is better to be more cautious than to Don't be careless. Summarize some things you should pay attention to when raising guinea pigs.

1. Little guinea pigs are usually fat and seldom stand up. Many people sometimes like to use food to lure them to stand up. Little guinea pigs will try their best to stand up with their necks raised to reach the food, and sometimes even fall on their backs. However, I do not recommend this, at least don't let them fall on their backs. It may not be a big problem when they are young, but after about half a year old, they become fat, which can easily choke them. This happened to me, and I almost died of fright, so when giving them food, be careful not to let their heads tilt back too much. .

How to bathe a guinea pig

Generally speaking, because the animal’s own epidermis has oil that protects the skin, frequent bathing will damage the health of the animal; and guinea pigs will clean themselves up It is best for owners and owners to be diligent in cleaning the living environment of guinea pigs to protect the health of guinea pigs. They do not need to bathe frequently. What should I do if I must take a shower?

Partial cleaning:

Some people will adopt the method of local cleaning. It is common for Dutch rats to have local skin infections. The doctor will prescribe lotion and other medicines. At this time, the whole body is not needed. To wash, you can use a cotton swab to apply, wipe out the foam, then dip it in water and wipe clean.

Whole body cleaning:

1. The scientific cleaning method is to find a container, usually a washbasin, and put warm water in it, about 2 or 3 centimeters deep. It depends on the size of the guinea pig. Generally speaking, a little is enough, and then wash it with water. Wet the guinea pig's body because the guinea pig's fur is very thick, so be careful not to leave it dry inside after washing.

2. Then use animal shampoo. You must buy something better and more formal. Don't choose something with too much medicinal properties. The main raw materials are natural raw materials. When buying, you must go to a regular place and buy something produced by a regular manufacturer. If it is poisonous, you will be in trouble. Because it is not easy to buy a shampoo specifically for guinea pigs on the market, try to choose natural green shampoo. Apply a small amount of shampoo to the guinea pig and rub gently.

3． When the washing is almost done, you can continue to use the water in the basin to clean the guinea pig. This way, there is shampoo in the water, so it can also be washed underneath the guinea pig.

4． Then put the guinea pig in another basin. You can find a large Coke bottle and fill it with warm water beforehand. Then rinse the guinea pig. Don't forget to wash the underside of the guinea pig. How much water you need is up to you, so maybe two Coke bottles.

5. After washing, use the dry towel prepared in advance to dry it as much as possible. You can then blow dry with a hair dryer. Keep the temperature in check.

Notes:

1. The water temperature must be appropriate, not too cold or too hot;

2. The bathing environment and the place where the guinea pig stays after bathing should not be too ventilated to prevent the guinea pig from catching a cold.

3． When bathing, if the guinea pig is afraid, you should touch it more and talk to it to relieve the guinea pig's nervousness; the guinea pig may crawl out during the bath, so the side of the face plate should not be too short;

< p>4． There is no need to wash the head and ears. Never let water get into the eyes of the guinea pig when washing;

5. It is not advisable to take a bath in winter because guinea pigs are very afraid of the cold.

The Diet of the Dutch Rat

What the Dutch Rat likes most is food! Guinea rats are rodent herbivores, and if they're not eating, they're sleeping! If they eat too much and don't get enough exercise, or if they are fed the wrong foods, this can cause them to be overly plump and obese.

Guinea rats only need three basic foods: high-quality pellet staple food, sufficient timothy grass and water containing vitamin C.

You can also add some oats and wheat germ to the staple food.

The following is the breeder's recipe on the SweetWheekers website:

2 parts Oxbow Cavy Cuisine (main ingredient Timothy) plus 1 part Mazuri Guinea Pig Pellets. This food is suitable for guinea pigs over 6 months old. Feed each adult guinea pig one and a half cups of this staple food.

For young rats from birth to under 6 months old, use 50-50 Oxbow Cavy (the main ingredient is alfalfa) plus Mazuri Guinea Pig pellets. The food intake of mother rats and pups during the nursing period is uncontrolled. Once the pups are weaned, they no longer require milk or other milk substitutes.

At about 4 months old, it is necessary to gradually add the food of adult rats to the food of young rats. Let them adjust slowly.

Water

Guinea pigs need fresh drinking water every day. Water containing chlorine and fluoride is toxic to guinea pigs.

Fruits and vegetables

Guinea rats love to eat fruits. If you are feeding grapes, cut them in half and make sure there are no seeds inside.

Never feed bananas to Dutch rats! Because bananas contain excess potassium, they can cause urinary tract disease in guinea pigs.

The Dutch rat is a herbivore. It feeds on various weeds, vegetable leaves, plant stems and leaves, and crop straws. It grows faster with a small amount of concentrate. Breeding guinea pigs is simpler than raising rabbits, and they are more adaptable than rabbits. They will forage after birth, become sexually mature in 35 days, and grow into commercial pigs in about 60 days. After a pair of guinea pigs are reproduced, there can be up to 80 pairs in a year. Above, the market price is about 30 yuan per pair. Breeding guinea pigs has the characteristics of fast slaughter and high efficiency, which is worthy of farmers' choice.

Some vegetables that guinea pigs like to eat include: romaine lettuce or red leaf lettuce. Parsley (celery), kale, green edamame, carrots, eggplant, dandelion leaves, chicory, green peppers (not spicy), tomatoes, etc. In addition, fresh lotus leaves are also a delicacy for guinea pigs.

Wash vegetables before feeding.

Vegetables that should be avoided are: spinach, onions, leeks, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and head lettuce (the rolled type)! ! These foods can cause diarrhea, bloating and poisoning in guinea pigs.

Snacks

You can give some alfalfa and berry snacks, oil-free raw sunflower seeds. These things are very oily, so be careful not to give too much each time.

The biological characteristics and anatomical and physiological characteristics of guinea pigs (some need to be understood. If you want to keep guinea pigs as pets)

1. The Dutch rat belongs to the class Mammalia, order Rodentia, family Guinea pig. Also known as guinea pig, guinea pig, guinea pig.

2. It likes to live in groups, has a big head, short neck, round ears, no tail, is covered with hair, has short limbs, has four toes on the forelimbs, and three toes on the hind limbs. It has short, sharp melons and can catch people. It does not like climbing and jumping, so it can Put them in a small cement tank without a cover for breeding. It is docile in nature, timid and easily frightened, and sometimes makes squeaking sounds. It likes a dry and clean living environment.

3． The sense of smell and hearing are relatively developed, and they are extremely responsive to various stimuli, such as sound, smell, and sudden changes in temperature. Therefore, pneumonia is prone to occur in turbid air and cold environments, and may cause miscarriage, and may occur when frightened. Easy to miscarry.

4． Guinea pigs are herbivorous animals with well-developed chewing muscles and very thin stomach walls. The cecum is particularly enlarged, accounting for about 1/3 of the abdominal cavity. They require more crude fiber than rabbits, but they are not as susceptible to diarrhea as rabbits.

5. Guinea pigs eat a lot and have a strong appetite for what they are accustomed to, but they are particularly sensitive to spoiled feed. They often eat less or waste food as a result, and even cause miscarriage. It is also particularly sensitive to antibiotics and can easily cause death and enteritis after administration. For example, the use of penicillin, regardless of the dose or route, can cause small intestine and colitis and even death. The sensitivity to penicillin is 1,000 times higher than that of mice, so special care should be taken when treating with penicillin. Contrary to rats and mice, it eats less and moves less at night.

6． Guinea pigs are late-growing animals, that is, the gestation period of the mother is long, 63 (59 to 72) days. The embryo is fully developed in the mother's body and is fully grown after birth. The whole body is covered with hair, the eyes are open, the ears are erect, and Already have permanent teeth, they can stand and walk one hour after delivery, and can eat soft feed within a few hours. After 2 to 3 days, they can suck breast milk and eat green feed or mixed feed under the care of the mother rat, and develop and grow rapidly.

7． Vitamin C cannot be synthesized in the body (liver and intestines), and the required vitamin C must come from feed. Humans, primates and guinea pigs lack the enzyme to synthesize vitamin C. Therefore, when raising guinea pigs, it is necessary to add vitamin C to the feed or water or give fresh vegetables. When vitamin C is lacking, scurvy occurs, and one of its symptoms is the hind limbs. Semi-paralysis occurs, especially in winter. If you supplement vitamin C, the symptoms will disappear.

8． The canal is sensitive and is convenient for hearing experiments. Guinea pigs are most sensitive to pure tones of 700 to 2000 cycles/second. For example, 2000 cycles/second of audio frequency is commonly used to observe the toxicity of neomycin to the inner ear.

9. Ability to withstand hypoxia and hypoxia, 4 times stronger than mice and 2 times stronger than rats.

10． Very sensitive to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Brucella, Leptospira, Brucella meliteusis, Diphtheria, Q fever virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, etc.

11． Guinea pigs are prone to allergic reactions, and the "complement" in serological diagnostics is made from guinea pig serum.

12. The thymus of guinea pigs is all located in the neck, located between the angle of the mandible and the entrance to the chest cavity. There are two bright, light yellow, slender, round, and fully branched glands. The liver is divided into four main lobes and four lobules. The lungs are divided into seven lobes, the right lung has four lobes and the left lung has three lobes.

13． The sexual cycle of guinea pigs is 16.5 (12-18) days, the gestation period is 68 (62-72) days, the lactation period is 21 days, and the number of litters is 3.5 (1-6). It is a year-round, polyestrous animal, and has Postpartum sexual cycle.

Animal sexual cycles are divided into two categories: polycyclic (multiple sexual cycles in a year) and monocyclic (one-time cycle in a year). Except for primates, there are obvious species differences in the reproductive cycles of all mammals. Some animals, such as dogs, cats, hunting dogs, horses, cattle, etc., only have this cyclical change during the reproductive season. The rest of the time, the reproductive organs are in An atrophied resting state, but animals such as mice, rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs exhibit a round-trip cycle of birth cycles throughout the year under normal circumstances.

Guinea pigs, mice, rats, hamsters, and rabbit experimental animals also have a postpartum sexual period, that is, after the animal becomes pregnant and gives birth, within 48 hours or within a certain period of time during the lactation period It is also possible to become pregnant, which is called postpartum sexual period or abnormal pregnancy.

14. The normal body temperature of guinea pigs is 38.6 (37.8~39.5)℃, the heartbeat rate is 280 (200~360) times/min, the respiratory rate is 90 (69~104) times/min, the tidal volume is 1.8 (1.0~3.9)ml, and the ventilation rate is 16ml (10 ~28)/min, oxygen consumption 816mm3/g live weight, blood pressure 75-120mmHg, total number of red blood cells 5.6 (4.5~7.0) million/(mm3), hemoglobin 14.4 (11~16.5)g/100ml blood, total number of white blood cells 5,000 ~6000mm3, platelets 116,000/mm3, total plasma protein 5.4 (5.0-5.6)g%, blood volume accounting for 6.4% of body weight, 32 pairs of chromosomes, life span 5-7 years.