Guinea pigs as we know them today originated in South America and several related species can still be found in the wild. The ancestor of the common guinea pig we have as pets is thought to be the Restless Cavy, this species lives in large family groups and occupies the tunnels dug by other animals. Before the Spanish conquest of South America guinea pigs were kept for their food and in some parts of Peru this practice continues to this day. The first pet guinea pigs were probably kept by sailors who brought them to this country, they were then sold as rare curiosities for the sum of one guinea, which accounts for their name. Incidentally this was quite a large sum of money in those days. Guinea pigs make a docile though somewhat unresponsive pet, but they are most unlikely to bite. The average life span of a guinea pig is between six and eight years, they can breed from ten weeks of age onwards and the litter size averages out at three or four. They are very well developed when they are born and are weaned at three weeks of age.
I see many guinea pigs at my clinic as it is the second most common rodent kept as a pet in these parts, the most common one being the rabbit. Unlike rabbits they do not need vaccinations and rarely have their teeth or nails clipped. The most common disease which occurs is the skin condition mange, we see such cases about twice a week. Guinea pig mange is caused by a mite called sarcoptes, the guinea pig form is related to the mite which affects dogs and people [ scabies ] but luckily it is specific to guinea pigs and will not affect other animals including humans. When I first qualified twenty years ago there was no effective treatment for this condition, we used to give affected animals baths in products designed to treat human head lice, sometimes it helped a bit, at other times is was of no use and affected guinea pigs deteriorated and some eventually died. About ten years ago we had a breakthrough in the treatment of this disease with the introduction of the drug Ivermectin, this is given as a low dose injection once a week for three consecutive weeks, the success rate is close on 100%. Ivermectin is a cattle wormer which was used initially in Australia, a very astute vet over there noticed that the cattle treated with this product had no lice in their coats. After this discovery the drug has been used with success to treat skin conditions due skin parasites in various other species of animals including dogs. As medical breakthroughs go this is of course a very minor one, but it is the only time in my professional career where I have been able to use a new drug to treat a condition which previously was close to untreatable.
Guinea pigs should always be fed a commercial guinea pig food as they have special dietary needs, in particular they have a high requirement for vitamin C. I have seen cases where guinea pigs have developed scurvy when they have been fed on rabbit food for long periods of time. The commercial diet such as ” Gertie Guinea Pig ” can be supplemented with hay and green food and of course they should have constant access to clean water.
Scott
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