Mahatma Jyotiba Fule College Of Veterinary Science And Animal Husbandry Chomu (R.J.)

NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS IN GUINEA PIG

PRESENTED BY:

Dr. Anil Kumar Patidar

2019-20

Assistant professor

DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL NUTRITION

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SCIENCE & ANIMAL

HUSBANDRY, CHOMU (R.J.)

LABORATORY ANIMALS The group of animals constantly used in

laboratories for general research in all discipline

of science is called as laboratory animals.

Commonly, it includes rats, mice, rabbits and

guinea pigs.

However, under certain circumstances,

additional animal species like hamsters, non-

human primates, amphibians, fowl, sheep and

pigs can also be included. This term

incorporates traditional laboratory animals, farm

animals, wildlife and aquatic animals.

Nontraditional animals, inclusive of

invertebrate species are also included where

they are relevant to the unit's mission.

Generally, these animals come under

vertebrate but broadly laboratory animals

may be classified in two major groups

i.e. Laboratory mammals and non-

mammalian laboratory animals. The

laboratory mammals include mouse, rat,

guinea pig, rabbit, cat, dog, ferret, gerbil,

bats, hamster, mink and monkey (Rhesus).

LABORATORY GUINEA PIG Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) were known by a variety of

common names: "Sea Pig,” “Barbary Rabbit," or "Little SeaPig”. The laboratory guinea pig was derived fromdomesticated stocks of wild guinea pigs (Cavia cutleri) whichoriginated in Peru, South America. In South America theguinea pig is raised as a Source of meat.

Before their introduction into biomedical research, guineapigs were bred for fancy and kept as pets for about 300 years.Many of the laboratory strains used today originated with thebreeding work of Dunkin and Hartley in 1926. The DunkinHartley is major outbred stocks of guinea pig known withscientific name Cavia porcellus. The Pirbright-Hartley is anoutbred stock used in England, which is the same type ofanimal.

LABORATORY GUINEA PIG It belongs to order - Rodentia, sub-order - Hystricomorpha and

family - Caviidae. So guinea pigs are hystricomorph (hedgehog-like)rodents, Guinea pigs do have 64 diploid number of chromosome,Till date 20 different inbred strains have been produced and onlytwo strains (strain 2 and 13) are existing how. Mostly inbred strainsof guinea pigs are being used for studying oncogenic leukemiaviruses.

The guinea pig has been widely employed in biomedical researchsince 1780. The guinea pig has been used in antibody production,tumor genesis, nutrition, genetics, radiation research and dentalstudies including antibacterial action of saliva and production. Theguinea pig is used extensively in development of sera. Lavoisierused the cavy for measuring heat production. Much of the workrelating to the discovery of Vitamin C, the diagnosis of tuberculosisand the research on anaphylaxis has been performed in thisspecies.

GUINEA PIGS The domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) has

been bred in captivity for at least 400 years andprobably originated in Peru, Argentina, or Brazil(Weir, 1974). Many laboratory guinea pigs werebred from a strain established by Dunkin andHartley in 1926 (Dunkin et al., 1930). [SeeNational Institutes of Health (1982) for otherstrains.]

Unless otherwise indicated, the strain referred toin this chapter is the outbred Hartley.

In its natural habitat this herbivorous animalconsumes large quantities of vegetation(Navia and Hunt, 1976). The molar teeth areespecially suited to grinding and, like otherspecies of rodents, the guinea pig has open-rooted incisors that grow continuouslythroughout its life.

Like the rat, mouse, and rabbit, the guinea pigis simple-stomached; but in contrast to thesespecies, the entire stomach of the guinea pigis lined with glandular epithelium (Breazileand Brown, 1976; Navia and Hunt, 1976).

The intestine allows the development ofpredominantly gram-positive bacterial flora, which maycontribute to the nutritional requirements of the hostperhaps through direct absorption of bacterialmetabolites or digestion and absorption of intestinalbacteria and other materials following coprophagy. Theguinea pig has a large semicircular cecum withnumerous lateral pouches.

This organ resembles that of the rabbit and possiblyhas similar digestive functions—e.g., synthesis of Bvitamins and indispensable amino acids bymicroorganisms and recycling of intestinal contents bycoprophagy (Hunt and Harrington, 1974). Few seriousattempts have been made to determine thecontribution of coprophagy to the nutrition of theguinea pig.

Guinea Pig Digestive System Food is ingested via the mouth and the teeth begin to

mechanically break down the food into smaller pieces. Salivais produced by the salivary glands which contain Amylase thathelps to chemically break down the enzymes in the food. Thetongue is a muscle that churns the food to further digest it.The food is then passed through the ‘isthmus of fauces’ whichis the name given to the small passage that passes through tothe pharynx (a small chamber at the back of the throat).

The food is then pushed into the oesophagus which is a tubethat leads to the stomach. Situated at the top of this tube is asmall flap of tissue called the epiglottis and this opens to letfood into the oesophagus and also stops food from goingdown the windpipe into the lungs (this is where the term ‘it’sgone down the wrong way’ comes from).

Food gets pushed down the oesophagus because thewalls relax and contract which is an action calledperistalsis. The food then reaches the stomach but itmust pass through the cardiac sphincter (a sort ofgateway that opens to let food in and closes to stop thestomach acid from splashing up and burning theoesophagus. It also prevents the guinea pig fromvomiting/regurgitating.

In the stomach, chemical breakdown occurs. Thestomach consists of the Cardia (small part), the Body (onthe right), the Fundus (big bulge which you can usuallyfeel on your guinea pig) and finally the Pylorus which iscurved and connects to the pyloric sphincter. Thestomach muscles relax and contract to churn the foodinto a chyme (liquid food).

Guinea pig digestive system

Folds on the inside of the stomach called the rogue increase thesurface area ready for the food to fill the stomach. Epithelialtissue lines the stomach and mucus protects the walls from theacid. Gastric juices are secreted to breakdown food - the parietalcells secrete hydrochloric acid which kills bacteria and maintainsthe stomach PH so that enzymes can work. The parietal cells alsoactivate the chief cells which secrete enzymes.

The food moves to the small intestines through the pyloricsphincter which is another gateway that stops food fromentering the small intestine too fast – it remains closed until thefood turns into a liquid/chyme. The small intestine is about125cm long and consists of three sections, the duodenum whichis S-shaped, the jejunum and the ileum which is all coiled. Thesmall intestine is important because this is where nutrients areabsorbed into the body. The large intestine is next and just atthe side of this is the ceacum, a large sac that is very importantfor guinea pigs.

The chyme and fibre particles move through the colonwhere the absorption of water takes place and carriesonto the excretory system, however, the particles thathave rich nutrients move back up into the ceacum viareverse peristalsis (remember I said this pushed fooddown the tube, well reverse that and it pushes it backup). These particles get broken down by bacteria so thatthey are absorbable for later on.

When the guinea pig is ready to release this, the contentsof the ceacum will travel down the colon and continuewith the process, but now there are two types of faecesthat a guinea pig excretes, the nutrient rich faeces andthe normal faeces. Faeces are excreted through therectum and passes through the anus.

BEHAVIORAL AND NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

In the laboratory, the guinea pig's diet is much higher in energydensity and lower in fiber content than the diet of green vegetationand fruits it consumes in the wild. The guinea pig consumes manysmall meals throughout the day, is fastidious in choice of foods, andmay resist abrupt changes in composition or form of the diet.Animals fed pelleted natural-ingredient diets often do not readilyaccept a powdered purified diet unless introduced gradually.

Pelleting the powdery diet (Ostwald et al., 1971), moistening thefood with water (O'Dell and Regan, 1963; Singh et al., 1968), andusing gel diets (Navia and Lopez, 1973; Apgar and Everett, 1991b)have been successful in promoting diet acceptance. Thesebehavioral characteristics and special nutritional requirements needto be considered when designing nutritional or metabolic studies.

Water intake is variable and food intake is largelyinfluenced by the form and composition of the diet andthe age of the animal. Liu (1988) reported a meanwater intake of 21.7 mL/100 g BW/day and meanconsumption of a natural-ingredient diet 3.0 Mcal/kg(12.6 MJ/kg) to be 6.9 g/100 g BW/day in 6-week-oldmale guinea pigs (312 ± 13 g) that were individuallyhoused on sawdust.

Water and food consumption was 7.5 mL/100 gBW/day and 4 g/100 g BW/day, respectively, in maleguinea pigs weighing 698 ± 19 g and fed a nonpurifieddiet containing 20 percent crude protein (Tsao andYoung, 1989). Adult male guinea pigs weighing 725 to750 g consumed daily 32 g of a purified diet containingcrystalline amino acids (equivalent to 160 g protein/kgdiet) as the sole nitrogen source (Schiller, 1977).

The guinea pig is best known, from a nutritional standpoint,by its requirement for dietary vitamin C. This feature hasmade the guinea pig particularly useful in studies ofcollagen biosynthesis, wound healing, and bone growth.The young guinea pig seems to have a relatively highdietary requirement for arginine, folic acid, and selectedminerals, although this may not prove to be true as moreinformation on specific nutrient requirements becomesavailable. These characteristics and others mentionedabove are discussed in greater detail in The Biology of theGuinea Pig (Wagner and Manning, 1976).

Germ-free guinea pigs have been used in the study ofspecific disease states. Diets for germ-free and specific-pathogen-free guinea pigs have been discussed by Wagnerand Foster (1976).

DOMESTIC GUINEA PIG Like the rat, mouse, and rabbit, the guinea pig is simple

stomached; but in contrast to these species, the entirestomach guinea pig is lined with glandular epithelium.Intestine allows growth of gram positive bacteria. It has alarge semicircular caecum with numerous lateralpouches.

This organ resembles that of the rabbit and possibly hassimilar digestive functions - e.g. synthesis of B vitaminsand indispensable amino acids by microorganisms andrecycling of intestinal contents by coprophagy.

Few serious attempts have been made to determine thecontribution of coprophagy to the nutrition of the guineapig.

SOME DATA ON PRODUCTION

Male Guinea pig (Boar)

3 month one for every five females (Sows)

Female Guinea pig 2 month

Weaning age 12 to 14 days or at 170 gm weight

Average litter size 3.5 (range 1-8)

Weight at birth 85 to 100 gm

Age to breed 2.5 to 3 months

Guinea pigs in advanced pregnancy are placedin hutches. Parturition takes place in hutches.

Average body weight of adult animal = 500 g

Adult animals consume diet at the rate of 7 to8% of B.W.

Gestation period 66 to 72 days (68 ± 2)

Breeding life 4 to 6 months of age to 2 years

No. of litters/year 3

Data on Feed Consumption

(Depending upon the litter size and season)

Dry matter consumption is reduced duringhot summer.

Growing guinea pigs 20-30 g/day

Adult guinea pigs 30-50 g/day

Pregnant and lactating guinea pigs

40-60 g/day

NUTRITION OF GUINEA PIGS The guinea pig is unable to synthesize its own vitamin C, like

humans and nonhuman primates. Hence, vitamin C must besupplied in guinea pigs ration from outside source. It is important tostore food properly and use it within 90 days of the milling date Ifavailable, fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamin C may alsobe offered as treats otherwise ascorbic acid (50-75 mg) besupplemented along with diet or drinking water.

Guinea Pigs are strongly coprophagic, eating feces directly from theanus or the cage floor. The feces contain essential vitaminsproduced by the fermentation of feed by microorganisms within thecaecum. Guinea pigs consume an average of 6 grams of food/100gram body weight daily. Rations for guinea pigs usually contain 20%protein due to the high requirement they have for certain aminoacids. Fresh water should always be available and may be offered bybottles with sipper tubes or automatic waterers.

Bowls of water placed on the cage floorquickly become contaminated with feces andbedding. Adult guinea pigs drink an average of10 ml/100 gram body weight per day. Theguinea pig ration can be formulated using 35parts wheat bran, 25 parts Maize crushed, 30parts crushed gram and 10 parts fish meal.

About 40 gram mixed ration may be offered toget daily protein and energy requirement.About 100 gram seasonal green fodder maybe offered in daily fodder requirement ofguinea pigs.

NUTRIENT REQUIREMENT FOR GUINEA PIG

The Guinea pig is a herbivorous

animal. It is a hind gut fermenter and

practices coprophagy.

The folllowing is the nutrient

requirement for a guinea pig diet

NUTRIENT REQUIREMENT FOR A GUINEA PIG

Nutrient Guinea pig

ME Kcal/Kg 2800

Protein % 18

Fibre % 15

Calcium % 0.8 - 1

Phosphorus % 0.4 - 0.7

Zinc (mg/kg) 20

Iron (mg/kg) 50

Vitamin C 1 gm

1 gram of vitamin C per kilogram of ration has to be

supplemented as Vitamin C is dietary essential in guinea pig.

SAMPLE DIET RECOMMENDED NUTRIENT ALLOWANCES FOR GROWING GUINEA PIGS

Ingredient g/kg

Alfalfa meal 350

Ground wheat 236

Ground oats 252.5

Soyabean meal 120

Ground limestone 10

Iodized salt 7.5

DCP 5

Soyabean oil 15

Minerals and vitamins 4

GUINEA PIGSThey are strict herbivores and practice

coprophagy.

They require relatively high levels of protein

(around 18%) and around 15 % of fibre in their

diets. Fat levels should be less than 5 %.

Just like humans, guinea-pigs cannot synthesize

Vit – C, so require a supply in their diet.

Hay or good quality oat straw and fresh water

should always be available.

Maintenance energy requirement of adult guinea

pig is 136 Kcal ME/BW kg0.75

Dental formula

2(i-1/1 C-0/0 PM-1/1 M-3/3) = 20The sow's requirement for protein, energy and

calcium are high in pregnancy and the provision of

a good, well-balanced diet throughout this time is

essential.

So, the addition of small amounts of glucose to the

drinking water and ca supplementation during the

last 7-10 days of pregnant and first week of

lactation will help to prevent eclampsia.

Adult animal consume diet @ 7-8% of Body

Weight.

Growing guinea pigs consume 20-30gms/day

Adult guinea pigs consume 30-50 gms/day

Pregnant and lactating guinea pigsconsume 40-60 gms/day

The average daily water consumption forthe guinea pig is 10 ml per 100 grams ofbody weight

Considerably more water should beprovided to pregnant and lactating sows

BIS specificationsCharacterstics Requirements (%)

Moisture (max) 10

CP (min ) 22

EE (min) 4

CF(min) 9-14

Total ash (max) 9

AIA (max) 1

Calcium (min) 1.2

P (min) 0.6

Vitamin "C" 200 Mgms / kg 6-10 mgms/day

Composition of a natural ingredient diet used for Guinea pigs (NRC, 1978)

Ingredient Level (%) Alfalfa meal 38.15

Ground wheat 28.90

Ground oats 17.75

Soybean meal 13.25

Ground lime stone 1.10

lodized salt 0.50

Dicalcium phosphate 0.25

Mineral mixture 0.05

Vitamin mixture 0.05

Total 100

Nutritional requirements for Guinea pigs

Stage of the animal DCP % TDN %

Normal growth 14 45

During pregnancy 14 55

During lactation 20 72

Quantity of feed to be fed for Guinea pigs

Concentrate Roughage

In All stages of animals

20 - 30 200 – 300

Guinea Pig Feeding Guinea pigs are herbivores and require

plenty of grass hay and greens andlimited concentrate.

They have continuously growing incisorsand molars which wear down with thenormal action of eating.

Guinea pigs produce nutrient richcecotropes which they eat directly fromthe anal area.

Guinea Pig Feeding Generally ration for guinea pigs contains

18-20% protein, 16% fiber and about 1gram of vitamin C per kilogram of ration.

On storage of feed about half of thevitamin C content is degraded and lostwithin 6 weeks of manufacture.

Dark leafy greens are important toguinea pigs due to their requirement foran external source of vitamin C.

The minimum daily requirement forvitamin C in the guinea pig is 10-30 mg perday.

Guinea pigs can easily get this amount withthe feeding of 1/2 to 1 cup of fresh leafygreens daily.

Supplementing vitamin C in the water isnot very effective due the rapid breakdownof the vitamin when it is exposed to lightand heat and the fact that some vitamin Cproducts have a very bitter taste.

WATER It is to be kept free from contamination by

providing it in water bottles. Guinea pigscontaminate and clog their water bottles bychewing on the end of the sipper tube and"backwashing" food particles into it.

Guinea pigs do not tolerate changes in thepresentation, taste, odor, texture or form oftheir food and water.

Any changes in the food itself should be madegradually.

Guinea-piglets are born fully developed, miniaturesof their parents.

They will start eating hay from day 2 and pigletsorphaned after 3 days will survive without help.

They are born with sufficient energy reserves to last12 hours, which allows time to find a foster mother ormake other arrangements.

Canine milk replacer can be used and fed every 2hours initially.

They should be encouraged to take solid food as soonas possible and milk can be decreased as consumptionof solids increases.

Feeding Guinea piglets

Feeding Guinea piglets They are fully weaned at 3 weeks of age

Guinea piglets normally gain as much as 5to 7 gms/day during the rapid growthperiod when allowed to eat good feedadlibitum

Growth slows after 2 months and maturityis reached at about 5 months

Weight gain can continue until 12–15months of age

Some conditions occur which areinfluenced by diet including :

Malocclusion : Guinea pigs havecontinuously growing incisors andrequire adequate supplies ofroughage in diet to gnaw on.

CLINICAL NUTRITION

Gastric dilation :Sudden changes in the diet

and overfeeding of green foods will causedigestive problems. Often accompanied byvolvulus.

Caecal impaction :

Occurs in older ones who haveloss of muscle tone. Adequate levels offiber should be provided and overfeedingavoided.

Renal failure :On consumption of Beet root,

spinach and dock leaves which containsoxalic acid, the percentage increasing asthe stems age.

Diabetes mellitus :Occurs occasionally in guinea

pigs. Treatment with insulin isimpractical, so dietary control should beattempted.

(A) Metabolic disease : Pregnancy toxemia :- occurs due to reduced intake of

food or feed of low quality given at the end of pregnancy.

Can be prevented by providing good quality food andalso administer calcium to reduce toxemia.

(B) Vitamin deficiencies : Vit - C deficiency leads to cessation of bone growth due

to improper calcification. This is called "skeletalsympathy".

Develops "scurvy".

Vitamin D : leads to "rickets" excess of Vit-D predisposesto “ soft tissue calcification" in young animals.

DEFICIENCY DISEASES

Vitamin – E :

Causes muscular dystrophy in skeletalmuscles and in testis. Hence wasting ofmuscles and infertility occurs.

Presentation of feed :Compound feeds were

presented as wet mash, dry mash or mixedwith water as paster before the making ofpellet diet.

The diet should not contain more than 5000total viable organism per gram of feed.

Sterilization of feed(A) Sterilization of moist heat -

by autoclaving.

(B) Chemical sterilization -

by ethylene oxide gas.

(C) Irradiation – by X-ray irradiation from a cobalt 60 source.