Page 1180 - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 5th Edition

1230 Small Animal Clinical Nutrition

during storage. Ideally, guinea pig pellets should be stored at Neonates usually begin eating solid food at four to five days of
VetBooks.ir 22°C (72°F) and used within 90 days of milling (Quesenberry, age (i.e., guinea pig chow softened with cow’s milk or water). If
several lactating sows are present, the young may nurse alter-
1994; Quesenberry et al, 2004). Consumers may have difficulty
determining how long the product has been on the shelf at the
nately among them. In this case, the smaller piglets must be
time of purchase because: 1) the milling date is frequently not monitored to ensure that they nurse adequately. Weaning age
stated on the food container and 2) many pet stores buy feed in varies from 14 to 28 days when body weight reaches 150 to 200
bulk and then repackage product for resale. Owners should g. Average daily weight gain should be 2.5 to 3.5 g daily until
therefore be encouraged to buy food in small quantities from a 60 days of age (Manning et al, 1984).
reputable pet store that has a relatively high turnover of food
products and to store the food properly at home. Chinchillas
Guinea pigs require approximately 10 mg vitamin C/kg Husbandry
body weight daily for maintenance and 30 mg/kg body Chinchillas belong in the Chinchillidae family and are close-
weight daily for gestation. If the freshness of guinea pig pel- ly related to guinea pigs. Chinchillas originate from the rocky
lets is unknown, 200 mg/ml vitamin C can be added to the slopes of the South American Andes, where they were nearly
drinking water. However, the half life of this nutrient in hunted to extinction in the early part of the 1900s because of
clean, fresh water is only 24 hours, and shorter if organic their prized pelts. A small group of chinchillas brought to the
debris is present or if metal containers are used. Vitamin C United States at that time were successfully bred in captivity
can also be given orally on a daily basis using human pedi- and are progenitors for the majority of today’s pet population.
atric vitamin C formulations (Quesenberry, 1994). Daily Chinchilla breeds are characterized by their coat color, which
feeding small amounts of vegetables with a high vitamin C in the wild is a smoky blue-gray. Other color variations repre-
content such as red or green peppers, tomatoes, spinach and sent mutations. The normal coat is thick and soft, an attribute
asparagus can augment vitamin C intake. Excess ingested that often masks problems such as weight loss. Adult chin-
vitamin C is excreted rapidly in the urine, with 80% of the chillas weigh from 400 to 600 g and have an average life span
ingested amount being eliminated in three days. Fresh veg- of 10 years, with a maximum up to 20 years. The average ges-
etables should be thoroughly rinsed to minimize potential tation period is 111 days, and average litter size is two, with a
pesticide contaminants and bacterial pathogens such as Sal- range of one to six.The dental formula is I1/1, C0/0, P1/1 and
monella spp. (Harkness, 1993a). M3/3. All teeth are open-rooted. Incisor teeth grow 6.2 to 7.6
cm per year (Hoefer, 1994; Quesenberry et al, 2004).
Protein, Fiber and Water Chinchillas are hindgut fermenters and have a long alimen-
Commercial guinea pig pellets contain approximately 20% tary tract, measuring more than 3.5 m in adult animals. The
DM crude protein and 9 to 18% DM crude fiber. For an adult proximal colon is sacculated and communicates with the large
guinea pig, average daily food consumption is 6 g/100 g body thin-coiled cecum. The longer distal colon is smooth (Wil-
weight and average daily water consumption is 10 ml/100 g liams, 1979). Chinchillas are also coprophagic. Chinchillas in-
body weight (Harkness, 1993a). Because guinea pigs are such gest more than 70% of their total food intake at night (Ques-
fastidious eaters, owners should be discouraged from frequent- enberry et al, 2004).
ly changing brands of food to avoid anorexia. High-quality Proper housing is a critical factor for a chinchilla’s overall well
timothy or grass hay should be available at all times (Ques- being.The animal’s native environment includes a relatively low
enberry et al, 2004). Oral lesions may occur if the hay is too temperature and humidity and a sloping, hard, rocky habitat
coarse. Secondary infection of these lesions with beta-hemolyt- that requires that chinchillas jump from one crevice to another.
ic Streptococcus spp. can lead to cervical lymphadenitis and Chinchillas should therefore be housed in a large (minimum of
2
abscess formation. Owners who allow their guinea pigs access 1,650 cm floor area per animal), multilevel cage to accommo-
to the yard should also be forewarned about possible herbi- date normal, active behavior. If wire mesh flooring is used, the
cide/pesticide exposure. Overgrazing on lush lawns or fresh mesh size should be small enough to prevent leg entrapment.
grass clippings can result in diarrhea. The recommended diet Some areas of solid flooring should be provided to minimize
for guinea pigs is comprised of guinea pig pellets and high- foot lesions. The optimal temperature range is 16 to 21°C (60
quality grass hay supplemented with fresh vegetables. to 70°F).Temperatures as low as 0°C (32°F) can be tolerated if
the animal has been acclimated. Temperatures greater than
FEEDING NEONATES 27°C (80°F) can result in heatstroke, particularly in the pres-
Newborn guinea pigs are precocious, with teeth, a full coat ence of high humidity (Quesenberry et al, 2004).
and open eyes. Birth weights vary from 60 to 100 g. Neonates Chinchillas are fastidious groomers and should be provided
weighing less than 50 to 60 g rarely survive. Birth weight is with a dust bath for a short time (30 to 60 minutes) each day.
related to genetic characteristics and maternal nutritional sta- Keeping the dustpan dish in the cage continuously results in
tus, and is directly proportional to gestation length and inverse- fecal contamination of the dish and subsequently of the coat,
ly proportional to litter size. Neonatal guinea pigs remain close and can lead to conjunctivitis. Dust can be obtained commer-
to the sow but generally will not nurse for the first 12 to 24 cially and consists of a mixture of 9:1 silver sand to Fuller’s earth
hours and, therefore, should not be force fed during this time. (Jenkins, 1992; Hoefer, 1994).