Hai dear,
Good morning to all, today i would like to share with some extra stuff that I learn about Guinea Pig. It might be a little bit in English, because I'm trying to make reader from other country easily understand of what I'm post in my blog. Hope you all enjoy it, later I will translate it for you. Thank you
The domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) has been bred in captivity for at least 400 years and probably originated in Peru, Argentina, or Brazil . Many laboratory guinea pigs were bred from a strain established by Dunkin and Hartley in 1926 . Unless otherwise indicated, the strain referred to in this chapter is the outbred Hartley.
In its natural habitat this herbivorous animal consumes large quantities of vegetation. The molar teeth are especially suited to grinding and, like other species of rodents, the guinea pig has open-rooted incisors that grow continuously throughout its life. Like the rat, mouse, and rabbit, the guinea pig is simple-stomached; but in contrast to these species, the entire stomach of the guinea pig is lined with glandular epithelium.
The intestine allows the development of predominantly gram-positive bacterial flora, which may contribute to the nutritional requirements of the host perhaps through direct absorption of bacterial metabolites or digestion and absorption of intestinal bacteria and other materials following coprophagy. The guinea pig has a large semicircular cecum with numerous lateral pouches.
This organ resembles that of the rabbit and possibly has similar digestive functions—e.g., synthesis of B vitamins and indispensable amino acids by microorganisms and recycling of intestinal contents by coprophagy. Few serious attempts have been made to determine the contribution of coprophagy to the nutrition of the guinea pig.
Dr.H