CHAPTER FIFTEEN REVIEW QUESTIONS

  1. What is the genus and species name of the guinea pig?
  2. What country do guinea pigs come from?
  3. What is a male guinea pig called?
  4. What are the most common types of guinea pigs seen in practice?
  5. What behavioral characteristics make the guinea pig a good pet?
  6. What is meant by the fact that guinea pigs are neophobic?
  7. What behavior is exhibited in a frightened guinea pig?
  8. True or false. Vocalizations are uncommon in guinea pigs.
  9. How many canines does a guinea pig have?
  10. Which portion of the intestinal tract is particularly large in guinea pigs?
  11. Which teeth in the guinea pig are open-rooted?
  12. Why should guinea pigs be bred prior to six months of age?
  13. At what age do guinea pigs reach breeding age?
  14. What does the presence of a copulatory plug indicate?
  15. True or false. Just like chinchillas, guinea pig young are born precocious.
  16. How long does it take for a baby guinea pig to eat from a bowl?
  17. True or false. Because guinea pigs do not climb or jump, a lid is not necessary on their cage.
  18. True or false. With regard to husbandry, guinea pigs are considered messy.
  19. Which types of guinea pigs may need occasional grooming?
  20. What vitamin must be supplemented in the guinea pig?
  21. What is considered to be an appropriate diet for a guinea pig?
  22. What disease seen in guinea pigs is due to a vitamin C deficiency?
  23. What causes “lumps” in guinea pigs?
  24. Which antibiotic cannot be given to guinea pigs?
  25. True or false. A guinea pig should always be restrained using two hands.
  26. What anesthetic is recommended in guinea pigs?
  27. What coccidian can be found in guinea pigs?
  28. True or false. As in other rodents, the anogenital distance is a reliable sex indicator.
  29. Where are intramuscular injections given in guinea pigs?

ANSWER KEY

  1. Caviaporcellus
  2. South America
  3. A boar
  4. Abyssinian, English, Peruvian, American
  5. They are docile and rarely bite.
  6. They mistrust new foods or changes in routine.
  7. If in groups they will stampede or suddenly “freeze” in one position for a few minutes.
  8. False. They are extremely vocal.
  9. Zero.
  10. The cecum.
  11. All are.
  12. After six months the fibrocartilaginoussymphysis pubis will be less able to separate during partutrition, resulting in a dystocia.
  13. Three months of age.
  14. That breeding has occurred.
  15. True
  16. Less than one day.
  17. True only they are housed in an environment with dogs and cats.
  18. True
  19. The longer haired types-Abyssinian and Peruvian.
  20. Vitamin C
  21. Hay, commercial pellets fortified with vitamin C, and fresh vegetables.
  22. Scurvy.
  23. Swellings on the neck from abscessed lymph nodes.
  24. Penicillin
  25. True
  26. Isoflurane via face mask.
  27. Cryptosporidium
  28. False.
  29. In the large hindlimb muscles.