Hartpury University Repository

Chiew, Samantha J.

Butler, Kym L.

Sherwen, Sally L.

Coleman, Grahame J.

Melfi, Vicky

Burns, Alicia

Hemsworth, Paul H.

English

Effect of covering a visitor viewing area window on the behaviour of zoo-housed little penguins (Eudyptula minor)

Greening, Linda

The Effect of Altering Routine Husbandry Factors on Sleep Duration and Memory Consolidation in the Horse

Dorey, Nicole

Ward, Samantha J.

Zoo Animal Learning and Training

Wills, Alison

Canine Hydrotherapy: Rehabilitations and Performance

Sutherland, William J.

Alvarez-Castañeda, Sergio Ticul

Amano, Tatsuya

Ambrosini, Roberto

Atkinson, Philip

Baxter, John M.

Bond, Alexander L.

Boon, Philip J.

Buchanan, Katherine L.

Barlow, Jos

Bogliani, Giuseppe

Bragg, Olivia M.

Burgman, Mark

Cadotte, Marc W.

Calver, Michael

Cooke, Steven J.

Corlett, Richard T.

Devictor, Vincent

Ewen, John G.

Fisher, Martin

Freeman, Guy

Game, Edward

Godley, Brendan J.

Gortázar, Christian

Hartley, Ian R.

Hawksworth, David L.

Hobson, Keith A.

Lu, Ming Lun

Martín-López, Berta

Ma, Keping

Machado, Antonio

Maes, Dirk

Mangiacotti, Marco

McCafferty, Dominic J.

Melfi, Victoria

Molur, Sanjay

Moore, Allen J.

Murphy, Stephen D.

Norris, Darren

van Oudenhoven, Alexander P.E.

Powers, Jennifer

Rees, Eileen C.

Schwartz, Mark W.

Storch, Ilse

Wordley, Claire

Ensuring tests of conservation interventions build on existing literature

Fernandes, John F. T.

Lamb, Kevin L.

Twist, Craig

Low Body Fat Does Not Influence Recovery after Muscle-Damaging Lower-Limb Plyometrics in Young Male Team Sport Athletes

Bornemann, Darcy

Why Do People Own Horses?:The experiences of highly involved dressage horse owners in the United Kingdom

The impact of husbandry on the welfare of pet guinea pigs in the UK 
Guinea pigs are a commonly kept pet in the United Kingdom (UK) with an estimated 0.4 million 
currently owned based on pet ownership statistics [1]. Whilst the numbers of guinea pigs kept as 
pets are only slightly lower than for rabbits (0.6 million), comparatively little research has been 
conducted to investigate the health and welfare of this species in the domestic environment. When 
considering guinea pigs as a potential pet, there is a lot of information in the public domain from pet 
shops, pet food companies and animal charities. However, it is not clear how much of this 
information is evidence-based and owners may be accessing information of variable quality. 
There are a number of factors that may impact the welfare of pet guinea pigs and incorrect 
husbandry and diet can commonly lead to ill health [2]. Furthermore, guinea pigs have specific social 
requirements and the presence of a conspecific has been shown to reduce stress [3]. This is 
important, as stress has also been implicated in common pathologies of guinea pigs, including the 
development of respiratory disease [4]. Some pertinent aspects of guinea pig husbandry have only 
been established more recently, for example, rabbits are no longer considered acceptable 
companions. Rabbits exhibit different social behaviours to guinea pigs, have the potential to injure 
them and can harbour diseases to which guinea pigs are susceptible [2,5].  
A recent study identified that dental disease was the most common problem observed in guinea pigs 
presented to a veterinary practice [6], therefore, diet is paramount in maintaining good health and 
welfare in this species. In addition to requiring a constant supply of hay to promote tooth wear [7] 
and maintain gastrointestinal health [8], guinea pigs also require a dietary source of vitamin C to 
prevent the development of scurvy [9]. Housing of rabbits has received some attention in the 
published literature, with research concluding that rabbits did not always have access to exercise 
space, conspecifics or an appropriate diet [10]. Harrup and Rooney have now expanded this work to 
investigate the welfare state of guinea pigs kept as pets in the UK [11].  
Harrup and Rooney utilised a 63 question online survey for owners to measure potential indicators 
of welfare, both health and behavioural, and aspects of housing and husbandry of pet guinea pigs. In 
designing the survey, the authors posed questions to assess whether owners were meeting each of 
the five welfare needs stipulated in the Animal Welfare Act (2006) [12]. The authors were able to 
achieve a high response rate of 4590 participants which equated to an estimated 3.5% of the UK 
guinea pig population. In terms of companionship, Harrup and Rooney discovered that the majority 
of guinea pigs were purchased with a conspecific, with only 9.0% purchased with the intent to house 
alone and only 0.8% initially housed with a rabbit. This suggests that the message that rabbits do not 
make good companions for guinea pigs is reaching prospective pet owners, but some may still 
believe it acceptable to house guinea pigs as a lone animal. Harrup and Rooney reported a 
significantly higher behaviour score in guinea pigs that lived with a companion indicating that these 
animals may experience better welfare. Furthermore, larger enclosure sizes resulted in the 
demonstration of more positive behaviours. This is consistent with findings in rabbits that indicated 
larger enclosures resulted in an increased behavioural repertoire [13]. 
Whilst the majority of pet guinea pigs were housed indoors throughout the year, most did have 
access to a run or exercise area regardless of whether they were kept indoors or outdoors. Indoor 
housing may be beneficial for maintaining guinea pigs at their preferred temperature range of 18 to 
26°C, particularly during the colder months in the UK, and protecting against extremes in 
temperature that may predispose respiratory disease [4,14]. Interestingly, hay was the most 
commonly used bedding material (72.4%) ahead of wood shavings or fleece bedding (Fig 1). Whilst 
hay has been reported to be a suitable substrate for guinea pigs, it is not particularly absorbent, but 
does avoid the respiratory issues that have been associated with the use of wood shavings [4]. 
Harrup and Rooney discovered that ad libitum hay was available to 72.8% of guinea pigs, but it is 
concerning that this figure was not higher given the importance of hay for dental wear and 
gastrointestinal health [7,8]. The majority of guinea pigs (99.1%) were fed a pelleted diet (Fig 2), with 
most owners supplementing vitamin C in some form which is consistent with previous research [15]. 
However, most owners opted for pellets with added vitamin C as their primary provision which could 
represent a concern given the propensity for the vitamin C to oxidize once fortified feed has been 
opened [16]. Nonetheless, many owners did also provide fresh vegetables meaning that guinea pigs 
may have received additional vitamins via these foodstuffs (Fig 3). Harrup and Rooney found that 
guinea pigs fed green vegetables had lower levels of reported health issues, likely due to many 
vegetables providing a good source of ascorbic acid [17].  Green vegetables (kale, cabbage, broccoli 
etc.) were fed to 69.9% of guinea pigs at least daily and were fed more often than other vegetables 
such as carrots and cucumber. Some owners reported allowing their guinea pigs constant access to 
green vegetables which is of interest as some green leafy vegetables are high in calcium and high 
calcium diets have been proposed as a factor in the development of urolithiasis in guinea pigs 
[17,18].  
In the study by Harrup and Rooney, most owners only presented guinea pigs to the veterinary 
practice if they felt that their animal was unwell, this is unsurprising given that guinea pigs have no 
routine vaccinations that would necessitate a yearly visit [9]. The authors suggest that whilst few 
owners instigated a six-monthly veterinary check-up, this would be considered a best practice 
approach. Considering that guinea pigs are prey animals that often hide signs of disease until they 
are seriously unwell, regular check-ups may be advisable. In addition, not all owners appeared able 
to accurately assess the severity of health issues in order to ascertain the need for urgent veterinary 
attention. Less than half of the respondents to Harrup and Rooney’s survey felt that anorexia was a 
symptom that required same day veterinary attention. Anorexia is in fact a medical emergency in 
guinea pigs as gastrointestinal stasis, fluid and electrolyte imbalances and hepatic lipidosis can 
develop soon after small herbivores stop eating [19].  
Key conclusions that can be drawn from the paper by Harrup and Rooney are that whilst guinea pig 
owners may be well informed on some aspects of health and husbandry, further knowledge 
dissemination is warranted. The welfare of pet guinea pigs may be compromised through the use of 
too-small enclosures and the lack of provision of an appropriate companion.  
What you need to know  
 Guinea pig owners may not be well informed on the space requirements for housing, nor the 
need for social interaction with appropriate conspecifics. 
 Most guinea pig owners do supplement their guinea pig with vitamin C, but owners provide 
this in different ways, so ascertaining that an animal is receiving an adequate dietary source 
may be prudent. 
 Inappropriate housing and companionship results in a decrease in positive behaviours in 
guinea pigs which may indicate a poor welfare state. 
 Guinea pig owners cannot always determine whether specific medical issues or clinical signs 
constitute an emergency, so may present guinea pigs to the veterinary practice in a serious 
condition.  
Figure Captions 
Fig 1. Guinea pig on hay bedding 
Fig 2. Guinea pig fed a pellet based diet 
Fig 3. Guinea pig fed fresh vegetables 
 
Alison P. Wills, PhD, BSc (Hons), Department of Animal and Agriculture, Hartpury University, 
Gloucestershire, GL19 3BE 
References 
1  PMFA. Pet Population 2019. 2019.https://www.pfma.org.uk/pet-population-2018 (accessed 
21 Jun 2019). 
2  Fawcett A. Management of husbandry-related problems in guinea pigs. In Practice 
2011;33:163–71.  
3  Sachser N, Dürschlag M, Hirzel D. Social relationships and the management of stress. 
Psychoneuroendocrinology 1998;23:891–904. 
4  Yarto-Jaramillo E. Respiratory system anatomy, physiology, and disease: guinea pigs and 
chinchillas. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice 2011;14:339–55. 
5  Rougier S, Galland D, Boucher S, et al. Epidemiology and susceptibility of pathogenic bacteria 
responsible for upper respiratory tract infections in pet rabbits. Veterinary Microbiology 
2006;115:192–8.  
6  Minarikova A, Hauptman K, Jeklova E, et al. Diseases in pet guinea pigs: a retrospective study 
in 1000 animals. The Veterinary record 2015;177:200.  
7  Reiter AM. Pathophysiology of Dental Disease in the Rabbit, Guinea Pig, and Chinchilla. 
Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine 2008;17:70–7.  
8  DeCubellis J, Graham J. Gastrointestinal disease in guinea pigs and rabbits. Veterinary Clinics 
of North America: Exotic Animal Practice 2013;16:421–35. 
9  Meredith A. Guinea pigs: common things are common. Veterinary Record 2015;177:198–9. 
doi:10.1136/vr.h4465 
10  Rooney NJ, Blackwell EJ, Mullan SM, et al. The current state of welfare, housing and 
husbandry of the English pet rabbit population. BMC Research Notes 2014;7:942.  
11  Harrup A, Rooney NJ. Current welfare state of pet guinea pigs in the UK. Veterinary Record 
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12  Animal Welfare Act. 2006. Statute Law Database 2006.  
13  Dixon LM, Hardiman JR, Cooper JJ. The effects of spatial restriction on the behavior of rabbits 
(Oryctolagus cuniculus). Journal of veterinary behavior 2010;5:302–8. 
14  Donnelly TM, Brown CJ. Guinea pig and chinchilla care and husbandry. Veterinary Clinics of 
North America - Exotic Animal Practice 2004;7:351–73.  
15  Norman R, Wills AP. An investigation into the relationship between owner knowledge, diet, 
and dental disease in Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Animals 2016;6.  
16  Donnelly TM. Guinea Pigs. MSD Manual. 2020.https://www.msdvetmanual.com/exotic-and-
laboratory-animals/rodents/guinea-pigs?query=guinea pigs (accessed 5 Feb 2020). 
17  Riggs SM. Guinea pigs. In: Manual of exotic pet practice. Elsevier 2009. 456–73. 
18  Johnson-Delaney CA. Rabbit Respiratory System: Clinical Anatomy, Physiology and Disease. 
Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice 2011;14:257–66.  
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of North America: Exotic Animal Practice 2016;19:411–29. 
 


Impact of husbandry on the welfare of pet guinea pigs in the UK

Hobbs, Sarah J.

St. George, Lindsay

Reed, J.

Stockley, R.

Thetford, C.

Sinclair, Jonathan

Williams, Jane

Nankervis, Kathryn

Clayton, H.

A scoping review of determinants of performance in dressage

Pyatt, Alison Z

Walley, Keith

Wright, Gillian H

Bleach, Emma C L

Co-Produced Care in Veterinary Services: A Qualitative Study of UK Stakeholders' Perspectives