Guinea Pigs as food

[morpheus21]

Hi,
I was wondering if anybody breeds or feeds guinea pigs to their snakes? asking as I think they seem to be a good size for larger snakes instead of giving them rats. please let me know if you have done this or know of anyone else who has.

thanx.

 

[africancichlidau]

We breed Guinea Pigs but don't use them as food items. I have heard that the fur is not too good for snakes but have also been told that it is OK.

 

[gbskda]

Hi Morpheus21,
My misses breeds Guinea pigs so when ever we get more Male Guinea pigs that we want I feed them to my Female Diamond, I personally like to feed them to my diamond as they are more timid than rats (if I feed live ones) and less chances as my baby getting bitten.
But I have found out that Guinea pigs don't breed that fast compered to rats or rabbits, so it is good for a change of taste.
Regards
Grant

 

[SnakeBabe]

I think variety is good but they are on the fattier side. Since I have a reptile rescue they make for great food when I have a recovering snake I'm trying to get some weight on. Also, their fur is denser than rabbits or rats and harder to digest. I do feed them to my snakes once in awhile as a change and have never had a problem. I just keep those temps up a little higher if I feed guinea pigs.
Maria

 

[Guest]

Last year I purchased a diamond python which had scale rot, spoke to a well known breeder here on the C/Coast about this problem and best way to treat it, I was advised to up the heat and 'powerfeed' to induce shed which would heal the scale rot, at this stage I was feeding fresh killed guinea pigs, within two weeks, he'd shed and was in perfect condition.
I advise against feeding live and best to cut the claws cause they can cause some serious injuries internally (and externally if fed live).
Overall, I noticed no problems.

 

[Magpie]

I am trying at the moment to get hold of some female guinea pigs to start up a breeding program. They are damn dificult to get up here. The plan is to feed off the males and sell the females, that way they will more than pay for themselves and there is plenty of market for the girls. They will be used as a variety type food, not an all the time food source, maybe one feed in 5 or something. They do breed alot slower than rats or mice, with a 7 week gestational period, but also they are born bigger and grow to a 500g size very quickly. Litters are also a lot smaller than rats, with 2-7 the norm I believe.
I have 2 questions to anyone who knows anything about this:
1) Why is it said that GP fur is a problem for snakes? In my experience, snakes don't digest most of the fur from the rats they eat. A close inspection of a big adults defecation usually shows the brown part of it to mostly be undigested fur, so is this extra fibre a problem for them?

2) Why are GP claws a problem? Big rats also have big sharp claws and also teeth that are often sharper than knives. Is this something that has been experienced by people in the past and this knowledge has been handed down or does anyone know where this came from?

Now, please note, I am not disagreeing with either of these things, I am just curious if anyone knows the justification for them.

 

[africancichlidau]

Haven't got a clue about the claws bit Maggie but I have heard, and I stress HEARD, that GP fur is coarse enough to cause impaction problems. The only thing I can think of is that rat fur is softer and therefore passes through easier than GP fur. Just a thought and I have nothing to back it up with. What do the rest of you herpers think?
P.S. I think you'll find that gestation period for GP's is 68 days.

 

[Guest]

I know ppl that feed there scrubs adult guinea pigs.

 

[morpheus21]

thanx for all the replies people. been a great help.
i'm pretty sure that rat fur is finer and softer than guinea pig fur aswell.

thanx

 

[Magpie]

I hang my head in shame...
I meant 7 ten day weeks I knew it was 70 days, but managed to get 7 weeks from that.

 

[africancichlidau]

Lol. thats OK maggie you are forgiven, even if you do wear gloves

 

[Magpie]

Nah, I'll never forgive myself.