# Feeding guinea pigs???



## congo_python (Aug 8, 2006)

Hi Guys 
I want to know everybodys OPINION on feeding guinea pigs to your pythons, as i've hear down the grape vine that they actually collect some bad bacteria on the pads of their feet, and that it is not good to feed them to your python due to this - opinions and previous feeding experience would be great. Q???

Congo :?:


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## stencorp69 (Aug 8, 2006)

Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, Rats, Quails, mice, Chicken feed them all to pythons without any issues. Gut acid should generally kill most bacteria in a healthy python


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## hazzard (Aug 8, 2006)

*Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*



stencorp69 said:


> Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, Rats, Quails, mice, Chicken feed them all to pythons without any issues. Gut acid should generally kill most bacteria in a healthy python



While we are going with domestic pets, Cats, Dogs, Goats (oops) :shock: 

But seriously Guinea Pigs are fine if the come from a clean cultured environment. If they are frozen and thawed jus snip the pads off if your worried. I fed plenty of them!


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## Bigblackdog (Aug 8, 2006)

Funny, I've been wondering the same thing...mice, rats, rabbits but no guinea pigs?


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## OdessaStud (Aug 8, 2006)

Past experience has shown me that getting a python to eat a guinea pig is not as easy as getting them to eat a rat or mouse.I was always of the belief that guinea pigs are not as good a food source as rodents or fowl and are generally harder to digest.Guinea pigs are bigger,smell 100 times worse and have smaller litters than rats and mice do,they are also not as easy to care for.Rodents and fowl are a common food source I believe because they are more readily available,cheaper,and a known food for snakes ect,I dont think there are guinea pigs in the wild so id have to asume that they are not a prefered diet either!!!
Only my opion!!
Odessa


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## hazzard (Aug 8, 2006)

*Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*



hazzard said:


> stencorp69 said:
> 
> 
> > Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, Rats, Quails, mice, Chicken feed them all to pythons without any issues. Gut acid should generally kill most bacteria in a healthy python
> ...



Must off had a hard day at work (that above reads shocking) :shock:


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## Nagraj (Aug 8, 2006)

*Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*



OdessaStud said:


> I dont think there are guinea pigs in the wild so id have to asume that they are not a prefered diet either!!!




Guinea pigs originated in South America and AFAIK still exist there in the wild. I'm not sure if there are pythons in that area but there are almost certainly other types of snakes there which prey on them.


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## congo_python (Aug 8, 2006)

*RE: Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*

Won't be going to those extremes Hazzard as Stevencorp69 said gut acids will kill most bacteria and this makes sense, but Hazzard how many 'pigglets' does the average guinea pig have in a litter?

Congo


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## AxSnake (Aug 8, 2006)

*RE: Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*

Guinea pigs litters are only very small: 1-4 in a litter. I have only ever heard of one litter of 5.


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## congo_python (Aug 8, 2006)

*RE: Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*

small litters but how many litters do they have in a year as rats will on average have six a year?

Congo


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## OdessaStud (Aug 8, 2006)

*RE: Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*

Guinea pigs are just as prolific breeding as rats and mice are,but unlike rats and mice they do tend to have more health issues when continually bred from.Im not advocating breeding rodents monthly either but they can handle more consecutive litters better than guinea pigs can.


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## centralian11 (Aug 8, 2006)

*RE: Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*

guinea pigs have a gestation periodof 63 days .therefore while they mate immediately on giving birth similar to rats and mice with thier small litters and much longer gestation period one female will only produce 20 young in a year. that would be in the extreme.one female rat will produce 50 young in 1 year if required.
also i was told that guinea pig fur is much harder for a snake to digestas the personage of fur is much greater in cavies. just my opinion


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## congo_python (Aug 8, 2006)

*RE: Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*

Thankx for the advice Odessastud new to the guinea pig realm. Any other opinions on feeding guinea pigs.

Congo


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## stencorp69 (Aug 8, 2006)

*RE: Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*



> also i was told that guinea pig fur is much harder for a snake to digestas the personage of fur is much greater in cavies. just my opinion



Maybe, maybe not, but the fur can't be any harder than native marsupials which many pythons feed on. The key for feeding my pythons is getting good food cheaply and for Morelia and bigger they'll thrive on Guinea's if that's all that is available.


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## hazzard (Aug 8, 2006)

Sometimes there is a little fur left over (in faeces). I just feed them whole. I like to vary the diet of my animals. Alternate rats, chickens/quails and the occasional guinea pig or small rabbit (when given one).

As for breeding them. Big enclosure 20 adults (plenty of offspring).


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## cris (Aug 8, 2006)

If you need something that size just go for kittens IMO.


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## hazzard (Aug 8, 2006)

Are you breeding them? How much do you charge  

You breed - I'll feed - That's my motto


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## adbacus (Aug 8, 2006)

There was also a thread earlier in the year stating that guinea pigs store a higher fat content than other rodents and that they should only feed them to your pythons occassionally.


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## hazzard (Aug 8, 2006)

adbacus said:


> There was also a thread earlier in the year stating that guinea pigs store a higher fat content than other rodents and that they should only feed them to your pythons occassionally.



Exactly what I do, as mentioned earlier. The occasional rabbit or guniea pig. Vary it up, that's the way I like to go. All those juicy amino acids. :twisted:


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## AntaresiaLady (Aug 9, 2006)

There are some known places where cavies have established a little colony or two...they're usually made up originally of escapees and unwanted pets. 

And they also are native to South America, and do still exist in wild colonies. South Americans have been known to eat them. I believe there is (or was) a restaurant in South Australia somewhere at which cavies are on the menu. Seriously!


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## cris (Aug 9, 2006)

> Are you breeding them? How much do you charge
> 
> You breed - I'll feed - That's my motto


nah no way id be breeding cats, you can get them for free pretty easy just look in the trading post or something. I dont have anything that needs food that size at the moment but they would be healthier food than fat old rats IMO.


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## AntaresiaLady (Aug 9, 2006)

Is it legal to feed your snake items like cats? I wouldn't have thought so....but I may be off base.


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## cris (Aug 9, 2006)

> Is it legal to feed your snake items like cats? I wouldn't have thought so....but I may be off base.


Dont see why it would be any differant to using rats but some ppl are a bit weird, especially those who make laws and stuff. Its perfectly legal to kill cats so i cant see why you couldnt use them as food.
Im not talking about other ppl pets either, im refering to unwanted animals.


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## AntaresiaLady (Aug 9, 2006)

You're allowed to kill cats?


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## cris (Aug 9, 2006)

> You're allowed to kill cats?


Yes, provided you make all reasonable effort to ensure a humane kill. If it was in your control i would imagine a quick blow to the head or co2 would be the only acceptable methods.


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## AntaresiaLady (Aug 9, 2006)

Wow...I didn't know you were allowed to do that. 

Under what circumstances is that acceptable? I don't suppose they'd allow you to breed them for food.


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## cris (Aug 9, 2006)

They are not a protected species you can do what ever you want with them provided you are not cruel and obviously it cant be someones pet either.
They are also a feral pest species too thats where the "provided you make all reasonable effort to ensure a humane kill" part comes in as you could bait for them on a rural property for example.



> I don't suppose they'd allow you to breed them for food.


I dont think that would be economically viable, but i cant see why it would be any differant legally to breeding rats or guinea pigs.

sorry for hijacking the guinea pig thread


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## krusty (Aug 9, 2006)

my pythons love guinea pigs,and no prob,s so far.
but all my pigs are frozen.


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## Hickson (Aug 9, 2006)

*Re: RE: Re: RE: Feeding guinea pigs???*



centralian11 said:


> also i was told that guinea pig fur is much harder for a snake to digestas the personage of fur is much greater in cavies. just my opinion



I don't think it's too hard to digest, but the fur is fairly course, compared to other animal's fur, and it can be difficult to swallow. Rabbits are a better option, as their silky fine fur means the snake has no trouble at all.



Hix


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## pythoness (Aug 9, 2006)

young guinea's should be fine as long as there not the long haired kind, but they get very fat very quickly, they are fuzzy cows and eat all day long, so any more than about 9-12 months old will run to fat and might have too much fat for pythons, however the young are fine, and full of bone for calcium  ( i have kept and bred guinea's for aver 20 years, but not as snake food )


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## waruikazi (Aug 9, 2006)

The biggest problem that i have had when feeding my snakes guinea pigs is that when you hit them on the head with a big stick they squeal and make you feel like you are less of a human.


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## Moreliaman (Aug 9, 2006)

Has anyone seen the guinea pig's they breed in brazil for food ? They are bloddy huge !!!


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## Moreliaman (Aug 9, 2006)

waruikazi said:


> The biggest problem that i have had when feeding my snakes guinea pigs is that when you hit them on the head with a big stick they squeal and make you feel like you are less of a human.



Use a bigger stick then !


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## pythoness (Aug 9, 2006)

i just couldn't kill them, i just can't kill anything, i'm such a sook


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## Pythoninfinite (Aug 9, 2006)

Snakes don't digest any sort of fur, regardless of what animals it comes from, fine, coarse, or in between. The fur is just balled-up in the gut and makes up a larger part of the faeces than the other stuff - if you look hard you'll also find the claws of the food animals as well - made up of the same stuff as the fur. An essential part of the diet though for most mammal-eating snakes.

Jamie.


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## congo_python (Aug 9, 2006)

Thyankx for all the replys guys i might look into breeding some pigs for a bonus to my pythons diets.

Congo


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## snakehunter (Aug 9, 2006)

Probably better off breeding rabbits? 
As the saying goes they 'breed like rabbits'


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## pythoness (Aug 9, 2006)

Unless congo is from queensland, and then he'd have no luck breeding rabbits ;P


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## Magpie (Aug 9, 2006)

GP's need to be fed fresh fruit, veg or vegetation regularly as they cannot synthesise vitamin C.
They also have very small litters and usually only 2 or 3 a year.
If you have some as pets and feed the babies off it's worth it, but they are not worth breeding as a food source.


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