Feeding and breeding of laboratory animals III. Observations on the feeding of guinea-pigs

Abstract

1. A dry pelleted diet is described which, supplemented with fresh greenstuff, dried cabbage, or ascorbic acid, is highly satisfactory for the growth and maintenance of guinea-pigs.2. No evidence could be found that the pelleted diet alone was deficient in any other factor than vitamin C required by guinea-pigs, fresh greens and dehydrated cabbage being effective because of their high content of this vitamin.3. Vitamin C added to the diet as crystalline ascorbic acid or as present in dried lucerne meal is mostly destroyed by the pelleting process and is further reduced during storage.4. The aim of evolving a dry pelleted stable diet completely adequate for guinea-pigs has not yet been realized.It is a pleasure to acknowledge our indebtedness to Miss M. Olliver, Messrs Chivers & Sons Ltd., who carried out the ascorbic acid determinations and gave us much valuable advice.Our thanks are also due to Roche Products, who gave us the ascorbic acid, to the Director of Messrs Chivers & Sons Ltd. for the generous gift of 1 cwt. of standard dehydrated cabbage, to the Dehydration Division of the Ministry of Food for supplying two samples of sub-standard dehydrated cabbage, and to Mr D. G. Short, senior technician in charge of the animals at the Institute, who prepared the small-scale diets.