Glucose preferences in wild and domestic guinea pigs

Abstract

Male wild (Cavia aperea) and domestic (C. porcellus) guinea pigs were tested in two-bottle choice tests for preferences between glucose solutions of different concentrations and de-ionized water. Wild males showed significant preferences for concentrations between 0.025 and 0.4 M glucose while domestic males preferred only the 0.2 M glucose solution to de-ionized water. C. aperea males also consumed significantly greater volumes of liquid per kg body wt. 3 4 during the glucose tests than did the C. porcellus males. These comparative results contrast sharply with those obtained by other authors with wild and domestic Norway rats.