Guinea pigs as feeders?

[ben-marko]

Has anyone ever used guinea pigs as feeders?

[bcr229]

Yes, for my retics and burm.

[Armiyana]

Guinea pigs tend not to be as popular for feeders because they have a long gestation period and don't tend to have as many offspring as something like a rat or rabbits.

But if you have the availability, people have used them.

[Erie_herps]

Guinea pigs are more expensive than mice/rats for the reason Armiyana mentioned. I think I also remember reading that they can be addictive so if it's only supposed to be a temporary feeder or you want to feed them to snakes that you're going to sell it might not be a great idea. But if you have an inexpensive, consistent supply then you can definitely use them.

[Bogertophis]

Might also be more 'fattening' but not positive about that- just some have said that & I'm sharing the comment for "what it's worth".

[bcr229]

The have a reputation for the adults having more fat versus protein versus rabbits but that's likely because they're smaller as adults than an adult meat rabbit. Typically the older/more mature the feeder the more fat it has.

Two of my retics refused them at first. After about a month of not eating they decided they were hungry enough to try the new feeder. I rotate through piglets, rabbits, guinea pigs, lambs, baby goats, and fowl so they don't get stuck on any one feeder.