Notes for breeders of common laboratory animals / edited by George Porter and W. Lane-Petter.

Date:
1962
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Notes for breeders of common laboratory animals / edited by George Porter and W. Lane-Petter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    37/224 (page 25)
    1. guinea-pigs 25 Size of mesh is of the utmost importance. If the mesh is not the right size, the animals, especially the young ones, are liable to get their legs caught. Experiments have been carried out on different sizes of mesh and it has been found that the most suitable size is 3 in. x | in. It has also been suggested that the strands of wire should all be on one level and not interwoven. (D) Labour Saving A wire-mesh floor may be suspended over a droppings tray, or as in some modern batteries over removable bitumen-lined paper; either method will greatly reduce the amount of labour expended on cleaning out the animals. If trays are used, they can be scrubbed and disin¬ fected then partly filled with sawdust and returned. There is no danger from traces of disinfectant or from sawdust as the animal cannot gain access to the tray. It must be remembered, however, that the wire-mesh floors have to be changed, scrubbed or sterilized regularly. (E) Temperature and Ventilation The temperature must be kept in the region of 65°F, otherwise the animals will get chilled from sitting on the cold wire; also it is of the utmost importance for these units to be in an absolutely draught-free building. (F) Summary With wire-mesh floors the animals are not disturbed by cleaning out. There is less need to handle all animals, and this is especially advan¬ tageous for pregnant sows. If a water-bottle leaks it does not flood the pen or cage. Other points of advantage mentioned are control of infection and saving of labour and bedding. 7. COMMON DISEASES IN GUINEA-PIGS^ (A) Pseudotuberculosis Transmission generally by ingestion; mothers may also infect the young. The infection may be either acute, with death occurring within a few days, or chronic, in which case the whole stock may be infected before detection. i. Visible symptoms. Staring coat, wasting, diarrhoea, rapid breathing and coughing. 1 Compiled from many sources.