What are the nutritional benefits of the guinea pig? A detailed analysis of its nutritional characteristics

[Aliases] Dutch pig, Dutch rat, guinea pig; it is called "black guinea pig" because its entire body is black

[Place of origin] The black guinea pig originated in the Peru region of South America

[Category] Mammalian herbivore

In ancient China there was already a custom of eating black guinea pig meat, and it was selected into the famous Chinese recipe books as a high-grade wild game dish. The Song dynasty poet and gourmet Su Dongpo regretted all his life that he never got to taste guinea pig meat, and wrote a poem saying: “Caught in the pen, ashamed and unable to eat.” The deliciousness of black guinea pig meat is confirmed by the saying “turtledove in the sky, guinea pig on the ground.”

The nutritional value of the guinea pig

Dual use as medicine and food. Black guinea pig meat is delicious and tender, easy to digest and absorb, and is regarded by the public as a “treasure for strengthening the body”; its fur can be processed and used.

The black guinea pig is a multi-purpose herbivore; its meat is tender and delicious, belongs to the low-fat, low-cholesterol category of meats, has a strong wild-game character, is rich in protein, and contains 17 kinds of amino acids and various trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus and iron, as well as abundant melanin and the anti-cancer elements zinc and selenium. Its trace element iron content is 3 times that of soft-shelled turtle, making it the best tonic for women in childbirth and after surgery (its effect far exceeds that of soft-shelled turtle and black-boned chicken). Black guinea pig meat is an ideal nutritional tonic and health food; nutrition experts call the black guinea pig beauty meat for women, fitness meat for young people, nourishing meat for children, and anti-aging meat for the elderly. Black guinea pig meat has a fairly obvious dietary therapeutic effect on stomach disease, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and so on; in addition, zinc, selenium and other elements have anti-cancer effects. Therefore it is an ideal natural nourishing health product, with effects such as nourishing the body, improving complexion and strengthening yang, and it has a good regulating effect on malnutrition, anemia, insomnia, poor appetite, fatigue and so on. Eaten regularly, it can also effectively balance the various nutrients the body needs, promote normal secretion and metabolism in the body, and enhance immunity.

Rearing methods for the guinea pig

1. Rearing facilities

There are many ways to rear guinea pigs, adapted to local conditions; the methods commonly used are: cage rearing, pool-style pen rearing, and three-dimensional large-scale factory farming.

① Cage rearing: this rearing method can be used for small-scale rearing. Its advantages are that it can control breeding and feeding and maintain cleanliness and hygiene. The cage can be made of wooden strips, bamboo slats or iron wire, with a suitable size of 60 cm × 50 cm × 40 cm.

② Pool-style pen rearing: suitable for use in single-story houses with a wide room. The room is divided with bricks, wooden boards, etc. into pools with an area of 0.5-1 sq m; it is best to spread some wood shavings or dry grass in the pool, which helps keep it warm and absorb moisture. At present this method is mostly used for rearing.

③ Three-dimensional factory rearing: this is larger in scale and relatively concentrated, easy to manage and operate, and allows rearing of large numbers. Bricks, wood or iron bars are made into 3-5 tiers, with the bottom slightly slanted so that droppings flow out, making management convenient. The pools and cages have small doors. For the various rearing methods, generally the density per sq m is 8-10 animals for the small density and 10-20 animals for the large density.

2. Feed supply

The guinea pig has very omnivorous feeding habits, and normal growth, development and reproduction all require sufficient nutrition. Because the guinea pig is a herbivore with a relatively high digestion rate for crude fiber, if it is not given green feed or dry grass and other plants for a long time, skin peeling will occur, so the feed supply should combine concentrate and green feed appropriately.

① Concentrate: the concentrate is mainly corn meal, wheat bran, rice bran, etc.; piglet pellet feed can also be fed;

② Green feed: fresh tender grass, such as elephant grass, corn leaves, sugarcane leaves, tree leaves, green vegetables, fruit peels, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.

3. Guinea pig rearing management

Rearing management is the key to guinea pig breeding, with the focus on preventing feed from becoming moldy or spoiled. Compound feed is best mixed and fed as needed; when pellet feed is fed directly, clean water should be provided for drinking, or the feed should be mixed and fed, with small meals more often, about 40 grams of daily ration per adult, fed twice a day, keeping the feeding trough clean and hygienic. After feeding concentrate, fresh green feed should be put in at the same time; green feed is best cut and fed on the same day, with each adult eating about 250 grams of green feed per day, and green feed contaminated by pesticides and the like must be prevented from being fed.

The rearing room should be kept quiet, droppings should be cleaned up every day, and utensils should be scrubbed clean regularly. The room temperature is best kept at 18-25°C, with a relative humidity of 45-55%, and good warmth protection should be done in winter. Prevent rodents and snakes from entering the rearing room, and create a comfortable environment for the guinea pigs.

4. Guinea pig breeding

Through preliminary observation, females show sexual characteristics at about 45 days after birth and males at about 70 days, but the first mating period for females should be after 70 days to ensure the reproduction rate.

The estrus period of the female lasts 1-18 hours; after mating, there is a rubber-like plug and a secreted mixture at the vaginal opening, and whether the guinea pig has mated successfully can be judged by the presence or absence of this plug. In large-group rearing, 2-3 females are mostly used, with one male put in for mating; do not put in more than 2 males at the same time for breeding, otherwise fighting will be caused and mating will be affected. During rearing, if same-generation inbred variant stock appears, distant-related robust males and females should be swapped in to increase the degree of pure breeding; if used for original-stock breeding, the method of one male to one female distant-related mating can be used. The female can be mated immediately after giving birth and weaning, or within half a day after giving birth, a male can be put in for mating; if successful, the reproduction rate can be increased.

The gestation period of the guinea pig is 56-68 days, the litter size is 1-6 young, or as many as 3-15; the young guinea pigs begin to eat 3-5 days after birth and are weaned at about 15-20 days, then reared separately.