Grey the Guinea

When you think of an animal shelter, you probably think of dogs and cats. I was the same way until I started getting involved with one. At the shelter, there is everything from pet mice to birds. Of course, we have dogs and cats as well. All animals at the shelter get the same attention by staff and volunteers, especially when it has to do with their health. Critters need cared for, too! Today, Grey, a guinea pig currently up for adoption, was in for a regular check up. 

Grey, the friendly & adorable guinea pig! 

Critter check-ups are very similar to dog/cat check ups in a lot of ways, but they do have their own specifics that need special attention. For example, guinea pigs are hindgut fermenters meaning most of their digestive function occurs in their cecum and large intestine (or lower/hind gut). Most monogastric (single-stomached) animals that eat a lot of fiber in their diet digest their food the same way (such as horses and rabbits). I found out today, that it is important to recognize which animals are hindgut fermenters because you should actually be able to hear the digestive juices flowing! I learned how to take a stethoscope, place it on their lower abdomen where the lower digestive system is at, and listen for digestion. Grey, I learned, had very consistent digestive sounds. He was very patient with me while I practiced telling the difference between all the sounds you can hear through the stethoscope. It only took a couple comparisons to distinguish the sound of air going in and out the lungs and the sound of Grey digesting. Another important thing that we looked at was Grey's teeth. Guinea pigs have very prominent incisors. There should be two mandibular (bottom) teeth and two maxillary (top) teeth. If a guinea pig doesn't have a sufficient amount of things to chew on in their habitat, the teeth can actually grow long enough to puncture the roof of their mouth and cause sores. 

Showing how far back the molars are.

That wasn't the case with Grey, though! At the the shelter, we have all sorts of enrichment offered in the critters' habitats including houses, hay balls, tubes to climb through, and lots of chewing blocks/toys. His teeth were perfectly healthy. One thing that I found really interesting is that guinea pigs actually have molars in the back of their mouth that aren't so prominent or obvious. We use a nifty tool in the lab to look in the back of their mouth to make sure they are intact, not too long and unbroken. This tool separated Grey's buccal pads (cheeks!) so we could get a better look at his molars. It also has a light on the end of it allowing even more visual capability. 


I love learning new and interesting things about all of the amazing animals we care for at the shelter. I have definitely learned way more about them through the process of caring for them than I would have any other way. Grey was a fabulous guinea pig (pun intended) for me to learn about not only their digestive system but also their mouth!