Wheekerpedia: C

C is for:

Cambridge Cavy Trust: A charity founded by Vedra Stanley Spatcher that has enthused many people into taking a bigger interest in the welfare of guinea pigs. Probably the most recognised being the late Peter Gurney who went to learn more from Vedra and pass on his knowledge to vets, nurses and members of the public.

Canula: Useful for getting deep into abscesses and flushing. Attach to the end of a syringe (without sharps) and flush. Comes in two types, pink and blue.

Capybara:


A member of the cavy family, also with 20 teeth. The Capybara has many similarities to the guinea pig.

Caramel (Self): A new emerging variety. Colour described as “warm toffee” and distinctly darker than the Beige, eyes light ruby, all other characteristics (eg type etc) to be the same as the Self Cavy.

Catgut: Do NOT let your vet use Catgut when stitching your guinea pig. It has caused allergic reactions in guinea pigs and there are alternatives. Read Cakey’s Story on Gorgeous Guinea’s blog.

Cavy: Another term for ‘guinea pig’.

Cavy Cuisine: A Timothy based pelleted food that is ideally suited to a guinea pigs nutrional needs. Made by Oxbow who conducted research into bladderstones in guinea pigs, a study that involved guinea pigs from the world over.

Caudal Gland: More commonly known as the grease gland, which needs cleaning on some guinea pigs and more commonly on boars. Swarfega (a product used by mechanics to clean grease off their hands) is good for this job. It is only in contact with the skin for a short while so does not present any problems. Found where the tail would normally be.

Cauliflower Willy: Also known as Frilly Willy, the term is self explanatory. The condition doesn’t usually require any extra attention but cleanliness and regular inspection is even more important. It is easier for boars with Cauliflower Willy to become infected in the genital region therefore attention to cleanliness and regular inspection is even more important.

Chemicals: Present in everything, but some are more harmful than others, be aware of the chemicals that you put on your guinea pig’s skin or are in the bedding you use and how long they are in contact with the skin for. Chemicals around guinea pigs (i.e in the home, aerosols etc) can also be harmful.

Chinchilla:

Chinchilla

An emerging variety of guinea pig.

Chubes: A tube big enough for guinea pigs to go through made from chewable vegetable parchment. Available from The Hay Experts.

Cinnamon Agouti: A Silver and Chocolate variety of Agouti with Ruby eyes, chocolate pads and ears.

Collar: A surgical collar is used by some vets for post op guinea pigs. These collars restrict the eating of ’soft pellets’ and are therefore dangerous and should not be used. Stitching should be internal with body glue used to hold the wound together on the outside. Ask your vet about this before the operation.

Colloidal Silver: Good quality Colloidal Silver is useful in aiding the recovery of guinea pigs in some cases.

Companionship:

Guinea pigs are naturally sociable animals

It is a legal requirement of the Animal Welfare Act that the need for companionship is met. Guinea pigs are sociable animals, if they will not socialise with another pig it could be they are incompatible or perhaps there are issues that need to be adressed before a friend will be accepted. Reputable resources will adress these issues and do not rehome “single guinea pigs” (to live alone, no matter how close they are to other guinea pigs).

Coronet:

Lilac Tri Coloured Coronet


A long haired variety of guinea pig with hair that sweeps back off the face and a crest/rosette on the forehead. Coronets come in all colours.

Crested:

Crest

A smooth coated guinea pig with a rosette (called a crest) on its forehead.

Crested Himilayan:

Crested Himilayan

Crested Dolly Mixture (Crossbred variety):

Crested Dolly Mix

Cream:

Cream

A Self variety of cream coloured guinea pig. Can have pink eyes or dark.

Critical Care Formula: Made by Vetark. Should be used as a complimentary source of energy and vitamins. It does not contain fibre which is needed to keep the gut moving. For anorexic animals feed Oxbow Critical Care.

Crusty nipples: …can be a sign of a fungal problem or a hormonal problem (possibly Ovarian Cysts), crusty nipples are certainly not ‘normal’ though and not to be ignored. If the guinea is otherwise well contact info@gorgeousguineas.com about the correct treatment to use for a fungal problem. If this does not help a visit to your vet for a check up is in order.

Curly: An emerging breed of guinea pig in the United Kingdom. A short haired version of the Lunkarya.

Pictures copyright of owner, donated to Guinea Pig Welfare.