Water bottles and feed hoppers are checked daily by caretakers to insure the provision of water. Some guinea pigs learn to play with the water bottle and will drain the bottle. Investigators should check the water bottles when they are in the room and bring any empty or low water bottles to the attention of the caretaking staff. The water provided to animals is chlorinated tap water. The wirebar cagetop holds the animal feed preventing contamination with urine or feces.
Feed is provided daily.
Pelleted natural ingredient diets are used to feed all rodents and are composed primarily of cereal grains which are supplemented with additional protein, vitamins and minerals. Due to the nature of this type of diet the exact composition can vary substantially from each vendor. Cage cards are utilized to identify the strain of guinea pig, sex, number, principal investigator, and research protocol. Cage cards should not be removed from the cage to avoid misidentification of the animals. Temporary identification of individual animals can be accomplished by dyeing the fur or clipping the hair.