farm guinea pigs (meat cavy!)

[Fuzzy Torpedoes]

If someone believes that the industry guidelines for how to design and implement a successful intensive breeding program for cavies are invalid, and they want to design their own program, it is essential to consult with a small animal veterinary specialist for guidance, or they risk facilitating animal welfare issues as well as potentially losing their investment in the animals and any constructed housing that may not be fit for purpose.

Zoos utilize specialist veterinary guidance (or maybe even supervision). What a zoo may appear to be doing with animals that do not naturally live in a particular region is not necessarily an example for others to follow in the absence of the same kind of veterinary consultation.

 

[Bug n Flock]

Look, I'm really trying to be polite here but I'm honestly not amused by you acting like an ultimate authority and implying that we are not competent because we do things differently than you. I am not without experience or a brain, and I'm willing to bet hardware hank isnt either. No animals are suffering unduly and I've about had enough of you implying it. Sorry if this isn't polite and nice and all, but I don't care any more: I'm over it.

Like I said politely before, I am a biologist. I get paid to do research and conduct those studies you seem to treat as an ultimate authority. I happen to know that not everything written in a study is the end all be all on the subject. I happen to know how to assess studies for their validity, beyond the conclusion/discussion points included in the study by its authors.

Like I have said many times already, I appreciate your input. And I do. But like I apparently have not emphasized properly, I appreciate your *input*. Which is not to say that you are some expert and I am going to do everything you say. You assume I am some outside observer to the exotics kept here and speculate about what may or may not go into the care of zoo animals. I not only keep and breed exotics myself, but I am often consulted on the care of exotics belonging to others. I was paid to consult on the care and housing for the exotic animals owned by a local college's biology department for a few years even. Granted they didn't have guinea pigs, but since guineas are literally domesticated livestock, I kind of think the literal wild animals I keep and help keep have stricter environmental requirements. Especially the ectotherms.

Hope this isn't taken as too harsh, but I needed to be clear that I am over it.

Edited for grammatical type stuff, since this was posted from my phone and I just realized I could edit posts.

 

[Fuzzy Torpedoes]

Like I said politely before

I don't want to get into the personal attack thing. I don't believe our perspectives are actually that different.

Is it the case that you feel that someone who does not have a degree in veterinary medicine (and ideally, a specialization in small animal medicine) is qualified to re-invent the recommended husbandry practices for intensive cavy breeding? Or/and, that a degree in a different or less-specialized scientific field (such as a biological sciences degree) is sufficient for this? It seems that we might disagree on one or more of those points.

I believe that there is a risk to animal welfare (and the whole investment) for an unqualified person to invent their own intensive cavy breeding husbandry guidelines without guidance from a qualified source. If you've looked into the biology of cavy reproduction (which is unique in the world of rodents), guinea pigs in particular, notably the uncommonly-stressful pregnancies they experience from metabolic and immunological standpoints, it seems possible that we would agree on this?

I kind of think the literal wild animals I keep and help keep have stricter environmental requirements

Specific to intensive guinea pig breeding and their notably stressful pregnancies, I suspect that this is not necessarily the case, but a better source for making comparisons like that would be a veterinary specialist.

There should not be anything I wrote earlier where it should be construed that I claim that the way I run my operations here is the only valid way. That is for sure not the case. There are descriptions of different ways in the various established sources, including the details necessary for successful outdoor housing.

 

[Bug n Flock]

I am seriously tired of your ...stuff. Your patronizing attitude is awful and the fact that you joined this livestock forum specifically to interject your opinions on this thread really speaks a lot about how you think that the way you do things is vastly superior to the way I and the other people posting here do things. And I think you make too many assumptions about the qualifications of others, frankly.

 

[Fuzzy Torpedoes]

Sup with the personal attacks? This is a discussion forum, is it not? Discuss?

 

[Bug n Flock]

Are you kidding me? You call into question my professional life and qualifications and then say I'm the one using personal attacks? All I did was give evidence for why I do not believe that you do not think your way superior. And state that your attitude was trying my patience. I never questioned your qualifications as a "small professional guinea pig breeder for the pet hobby", nor did I once attack you. So actually, no. There were no personal attacks that I gave at all.

 

[Fuzzy Torpedoes]

You call into question my professional life and qualifications

Quote or it didn't happen.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

has anyone yet eaten there guinea pigs? if so how where they taste wise?

 

[Bug n Flock]

I was going to go through every single post you made in this thread and quote all of the active or passive implications to that effect, but then realized I just didn't care that much. Grow up. You called me unqualified or heavily implied it several times on this page alone. I'm not continuing a stupid argument on a chicken forum with someone who isn't even mature enough to own their own statements and stand behind their insults.

And because we live in a day of petty people I would like to state clearly for the record that I will hold no grudge against you if you wish to drop the insults and stay in this thread. I do appreciate your experience as a breeder, though I do not appreciate your rigidity of method or eagerness to dismiss the experiences of others.

 

[Bug n Flock]

has anyone yet eaten there guinea pigs? if so how where they taste wise?

Ya when I was like 17 I and a couple of friends bought a pig from a pet shop to try it. Tastes kinda like dark meat chicken, but a little sweeter if I remember right. That was a while ago, lol.