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Table 1( part 4 of 4). Summary of findings.
Reference and country Sample Findings
Cameron KE, Holder HE, Connor RL. Crosssectional survey of housing for pet guinea pigs( Cavia porcellus) in New Zealand. New Zealand Veterinary Journal. 2022; 70( 4): 228 – 232. Available from: https:// doi. org / 10.1080 / 00480169.2022.2050320.
New Zealand
Schumann K, Guenther A, Jewgenow K, Trillmich, F. Animal housing and welfare: effects of housing conditions on body weight and cortisol in a medium-sized rodent( Cavia aperea). Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. 2014; 17( 2): 111 – 124. Available from: https:// doi. org / 10.1080 / 108887 05.2014.884407.
Germany
• 503 responses received
• 329 complete responses analysed
• Sample of owners – adults ≥21 years( 77.8 %), 11 – 20 years( 17.6 %), children ≤10 years( 4.6 %) – authors expected that adults answered the survey but noted that children were the‘ owners’ as the guinea pig was obtained for them
• Households – adults only( 36.8 %), adults and children ≤13 years old( 33.4 %), adults and teenagers( 14 %), adults, teenagers, and children( 15.9 %)
• Experiment 1: 48 guinea pigs( 18 male, 30 female)
• Experiment 2: 30 guinea pigs( 13 male, 17 female)
• Experiment 3: 8 female guinea pigs
• Experiment 4: 12 guinea pigs( 3 male, 9 female)
• Experiment 5: 20 male guinea pigs
• Most provided a cage with a wooden base( 44.9 %), bedding( 93.6 %) and toys( 51.4 %)
• 53.5 % of owners reported seeing the veterinary surgeon
• Further research is vital for more evidence-based advice / recommendations
Enclosures
• Most were indoors with adjacent / attached runs
• 21.1 % of mean sizes were less than RNZSPCA recommended minimum
• Exercise – 59.4 % provided daily‘ play time’ in a separate area
• It is unknown whether owners specifically considered shelter from direct sunlight and / or draughts for guinea pigs living outside
• Bedding( e. g. fleece blankets, towels) provided( 93.6 %) – mostly indoors
• Platforms( 58.4 %)
• Outside – grass access( 60.8 %), mesh flooring( 9.4 %), fleece( 22.6 %)
• Inside – carpet( 10.6 %), plastic flooring / tray( 11.7 %), fleece( 75.5 %) Enrichment
• Overall, toys were provided by 76.6 %, and 51.4 % stated specific types such as balls, chews, cardboard tubes, paper, hides( e. g. tunnel or box)
• Some listed hay as a‘ toy’( 11.2 %)
Cleaning
• Daily – water and food bowls cleaned( 55 %), spot cleaning( 33.1 %)
• Weekly – most provided fresh bedding or did a full cleanout Hay
• 24 % mention using its use compared with 70 % in the UK( Harrup and Rooney, 2020) – may be due to generalisability / sampling issues from a smaller sample in comparison, and provision of hay was not directly assessed in Cameron et al.( 2022)
• Welfare must be considered when planning experiments on non-domestic species
Findings
• Experiment 1 – stable weights for 6 months regardless of indoor or outdoor housing
• Experiment 2 – transfer from indoor to outdoor housing resulted in body weight losses of ~ 8 %, and transfer from outdoor to indoor housing resulted in weight gain of ~ 12 %
• Experiment 3 – transfer from smaller( indoor) enclosure to larger enclosure had no significant effect on weight
• Experiment 4 – found significant weight differences when subjects were transferred indoors to outdoors and back again
• Experiment 5 – subjects housed outdoors had lower cortisol levels than those kept indoors
Appendix 2( to page 25 of VNJ). Summary of findings.
Veterinary Nursing Journal | Volume 40( 5) • October 2025 | EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL CONTENT
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