Guinea Pig Study Resources

[Yi Rui]

Hello all! I'm a veterinary student and guinea pig owner of 8 years from Australia. I'm aspiring to be a companion exotics veterinarian in the future. In Australia, resources covering guinea pig health (as well as companion exotic animal health) are quite limited, and unfortunately my university only very briefly covers guinea pig health. I'm unsure if I can make this request on this forum (apologises if I am not allowed to request this), but if possible, would anyone be able to recommend any veterinary study resources or courses that discuss guinea pig health? I hope to be able to better understand their various health conditions and improve my veterinary knowledge as I study to become a companion exotics vet.

Kindest regards,
Yi Rui

 

[Eriathwen]

If you can get hold of it, then BSAVA manual of guinea pigs came out in January 2026, this is written by some of the UKs best guinea pig savvy vets regarding the veterinary care of guinea pigs.

The latest edition of Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents Clinical Medicine and surgery is also an excellent veterinary resource for guinea pigs (and other exotics)

Those are the 2 books I would start with personally. FRR has been what I've referred to for the last few years with the medical care of my special needs and complex medical piggies and its given me enough information to be a decent enough advocate for them.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Not for medical purposes but lots of general questions about guinea pigs, you may find our forum resource helpful. Nearly 20 years of collective forum experience with tens and tens of thousands of questions and personal long term experience have gone into them. Our guide format allows us to update and add at need or as we have time.
We have the most extensive resource on ownership issues of all sorts that you'll come across. It is based on practical and factual experiences on this forum and not on recycled urban myths, which we have tested and sadly had to mostly discard.

You may find it interesting and helpful when dealing with ownership issues and may want to bookmark it.
You may find our guides on home support illness care (in conjunction with veterinary care), health monitoring and related subjects especially helpful as that is the other side that is equally important to what you do as a vet; our ethos is to collaborate with vets for the best of the piggies involved. But medications cannot work if a piggy off food is not getting enough fibrous support feed and water when they lose their appetite or mobility.
Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

Our forum specialises on supporting guinea pigs and their owners' mental state in a friendly and constructive way with community support. We have rules as to who can give advice in sensitive areas, like illness support in order to prevent sub-standard or de-bunked advice being carried back in and to keep this forum the special space that it is.

 

[Viennese Furbabies]

Do you know this website: Vet CPD Webinars
There were some webinars on guinea pigs in the past, some of them sponsored and free of charge.

 

[Wiebke]

You may also find this study by the Royal Veterinary College interesting: VetCompass/240325 Guinea pig infographic (4).pdf

There is a VetCompass Australia: Home » VetCompass
This project is there to create reliable data bases.

I find the RVC information from the University of London a good starting point for a quick overview for up to date treatment and research.
Here is their information for cystitis treatment in guinea pigs, as an example: https://Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital/EXOTICS/Animal Care Factsheets/Guinea-pig-cystitis-information-and-advice-2022-NS.pdf

PS: The links all work but because of new security restrictions in the UK, outside links are usually only displayed with the full link.