Rabbit vs Guinea Pig Meat

Have another few questions:
1) Anybody raise guinea pigs for meat? Variety for size?
2) Cost looks a little more but for variety in hobby - Is it worth it?
3) Much difference in taste?

Attached is a file for guinea pigs - Just started me wondering!
Thanks, Mike
View attachment Guinea Pigs for Meat.pdf

haven't tried it. have sold them as critter food. Problem I think is getting them big enough. Most of the pigs are small beasties and seems hardly worth it to eat one.

ladysown":32lt5dh4 said:

haven't tried it. have sold them as critter food. Problem I think is getting them big enough. Most of the pigs are small beasties and seems hardly worth it to eat one.

Click to expand...

I understand they dress out about the same as a squirrel. And in their native areas, they are a staple for protein.

I am currently trying to coerce, uh, I mean, talk my husband into letting me get a few. The biggest I can find, select for size and meatiness, and work up a meat herd.

He is still saying no to eating the pigs right now.

Guinea Pig meat is greasy.

I have tried raising them for food. I never ate one because in the end I found it to be a pain. I have about half a dozen friends from church who are medical missionaries and they have ate a lot of them. Along with capybara and nutria. They think they taste fine.
I thought they were going to be similar to rabbits. And they are, but they need special food because they can not make their own viatamin C. So I was not able to feed them the rabbit food. This cut into the costs because their food was twice as expensive as the rabbit food. Now, they did eat less than the rabbits. I did end up giving them rabbit pellets and lots of grass and weeds. They seemed to do fine on that. I ended up getting rid of them because my setup was not the best for them.
You can keep them on a wire but they need something to sit on because they do not have pads like a rabbit does. It is better to keep them in a solid bottom cage though becuase their feed will probably get sore. This is what ended up killing the idea for me. If you hate emptying rabbit trays you will hate the pigs even more, as you have to empty their tray every other day or so. Add in the bedding and it starts to cost. I did start using the paper from the paper shredder. Though once they urinated on it it was gone, so it had to be changed more often.
Now I have thought about making an outside cage type environment for them, with a big area for them to run around in. I think this would work as I would often leave them out in the yard. I must admit that I loved watching them do the guinea train. I did not want to leave them out over night for fear of racoons and cats.
As long as they have a shelter with a warm bed they would be fine in the winter. There is a lot of misinformation of the net regarding what they need tempature wise. Some people state the if tempature gets to be less than 68 they will die or something. They are fine down to freezing as long as they have a box. They had days it got to 100 in the garage and they were fine. Just make sure that they have water.
I would try to find some information on how they raise them in their native coutries, as they are basically micro-livestock that are cheap. We have created them into some sort of expensive little pet. You will go broke trying to raise a guinea pig the way a lot of people think you should. When I move I will probably get some more and try raising them in some sort of out door colony setup. I think someone could do it that way in a cost effective manner.
If you are just looking for variety they are pretty awesome. They get to know who you are and they make a cooing cound when you are around. My wife said as soon as I pulled up in my car they would start making noise.

For vitamin C my friends family, years ago, used to just toss a cheap chewable vit C tablet in the water bottle...please look into that idea, I don't know anything about giunea pigs and have never had one, I just asked what the orange thing was for.

Piggys are raised colony style, fed vegetative waste. They do well in the back trash pile, where they can burrow and have lots of little hidey holes and tunnels. There is one thing those little piggys lern real fast-- they hear a fridge door open, or a bag rustle, they assume a treat is coming and start sqealing....

I plan to try it and this is the first time since I was a very young kid that I have no had guinea pigs.

Vitamin C doesn't stay in the water very long or well so it's not suggested especially in hot weather where choosing not to drink the water because of flavor differences will mean death. If you get flavored tablets the guinea pigs will often eat them. They are best though when just given a predator proof pen to eat grass. They can live on grass and nothing else. They are also capable of breeding as early as 3 weeks so no waiting 6 months plus another month to get more like you do with rabbits. We used to go through 2 generations in a summer before separating them and putting them back in cages for the winter. Sows can all be kept together with only the occasional problem. A buck can be left to run with the sows but back to back breeding will shorten their lifespan and increase birthing complications. Treat them more like mini cattle that need vit c from pellets, tablets, or fresh foods...

The main problem with guinea pigs is that they are very temperature sensitive. Beyond 80F they may suffer heat stroke if you aren't careful and under 60F they may get ill. They are fairly intelligent when given options to regulate their temperature though. We used to maintain a little herd in the fenced in backyard and they accomplished finding safe hiding places and cool laying spots under the deck, around the pool, in the wood pile, etc... Surprisingly they never strayed beyond the fence except a few inches away for a few seconds to escape something on their side of it despite the fact even the adults could easily pop through the chainlink. They were completely content to live in the backyard. We did have to bring them in every winter. I keep telling my husband I'm getting some to try for meat and he keeps asking why but those pups are sooooo cute and colorful.

A few years ago, one of the local students caused a big issue- made national news. He was taking one of those weird classes they offer in high school. Anyway,as a demo project, he slaughtered and cooked a squirrel and a guinea pig. Things were going okay until a classmate found out what she was eating--- She had no problem with the squirrell- lots of boys hunt them around here, but oh, dear, someone's cute, cuddly pet....The employees at the pet store that sold him the animal got into trouble, too - like what, are they supposed to assume a person might eat what they just bought? They sell feeder rats and mice--So WHAT!!!

Along with capybara and nutria.

Click to expand...

My Mother-in-law is from Uruguay, and grew up on a farm and ate rabbits. But, she still swears that Nutria taste better and have more meat on them than my rabbits (and I have very meaty NZW's!)
She has a tanned Nutria pelt on the mantle and after feeling that, and hearing her tales of how tasty they are, I have seriously considered raising them instead of rabbits!
WTB: Commercial Line of Capybara or Nutria!

Are nutria prolific?

Considering that they were purposely released as a substitute for beaver, and have now taken over in some areas of the south- prolific or not, get'em off the street and into the farm pens!!!

i know that mine do just fine outside in the winter as long as I have a 40 watt bulb aimed at them.

one hardy bulb will last the hole winter and part of the next. Left on continuously from the time the snow flies, and then shut off during the day until the hard frosts end.

I have found that I separate the male from them from September to end January just to ensure no January kits, but they will NOT breed in February. Once the warmish weather starts I get pups.

Piggys are raised colony style, fed vegetative waste. They do well in the back trash pile, where they can burrow and have lots of little hidey holes and tunnels.I think this would work as I would often leave them out in the yard, I must admit that I loved watching them do the guinea train. I did not want to leave them out over night for fear of racoons and cats,As long as they have a shelter with a warm bed they would be fine in the winter, There is a lot of misinformation of the net regarding what they need tempature wise, Some people state the if tempature gets to be less than 68 they will die or something, They are fine down to freezing as long as they have a box, They had days it got to 100 in the garage and they were fine, Just make sure that they have water.