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244 IDEAL HOME LIFE
abundant room, reasonably constant temperature, and proper ventilation are almost certain preventives of diseases. The coats of guinea pigs should not be allowed to become wet, and the hutches should be carefully guarded against dampness, which is a common cause of fatalities among the animals.
The chief enemy of the guinea pig is the common rat. This pest is popularly supposed to avoid premises where guinea pigs are kept. On the contrary it is attracted by the grain fed, and will not only steal the food of the cavies, but has been known to gnaw through the hutch walls and devour the young. The extermination of rats after they have thoroughly established themselves about the premises is no easy task. Preventive measures are usually much more effective. In a neighborhood that is rat-infested, buildings intended for housing guinea pigs should be made rat proof. |
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