Effect of High Levels of Fat, Lactose, and Type of Bulk in Guinea Pig Diets.

Summary Gum acacia, Spangles, and Solka-floc have been compared as bulk agents for the guinea pig by employing normal, high-fat, and lactose diets. The average growth rate of the groups receiving Solka-floc was slightly better in all cases. Guinea pigs grew very well on diets containing 12% corn oil (7.7 g day) and at a rate of 4.9 g/day with 24% corn oil diets using Solka-floc as the bulk. Guinea pigs fed diets with lactose as the sole carbohydrate grew at a rate of about 2.0 g/day. Substitution of sucrose for half of the lactose incresed growth to over twice the rate obtained with lactose alone.