Postnatal growth in male Dunkin-Hartley guinea pigs (Cavia cutleri f. porcellus)

The aim of the present study was to describe postnatal organ and body weight growth in male Dunkin-Hartley guinea pigs from birth to 250 days of age. The modified JANOSCHEK growth curve was fitted to the age group means for each measurement by nonlinear regression and characteristics of the resulting growth curves were calculated. At birth, brain weight showed the highest percentage of its adult value (59%), followed by eye weight (37%). Lowest percentage birth weights were found for genital organs, adrenals and pancreas, the majority of organs showed values between 4% and 15%. Weights of body, heart, spleen, liver, genital organs, thyroids and adrenals followed a sigmoidal growth course. The remaining, as examined in this study, organs exhibited simple exponential growth without a postnatal point of inflection. Among internal organs, brain weight reaches adult size first (74 days of age). Genital organs with exception of prostate, duodenum, heart and spleen are fast-growing organs, too.