To recap, guinea pigs should not be bred after 2 years of age. Although they may be fertile anywhere up to 4 years, it is best to keep breeding below 2 years of age. Any time after this is when pregnancy and delivery complication can start.
What age can female guinea pigs breed?
The single most important breeding consideration is that female guinea pigs should be first bred before 7 months of age. If the first breeding is delayed beyond this time, serious (sometimes life-threatening) problems with delivery are encountered. Females should be first bred between 3 and 7 months of age.
How many guinea pigs are in a litter?
How many babies to guinea pigs have? Litter sizes range from 1-6 young, with an average of 3. Abortions and stillbirths are common with guinea pigs throughout their breeding lives.
How many babies do guinea pigs have in their first litter?
The litter size ranges from 1 to 8 pups, but a litter of 2 to 4 is more common. A female can give birth to up to 5 litters per year. When a guinea pig is about to give birth, any male guinea pigs near her will gather around and try to become the dominant male in order to both protect the female and mate with her.
How do I know if my guinea pigs are mating?
10 Guinea Pig Mating Behavior Signs To Watch For
- Mating Calls. …
- The Guinea Pig Mating Dance. …
- Male Chasing Female Guinea Pigs Around the Cage. …
- Males Sniff and Lick Females. …
- Nuzzling. …
- Males Standing Upright. …
- Males Mount Females. …
- 8. Female Will Squeal Loudly.
Can the father guinea pig be with the babies?
Male guinea pigs should be separated from their pups, at least for most of the time, simply because the little ones have to be with their mothers. Newborn guinea pigs can meet their fathers, but only if their mothers aren’t around. Don’t allow female pups to encounter their dads once they’re 21 days old, however.
What age do female guinea pigs stop being fertile?
A female guinea pig is fertile until she is around three years old. Males will remain fertile for a longer period, but litter size may be reduced as he grows older.
At what age can a male guinea pig mate?
Guinea pigs reach sexual maturity at around 3-4 months of age. If young males and females are housed together, they should be separated by this age, otherwise they are likely to breed.
What time of day do guinea pigs give birth?
Most guinea pigs give birth in the daytime hours. She will give out a cry just as she goes into labor, and it will take about five minutes to birth a pup. Each pup will have its own amniotic sac, and usually the mother removes it and eats it.
Will a male guinea pig try to mate with a pregnant female?
Male Guinea Pigs
Sometimes, when you purchase guinea pigs from a store or breeder, you may not get a same-sex pair. … The male could injure the pregnant mother with further mating attempts, and if he is in the cage when she delivers her pups, he could impregnate her immediately afterwards.
Which is better male or female guinea pig?
What makes the best pet – male or female guinea pigs? Male guinea pigs (boars) have a tendency to live a little longer than females (sows), especially if the females are having young. Both have similar temperaments although males often have a bolder personality, making them easier to handle.
Can a male and female guinea pig be in the same cage?
Guinea Pig Pairs
If you keep a male and female together, intentionally or otherwise, they will be capable of breeding from 3-4 weeks. At that point they will need to be kept in separate enclosures until the male is old enough to be castrated. The earliest this can be done is at 4 months old.
Can two male guinea pigs mate?
Yes, as long the cage is big enough for two cavies. Guinea Pigs are social animals and housing them together can prevent loneliness. When they first meet or move in together they may need to assert dominance. It’s rare that fights break out and even rarer that two male Pigs aren’t compatible but it does happen.
Do guinea pigs miss their babies?
In most cases, guinea pigs won’t miss you if you decide to leave them in the home instead of taking them with you for camping. A mother guinea pig needs to clean the babies and eat the afterbirth to chemically generate the mammary glands to start producing milk. Sometimes adults will do this with each other too.
What kind of milk do you feed a baby guinea pig?
Use full-fat goat’s milk, or prepare a milk mixture of half water and half evaporated milk. Soak brown bread in the milk, and offer this to the baby GP on a teaspoon – they’ll suck the milk out. This isn’t as nutritious as a guinea pig mother’s milk, but it’s the second best thing.
Is 3 old for a guinea pig?
The average lifespan for a guinea pig is about 5 to 7 years. Many vets consider four-year-old guinea pigs to be approaching their golden years, but there is no hard and fast rule. Just like us, guinea pigs age differently and at different rates. Signs of aging appear earlier in some guinea pigs, and later in others.
Is 6 a good age for a guinea pig?
6 months is the minimum recommended age for females to reproduce. 14 months is when they are considered adults and are fully grown. 4-8 years is the average age a guinea pig will live depending on health and genetics.
Is 4 years old for a guinea pig?
A guinea pig is often considered a senior when they are approximately 4 years old, but as each piggie is unique, it is difficult to anticipate how little or how long their lifespan will be.
Can a female guinea pig reject a male?
Keep the pair in the sow’s normal cage to reduce stress to her and help increase the chance of pregnancy. If she is not ready to breed, she may reject the male by spraying him or showing her teeth. Never allow more than one boar contact with the sow as this can lead to serious fights between the males.
Can you breed a brother and sister guinea pig?
Can guinea pig siblings mate? Not only can male siblings mate with their siblings, the males can even do so with their mothers. Prevent breeding from occurring by putting guinea pigs in separate “male” and “female” designated enclosures.