QUESTION

We have purchased what we thought were two female guinea pigs around 2-3 months ago. One of the guinea pigs seemed to be eating alot and was getting quite large we often questioned whether she was pregnant or not? But only to awake this morning with two little babys in the cage. Now I am unsure whether the other guinea pig is a male or not? How long do guinea pigs stay pregnant for? And it seems like only one of these babies is getting all the attention? I have also separted the other guinea pig from the mother and the 2 babies as it was biting and the babys were crying. Is there any thing I need to know and how do I tell the sex?

Amie

ANSWER

Dear Amie,
A guinea pig's gestation period lasts between 59-72 days depending upon the size of the litter.

It is possible that your female was pregnant when she left the shop, which would work out correctly at around the two and half month mark. It is also possible that the other 'female' is indeed a male and that the female became pregnant not long after arriving home.

You will be able to tell if the other guinea pig is a male as he will be showing a definite interest in the female by making a deep purring sound and ambling his rear end from side to side, another sign is that he would also be trying to mate with her 12 hours plus from giving birth, as this is when the female will come into season again.

You can easily sex both the adult guinea pigs and the two babies by taking a look at this link that will help you to positively identify the gender of all your guinea pigs.

http://cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm Ensure both baby guinea pigs are receiving adequate attention and suckling from their mother and if necessary, remove one for a short period of time while the other gets better acquainted with mum or feeds so he doesn't get pushed out too much.

It is good that you have removed the other guinea pig from the brood, as not only would this distress both mother and babies, but they are so small at this stage that any sort of aggressive attacks or nips are likely to result in injuries and the mother may attack the other guinea pig in defence of her litter, so it is good that you have separated them for now.

Once you have determined the sex of all your guinea pigs you will be able to decide upon the best housing arrangements as to where they are all going to live and who with. But for the time being, I would keep the other guinea pig away from the litter as mother and babies will need peace and quiet and time to rest without any stress or disruption.

I hope this answers your question.

Best Wishes Elizabeth