FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions


We get a lot of emails from all around the world each day, asking a multitude of different questions about guinea pig care, breeds, births, health, feeding etc. While we try our best to answer as these in a timely manner, we will sometimes miss emails and/or run out of time in the day to get to everyone. So we've put together this little page to try and give people a first point of call. 

We also have two pages with care information: Top Tips for Cavy Care and Breeding Info, and a great website called Guinea Lynx has a wealth of information - all of which may answer your questions. If you still can't find the answer, you're welcome to email us at eleb2000@hotmail.com. 

***Please note these questions have just been copied from my email as they arrive, and interpreted as best I could***


1) - I accidentally put my baby boy guinea pig in with my girl guinea pigs for 1 night, he was 5weeks old, I was wondering if my girls would be pregnant or not?

- It is unlikely that a baby boy at 5 weeks old could get a girl pregnant. Most baby boys don't figure out what to do until 10-13weeks. Some do figure it out at 3-4weeks though, so there is still a small chance. You will just need to keep an eye on her. 






 2) - I got a baby girl from a pet shop and when I accidentally put the boy in the cage I was wondering if she would also be pregnant? She was 8 weeks but she is quite small still.

 - buying a female from a pet shop means that you don't know who/what she's been with already, so she could already be pregnant to her father/brother/other random male. You will have to wait and see how her belly grows over the next few weeks.


3) - My friends guinea pig just had babies and they had 4... They went out and came back 4 hours later and they were just lying there dead, I'm wondering if u know what might of happened?

- Without knowing more details, i couldn't tell you what happened. If they were alive when born, then it may have been exposure to the elements (too hot/too cold), the mother might have trampled them, any other guinea pigs in the cage might have trampled them, they might have been born early and unable to breath/suckle properly... there are lots of things that could have gone wrong. 





 4) - A while ago you said that if I have 2 pregnant females they need to be separated from each other because other wise a hormone is given off and the other mothers babies are born to soon. And are you saying that they need to be separated from each other until the babies are born?

 - Yes, if you have two females pregnant, it is likely that one going into labour and delivering her babies could prematurely bring on labour in the other guinea pig. This is not a problem if they are both due to have their babies and you don't mind not knowing which baby came from which mother. But if one still has a week or so to go, then it will probably mean that her babies will struggle to survive. You can safely keep pregnant girls together until they start to dilate. 


5) - Since the boy was in the cage and if they are pregnant how do I know/ can I know straight away or do I have to wait and if so how long?

 - The only way to know for sure that a female is pregnant is to feel the babies moving in her belly when she's 6weeks+ pregnant. If you witness mating, and the female was on heat (her vagina/vent was open) and you could see the white semen plug from the male's ejaculate in her bottom - then it is likely that she is pregnant and will deliver in 9-10weeks. 


6) - When u also said that the 2 mothers need to be seperated from each other does that mean u need to put them in different cages? And how come in the wild they live in groups and they have babies all the time at the same time and my friend has heaps of them and they just give birth in the same cage?
 - I separate my pregnant girls because I don't want to risk them bringing on premature labour in their cage mates. I also do this so I can keep a close eye on the pregnant girl, and so that I know which babies were hers. This is most important when dealing with pedigree litters. In the wild it is likely that females would all deliver at similar times and suckle each others babies, as this would help increase the chance that the babies will survive. In the wild there would also have been a lot higher percentage of death though. You have to remember that the guinea pigs we have as pets now a days are a LONG way removed from their wild ancestors. We have domesticated them, so we have to give them extra care. 






7) - I always like to put my female guinea pigs in my room when they give birth I normally do it a week before they give birth but how will I know if its a week before or when she's gonna give birth? 

-  I like to brings my girls into the house before they deliver as well. It means you can keep a closer eye on them. Take each girl on a case by case basis though, as some will stress too much being taken this far away from their usual environment if they're used to living outside. The best way to tell that delivery will be soon is to keep an eye on the pelvic bones. When they first start to move apart you'll have approx a week before delivery. 



8) -  I was wondering about pregnant guinea pigs. I have two and possibly three pregnant females (we got the other one not to long ago so were not sure if she is pregnant or not yet.) my youngest is dilated to a finger width apart and yesterday it was a little smaller. So do you think that she will have her babies soon? She has a cage to herself and so does the other pregnant guinea pig I am just wondering about when you think I should expect the babies?

-  If your girl is 1 finger dilated, you've probably got anywhere from 24hrs to 3-4 days till she'll deliver. The width can open and shut over that time though. Thats very normal. Keeping her on her own is a great idea too. If she's with other girls who are pregnant, her giving birth can set them off prematurely. (note, the guinea pig in question delivered later the same day)






9) - Is there's no way for me to know whether my GP is a pure aby or not (she was purchased from a pet store)? 


- Abyssinian guinea pigs are a breed characterized by short, rough hair with evenly spaced rosettes through their coat, throwing the hair out into ridges. In guinea pigs 'rosettes' and 'short hair' are both dominant genes. This simply means that an animal can have the look of an aby, but hide other recessive genes that don't show in the coat. Especially when an animal is purchased from a pet shop - you never know what is in the history without doing trial mating's. Your best bet if wanting to breed quality Abyssinians is to purchase a breeding pair/trio with pedigrees from a trusted breeder. Then you will know what you are getting.  


10) - Why are the GPs in Malaysia look so much like a colorful rat without a tail? I mean I've watched some of the videos about GPs on youtube and it appeared to be that the GPs from the western country have rounder and cuter face.

The long nose/rat face look guinea pigs get is just due to breeding. Selective breeding in other countries choosing only snub-nose guinea pigs to breed to other snub nose guinea pigs has produced the look you see there. If breeding guinea pigs with shorter noses is what you want to work on you'll need to find animals with the shortest possibles noses already and pair them. Then keep the best, shortest nosed babies for breeding the next generation. It would take quite a while, but if you keep selectively pairing them like this, you'd eventually end up with animals that have the fatter faces.




11) - How do I know if my guinea pig is roan? What's the meaning of breeding the guinea pigs roan to roan?  I am planning of getting a female pure white Abyssinian guinea pig, with black eyes. And how do I know if the guinea pig I bought wasn't lethal?

- Roan in guinea pigs simply refers to a gene. It looks like white hairs mixed through coloured hairs in the guinea pigs coat. Roan is a mutation. An animal with one copy of the gene is totally healthy. They are the ones that have the white/coloured mixed patches. Guinea pigs with two copies of the roan gene are the 'lethals' everyone refers to. They are ALWAYS pure white with pink eyes. They usually have a lot of deformities internally and externally - small eyes, mis-aligned teeth, oddly shaped ears etc. The reason there is so much hype with breeding roan guinea pigs is because when you breed two animals that have the roan in their coat, it means they have that one copy of the gene, and that they could both pass that gene onto a baby so that it has two copies - meaning it will be born as a lethal. 

If you have a guinea pig with dark eyes and a white coat, it is not a lethal. It may however have hidden roan. (ie the white roan hairs mixed through regular white colouring - which makes it impossible to tell. A hint tends to be dark eyes and/or a little patch of colour around the eye/on the head - but white everywhere else. You can also just get dark-eyed white guinea pigs as a breed though.

Because of the trickiness of 'hidden roan' a lot of breeders recommend not breeding any two animals that have any white on them unless you know their parents didn't have roan.


12) - Do you trim your guinea pigs hair?? Also do you trim your guinea pigs nails? If so with what? And how often? Do you bathe your guinea pigs? If so how often?

 - Its totally fine to cut their hair. Unless you're showing the long coats (which means you can never cut their hair, or they're disqualified from the show table), it poses no problems at all, and will keep them a lot cleaner especially around the rear-end. 
Nails definitely need trimming. We do our guys about once every 1-2months (depending on how fast/sharp they get). On light coloured claws you'll see the pink 'wick' of the claw - cut just before this to avoid bleeding. On black claws it's a little trickier. I just cut the very tip in this situation. You'll need to do all 4 front claws and the back feet. If they get left too long they'll twist the digits under and cause pain when they walk. Just use dog nail clippers or a pair of sharp scissors. 
Our guys get bathed about the same time as they get their nails done. It will depend on the coat though. Short coated animals who are good at grooming themselves don't 'need' a bath. But it wont hurt them. 



13) - Are there higher risks of complications when guinea pigs are so young (3 months old) and heavily pregnant?  Is there anything I can do to ensure that the birthing process goes well?  What happens if the pelvic bones don't separate soon? When should I remove her cage mate? 

 - for your little lady, there's not a great deal you can do at this stage. She is either going to survive or not. Her bones will separate. The only problem with them not separating is when the sows are older. Your best bet is to check her pelvis every day. From the day you first feel the bones start to move apart (feel the individual edges of the two), you'll have about 5-7 days until delivery. When she dilates to two finger widths, and you can feel a bub sitting in the birth canal ready to go - it'll only be a matter of hours. The worst things for young mums is the size of the babies compared to the size of her. If the babies are large, she will have trouble delivering. You may need to assist. Let her attempt it on her own first though. Some mums can spook if humans interfere too much - and then they refuse to clean/feed the bubs. If it all goes to plan the birth will be very quick - it's likely you'll miss it. If you find her hunched, and making a hiccuping movement (contracting) - but nothing happens after a few minutes you may need to gently lift her up and check what is going on. I've often had to help push back on the sides of the birth canal while the mum pushes the bub out with the contraction. It can be slow going. And if the baby is very large it may not survive the delivery even with help (it may be crushed as it comes out). But these are all things you'll just need to deal with if/when they happen. 

Most first time mums do surprisingly well. And hopefully you'll just wake up to a few dry, fluffy bubs. 

I would remove the male as soon as you feel the bones start to separate. If you're not confident of your determining her due date from the bones - then remove him now. If she delivers with him in there, he'll mate with her immediately following delivery (and you'll have another litter to deal with in 9-10 weeks!) lol 




14) - How many litters per year is recommended for a breeding guinea pig? Why is it not recommended a guinea pig should have more litters than this?

For our breeding girls we do 2 litters per year maximum. Pregnancy is approx 2 months long for guinea pigs. Then with a 4 month break (3 months after bubs are weaned to get her health back), she can be put back with a male in good physical condition. This will give you 2 litters a year. In theory you could back-to-back breed the guinea pig, keeping them with a male when they deliver so that they are constantly pregnant/nursing (this would give you 6 litters per year), but it is likely that you would get a lot of pregnancy/delivery complications due to a weakened mother - and ultimately a premature death for her. This is NOT recommended at all - but is the way breeding is often done in laboratories/was done in the 80s. 

The toll on a guinea pigs body - carrying multiple, large offspring for a VERY long gestation of up to 10 weeks is quite high. Often mother guinea pigs will loose a lot of weight and coat during the pregnancy/nursing period. This is why it is not recommended to put her through this too frequently. 



15) -  I've been wondering if a guinea pig can ever not get pregnant? My guinea pig is now 2 weeks later than when I thought she would give birth. So when d u think she'll give birth?

-Can you actually feel babies in there? If her belly is just soft and squishy then she isn't pregnant. If there are firm lumps that move, then she is pregnant. Females are only fertile for a small window of opportunity (think hours) every 16-18days. So unless a male managed a successful mating during this time, then she may not be pregnant. 




16) - A couple of months ago, I bought a gorgeous guinea pig from the pet store, who said that she was 4weeks old. After about a month, I noticed her getting larger. Now, after a couple of weeks, I know she is pregnant, which means that the pet shop didn't separate her. She's been eating heaps and sort of just sitting in the corner of her cage. Or she lies sort of on her side with her leg out. She also used to let me put my hand under her belly a few days ago, and now she doesn't really like me doing it. I've had her in a cage inside for almost a week now to keep an eye on her. Do you know if these are signs that she is close to having her babies?

- The best way to tell if your girl is nearing her due date is to feel for her pelvic bone (see attached image). When this reaches 2 finger widths apart she'll be a day or so away from delivering :) 


All the behaviours you've explained are totally normal. If she goes really lethargic, starts doing sloppy poo, or looks like she's in labour (straining, hiccuping movements) but no babies come after an hour or so - get her to a vet asap. 




17) - I've been looking for a pair of guinea pigs ready to bring home in time for my daughter's birthday in December. Can you please tell me why most people want girls over boys? 

- Most people prefer girls because most people get addicted to guinea pigs and want to be able to add more to their group as time goes by. This only works with girls. When you have a pair of boys, you can never introduce anyone else, or take them apart and try and put them back together as it interrupts the friendship and they then see each other as a threat. Personally I find the boys to be cleaner, friendlier and they grow bigger (which is often better for kids as they have more to hold on to). As long as you get a pair that get along well, and don't add any more guinea pigs in the future - they will be happy friends for life :) 




18)I am looking into showing guinea pigs and looking into breeding my own lines. Just wondering if you could point me to some good sites on identyfing roan guinea pigs please as have read a few places about the danger of breeding roan, still getting my head around all the genetice etc so any help would be much appreciated.

- Your best bet is to just google roan cavy genes or roan cavy images to get the best idea (this forum has some good info too: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?51194-Roans-Dalmatians-and-Lethals-Explained! ) . 

In a basic nutshell 'roan' presents as white hairs blended through coloured hairs. The gene that makes the white roan hair is different to the gene that makes 'normal' white hair on guinea pigs though. So it's possible to have an animal with any white on its coat with hidden roan. Roan is a dominant gene, so if one of the parents had roaning, there's a good chance the offspring will too if they have any patches of white in their coats. The problem with breeding two roan animals occurs when their offspring inherit a roan gene from each of them. Doubled up like this means that the animal is born with birth defects (they're always white with pink eyes and often have poorly formed organs/teeth etc). These are the animals referred to as 'lethals', as they often don't live long. Most people agree that it's best not to deliberately breed these poor creatures. 





19) - I was wondering what the maximum age of the sow can be to breed her?

a sow can breed right up into old age - up to 4-5yrs old and beyond. It really depends on the health of the sow.  If she hasn't bred in her first year of life, I'd be reluctant to breed her. A lot of breeders do breed sows over 12 months old without problems, but there are still risks to do with weaker contractions in older sows and possible rigidity of the pelvic ligaments that dilate the pelvic bones.  Because of this some sows may not be able to actually deliver their babies and they will die. In my opinion it's best to allow a sow to have her first litter between 6-10months old. She will be physically big enough to handle the size of full-term babies, but young enough to deliver properly. 


20) - What makes a guinea pig pedigree? 

- A pedigree guinea pig is just a purebred animal that has had their ancestry recorded and documented, then sold with the piece of paper with all of this information. Ie. a piece of paper with parents details, grand parents, great grandparents etc. with information on breed, colour, show wins, champion status etc.  Only certain breeds can be put on pedigrees - they must be a standardized breed and must be recognized by your country/cavy club. Also, only some breeds can be mixed in a pedigree and still retain pedigree status. It depends on the genetics behind the breed. For example Shelties and Texels are genetically very similar animals, only differing on the gene that produces straight hair (sheltie) or curly hair (texel) - so these animals can be mixed together in an ancestry but still be considered pedigree. However if two pedigree animals from breeds that are too genetically different (ie. Sheltie x Peruvian) are crossed, the babies are no longer considered purebred/pedigree anymore. They just become 'pet' quality. 

In Australia you can mix pedigree sheltie with pedigree texel, pedigree merino and pedigree coronet - and still have pedigree babies. And you can mix peruvian x alpaca and still have pedigree babies. But for breeds like Rex, Sheba, Abyssinian etc - they need to only be bred to their kind, or the pedigree status is lost for the offspring. 


(an example of one of our pedigree papers)




21) - I have a 7 week old pedigree rex sow, cream colour. Her coat is very curly and it shed easily. It it normal? Do rex change coat from curly to spiky from baby to adult? I don't understand why she shed though. I am afraid to brush her or bath her cause she not even 4 months old yet. 

- it's very normal for baby rex pigs to have a softer, curlier coat. they don't get their full course rex coat until they're 12-18months old. The shedding is also normal as long as her coat isn't coming put in clumps. It's totally ok to wash her in some 'Fido's itch free' shampoo (meant for dogs) - just dilute it a bit more. You can find it online or in pet stores usually. It's herbal and gets rid of parasites. And makes them smell lovely. That way if she does have a mild case of lice it will help. 


If you think it's mites you will need to either treat her with ivermectin or revolution. You do the does by her weight. As long as she's over 300g it will be fine. And if she doesn't have bugs in her coat, it's also totally ok to brush her at this age. 


(Adult rex sow with her baby rex sow daughter)


22) - Over the years I have had several guinea pigs produce litters. My current old sow is now five and a half and up until she was three years old had 5 litters. After that I felt that she was getting too old to cope with babies. However, I just wondered if you could put something on your page as to what age you think a sow should be 'retired' from having litters?

 We retire our girls between 2-3yrs old as well. Depending on how they're health/coping ability is looking. They tend to have their first litter at 6-8months. Then subsequent litters in 6-8monthly intervals after that (depending on how quickly the boys can do their thing!). This means that by the time we retire them, most have been allowed 3-4 litters. This gives us enough chances to keep the best offspring to continue a sow's lines, but allows her to relax in her later years. 



23) - Hello there,  About two months ago a friend gave me two guinea pigs. A male and a female, managed to get impregnatedMy question is, can I allow play time together? He, Billy, is very respectful. He let's her use the igloo while he sleeps outside. He has more places to hide but prefers watching her sleep.  When she, Lizzy, makes an unhappy sound, he walks away and sleeps or rests in another igloo. I have separated them but noticed that they were not their cheerful self and were not eating as usual  today, I have allowed a supervised visit. They ate together, he pop-corned  she rested by my feet while he jumped around. I'm reading as much as I can. I even have a baby monitor in case she goes into labor at night. Should I continue with the supervised visits? 


- Supervised visits will be totally ok. Especially if she is already pregnant - he can't do any more to her at this stage! 
The biggest reason breeders advise people to remove males before the female goes into labour is because he WILL mate with her as soon as the babies are born - and she will be pregnant again. This is called back-to-back breeding, and is generally frowned upon. It is stressful to their system, and in my opinion an unnecessary load on their bodies - especially when they will be trying to nurse their current babies, while simultaneously needing to grow a new litter. This is what would happen in the wild though, so a lot of people use that as a justification for it. Obviously if you'd prefer they stay together and are willing to risk this - then it's fine. 

If you would just like them to visit each other and play, then that is perfectly safe too. Guinea pigs are VERY social creatures, and would much rather hang with their own kind. If you're watching them, and she's not in the middle of delivering a litter-  there's nothing he can do to her. Once the babies are born, you can let the whole family play together as well (supervised again). Just make sure dad is gentle with the bubs and doesn't try to trample them in his excitement to get to mum. You can check mum's bottom for being on heat (this happens every 16-18 days - her 'vent/vaginal opening' will be dark pink and open. When she's not in heat it's sealed with a membrane of skin). Play time when she's not in heat is safe. Be aware that any daughters from the litter will become fertile for the first time at about 3-4weeks, and the father will try and mate with them too. 

Ideally you'll get a boy bub and a girl bub, and when the boys is weaned at 3weeks, he'll be able to go and live with his dad.





24) - I've read a lot about it online and have been a little worried about the problem with the pelvic bone in one of my 2 pregnant females. Is there a higher percent chance of the pregnancy ending poorly, or close to 50/50? I have a female who is probably 3-4 years old and had 3 babies in the past... so I assume her pregnancy will go well, but I'm worried about my other one which is between 1-2 years of age and has not been pregnant before. I read somewhere that the more guinea pigs they have, the better their chances of survival because the pigs would then be smaller? It seems to me that the older pig might be having 2, and the younger pig I'm worried about might be having 3.

- Hi,  the size of the babies doesn't really make as much difference as you might think. Often bigger bubs (90-110g) survive better and birth better. Little ones can be too weak to suckle properly, and might birth easy, but then not survive the first few days. But that being said - huge bubs (150-180g) can be quite difficult for mums to deliver - these are usually single-bubs.  It's all relative though- and you won't have any control over the number/litter size. What you do have control over is mum's diet - make sure she has access to good quality food, but also the ability to exercise/lots of space to explore. This will prevent her from being too sedentary and gaining too much weight. 

The pelvic problem is also a risk-based thing. A 3 yr old girl who hasn't littered before might have no troubles, yet a 7month old first-timer might have a lot of trouble. The risk is greater for ligament/pelvic bone issues in sows who haven't littered before, or littered for a while (6-12months +), but it's not an automatic death-sentence  You'll just need to be very attentive and watch/monitor them daily as they get closer to delivery. If the pelvic bone doesn't dilate at all - size of the babies will be irrelevant and you will need to get her to a vet asap. 




25). - Hi I just bought 2 females 8 weeks ago from a pet store ( could not find a rescue near me :( ) and one of them is pregnant! I was just wondering how long after the birth do I have to wait to hold the mommy

That's a really good question actually. Most mumma pigs will be tender and bleed for a few hours after birth. I tend to avoid holding them during this time if I can. You can gently put your hands around her belly to make sure she feels empty after she's delivered the final placentas. And if you do need to pick her up do so very gently and support her weight using her feet rather than on her belly - if that makes sense. After 24-48hrs she should be feeling a lot better and be fine to cuddle as normal. 






26.) - Hi I'm interested in breeding my 16 month old guinea pig. she is at perfect and weight and isn't unfit. we have been told that she will be fine and wont die and on the other hand were getting told she will die, I'm trying to get the most info about it as possible.

- There's a lot of information about breeding older sows out there - most of its contradictory as well.  Basically what happens is that as a sow gets older, the ability for her pelvic ligaments to be flexible reduces. 
In some pigs this happens around the 1yr old mark. For others it might be earlier or later. 
What this means is that when it comes time for the babies to be born, her body can't dilate far enough for them to come out, resulting in the babies dying inside of her, and her eventual death (unless she is rushed to a vet - but this is not a guaranteed fix).
It won't happen in every case, but it certainly can happen. So the risk in breeding a 16month old would be up to you.
She might be fine, and often slightly older first time mums do better with nursing their bubs. But it might also be a very sad result as well. 

27.) - I read your blog on pregnant guinea pigs, and I was just wondering I have a pregnant guinea pig and I'm not sure when she is due, as of right now she is housed with another female who I think might also be pregnant but again not sure, should I move the one that I know is pregnant into a cage by herself or is she okay with the other female??

- Hi, pregnant girls are usually  fine together until the one closest to her due date starts to dilate. Then I'd move them into their own cages. If they both start to dilate together - they can stay together as it means their due dates are close. They will then likely both birth within a few hrs of each other if this is the case, and will help clean  and nurse each others babies and feed each others babies too. 

If one is a few weeks behind the other though, it's safer to have them living apart until the first one delivers. Then she and her bubs can go back in with the other sow to wait for her delivery. 



28.) -  Just need your favor to share, how to make a guinea pig fat healthy  I think my Guinea Pig not very healthy  Everyday I give a fresh veggies, grass, pallet. It that corn not a good for feeding?

hi, Guinea pigs will usually get big and fat if they eat a lot of grain/pellet mix, and don't exercise enough. Fresh green grass is the best food for vitamins, fiber and water content, but doesn't tend to make them overly fat. We use a grain/chaff mix that is meant for horses, and this has lots of protein and fats to help them gain condition. 
Corn on the cob is fine, but can be quite sweet, so best to only give it a few times a week. The green husks and silks are most loved by my guinea pigs. Best vegetables for vitamin C content are red capsicum, broccoli, parsley and dandelion. 





29.) - This question is concerning one of our females who may be pregnant. she has been in with our male for approx. 1 month.  My daughter noticed she is getting bigger, and bigger,(her stomach) we are not sure if she is pregnant, so we decided to weigh her and she gained 103 grams in 19days.
 
When do they stop growing?? she is approx. 4-5 months of age. 
 When do we remove the male from Mocha(the female) 
 When do we return the male in with Mocha?
 Any special foods, nutrients other than what she is eating already, and how often??

I did read that babies eat alfalfa hay? am I correct, I just don't remember for how long to feed the babies with it.
Does mom need or eat that after her babies are born as well?
How long before the babies can be on their own, or can they stay with mom until they are sold?

Hi - a lot of those questions are covered on the webpage :) http://emmasguineapigs.blogspot.com.au/p/breeding-info.html - specifically this page 

Most young guinea pigs will gain about 25g each week just with normal growth and will continue to grow up to approx 12months, though it will slow down from 8 months onwards. Any gain over 25g a week in a female you suspect is pregnant could be pregnancy weight. 

You will need to remove the male when she starts to dilate. If she gives birth with him in the cage, he will mate with her right away and she will be pregnant again. 

You can put the female and male back together when ever you like. Most dads are pretty tolerant of babies. BUT be aware that he can get his daughters pregnant as early as 3 weeks old. And he will mate with the mum again as soon as she's on heat. Which will mean another litter very quickly. This can be stressful on their bodies. 

She will need extra water, calcium and vit c while pregnant. lucerne hay/alfalfa has good calcium content. As does parsley, and broccoli. Red capscium is best for vit c, as is dandelion and parsley and broccoli again. Green leafy vegetables will be a good addition to her diet too. As well as lots and lots of fresh green grass. 

Mum will nurse her babies for 4 weeks. You will need to remove the boys at 3-4 weeks or they will attempt to mate with mum and any sisters. 

They can be rehomed from 4 weeks. 





30.) - On Friday I had a beautiful little merino and two coronets born. Last night when I was checking on them I noticed that the merino has crusty eyes and is struggling to open them. I gave them a wipe with cotton wool and warm water, but vaguely remember you maybe having a similar issue with a texel born at your stud once. Can you recommend any course of action or what you did?

- This sounds very much like 'Entropion' (where the hairs around the eye grow inwards, irritating the eyeball). It's really common in the curly-coated baby guinea pigs. Your best bet is to keep the eye clean and open. This blog post might help you identify it too: Basically, if the bub hasn't grown out of it by about 2 weeks of age, it might be time to see a vet. 




31.) - Hi i just read your website on breeding guniea pigs. I have just recently got guinea pigs both females but one of them i took of a friend cause she wasnt getting looked after and we figured out she was pregnant. She has been in a cage with 2 males for about a month or so and dont no when she would be due. Would you be able to give me some sort of an idea on a due date??  

 without actually witnessing a mating it can be hard to estimate. 
I tend to go from the first time I feel babies moving. If you check her every day and she has a normal litter that will be around the 6-7wk mark. They're pregnant for 9-10wks. 
So I usually mark a month ahead on my calendar from when i first feel movements. But you might want to try for 3 weeks from that point as a rough idea. 

The other thing you can use as a guide is her pelvic bone - that will start to open/dilate about a week before delivery (ie. you will just feel the pelvic bones moving apart). When they're about 1-2 fingers width apart, delivery should usually be within the next 1-2days. 


102 comments:

  1. hi! i sent in question 12 and thank you so much for the information!your blog is so cool and helpful!

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  2. Replies
    1. hi i was wondering if baby boy guinea pigs can get their mothers pregnant?

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    2. Hi hayley, they can indeed. Baby boys have been known to do the deed with mum as young as 3 weeks, and have also managed to get mum and sisters pregnant at this age as well. We remove our boys at 3-4 weeks. Most of them don't figure it out for a few more weeks yet, so this works for us. But there's always the exception to the rule!

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    3. I have a female guinea pig I think she is a month I got her this Monday and today I was checking on her and her cage mate and noticed there was blood on the bedding I picked up firework ( the New Guinea pig ) and checked her pelvis and she is bleeding what do I do?

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  3. hi, we have a one week old from a litter of 3, mother is feeding them and 2 of them are eating veg and pellets but this one is just feeding off mum all the time and not putting weight on while the other two are thriving ! He has eaten a little bit of pepper but is not that interested , just wants to follow mum round to feed. when she gave birth, we found this little one pushed out of the bed stuck in a corner and wondered if he had missed any important nutrients from immediately after birth from his mum?? The other 2 do tend to push him out a lot but i think he makes up for it when they are all feeding on munchies and he just nurses off his mum. we're just worried that he's not goin to survive as he's not putting weight on. How can we get him to eat??

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    1. It's probably not what you want to hear, but when a baby guinea pig refuses to eat there is not a lot you can do. The best thing at this stage is that he gets milk from mum - this will be his fluid, food and immunization against this new world he's been born into - so that's excellent that he's feeding from her. If he's a bit smaller then the other two bubs, then he might take a bit longer to get to the point of eating solids. Some babies just fail to thrive though. We don't know if this is a genetic problem, maybe something isn't quite right with their internal organs, or they missed out on nutrients in utero, or something happened at birth... we just don't know. If this is the case it is unlikely that he'll make it past 2 weeks old, especially if he's not gaining weight. You could try supplement feeding, but 9 times out of 10 this just messes with the good bacteria in the gut of the bub, and makes the problem worse. Really mum's milk is best right now. Fingers crossed for you guys :)

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    2. What can we do to Tame a female guinea pig like a 1 month old female guinea pig ?

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    3. Try taking the mum away from it for a fewhile hours

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  4. Hi

    Thank you for your very informative site. My little girl received two female guinea pigs for her birthday in february off a friend with the information one may be pregnant. Two days ago 'duchess' gave birth to two healthy little pigs. As we have never kept guinea pigs before and this is all new to us a quick google search indicated that wea should seperate the other female two give the mother a rest etc of which we did. Although they are separate the non-mother "abbey" was talking etc to duchess today from her cage so again we googled searched and found we may introduce them again. We did this under supervision and all seemed to be going well when abbey just started attacking the two babies and then started on duchess as well. We quickly separated them but I am now worried that we may have done the wrong thing. Is this normal behaviour? Will duchess and abbey live together again harmoniously? Should we persevere and hope that they will sort each other out? The babies are now only 3 days old and I would hate for anything to happen to them.

    Thank you for your time.

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    1. Sorry I didn't find this early guys. It is very normal for mumma pigs to get a bit possessive and protective of their pups. Even with other pigs that they've previously been friends with.
      And introduction in a bigger space - maybe a grass pen might be a good start. Distract them with lots of yummy food. Usually two sows and the bubs will end up living together with no worries.

      And for future reference, if you have two sows living together and only one is preg, the other one is fine to stay with her when she delivers. And will often help clean the babies too. It's males/dads that should be removed as they can get a bit frisky trying to mate with mum as soon as she's delivered her bubs and may accidentally trample the bubs. (or get mum pregnant again right away).

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    2. Hi,

      Just wondering where you are located and if you sell baby guinea pigs to the public?

      Thanks

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    3. Hi Ella - at times we do have babies for sale. We have our very LAST pigs available at the moment (based in Brisbane, Australia). But then we will be closing the stud for a while and just keeping some pet sows.

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  5. Hi
    I had a question and was wondering if you could answer it.
    My piggy had two litters over her life, and in the second, it didn't go according to plan. She had had a textbook pregnancy and birth the first time, having five perfect Peruvian/sheba bubs. But the second time she spent an awful long time struggling to deliver the first pup. After about 35 mins she delivered a huge, white and deformed pup. The kicks from the other pups had been frantic since the 20th minute, and she went on to deliver two stillborn (but still normal-looking) pups and one surviving pup.
    After such a perfect first pregnancy and having carried to the perfect date, how and why did this happen?
    Thanks
    Beth

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    Replies
    1. Just like us, guinea pigs can have very different deliveries for each pregnancy. A straightforward first birth doesn't always mean it'll go well the next time. It sounds to me that the larger malformed baby was the issue here. Any time a baby is over about 120g, or not formed correctly, the delivery can be very hard on a mum. The contractions would have exhausted her, and it's possibly that the placentas for the remaining babies may have pulled away from the uterus, meaning that they were without oxygen - leading to their death as well. You are lucky to have had one bub survive :) Consider her your little miracle.

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  6. How many guinea pigs do you have?

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    1. At our most we had 60 cavies in our stud. Currently there are about 15, which will reduce to 3 pet sows once we close our doors at the end of 2013.

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  7. Hi
    I know you cannot probably help but I'm
    So upset. Our guinea pig had to baby's on Saturday only one survived we was so happy to have the one. This was not a planned pregnancy she came like this from pet shop. She had been inside in a box with her baby since Saturday. All was well. This morning when I came to feed her baby is gone. Yes totally vanished! I just cannot understand it. Box was not disturb or anything. All I can think is cat could of come through open window and take her but is this possible??? So very upset :-(

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    1. Hi Katie, that is very strange. Did you end up finding him? Guinea pigs certainly can not climb the sides of boxes to disappear, so someone or something would have had to take him out/ carry him away.

      That being said, happy baby guinea pigs do do a 'popcorn' behaviour where they jump around a lot. If the sides of the box were not very high there is a slight possibility he accidentally jumped out?

      Sorry this happened.

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  8. i would like to get a American Crested guinea pig but i dont know how big they grow till and can you get them desexed?

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    Replies
    1. most breeds will grow to between 1kg - 1.3kg in weight as healthy, well fed adults. All guinea pigs can be desexed by a capable vet - but the operation is a risk as cavies don't handle anesthetic well.

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  9. I have a blonde medium length of hair guinea pig. I dont know but something has been different with his hind lately i dont know if it is mites or a weird way his hair is parted.I have had them for a year or so a=but have always been scared to pick them up so i havent gotten a good look. But his hair does look different

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  10. Hi,
    A few weeks ago my female guinea pig gave birth and died a few days later we have decided to keep the baby guinea pigs. Is it alright to reunite the babies with their father and have them share a cage together? Thanks

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    Replies
    1. This would only be okay if the babies were male. If the babies are female they will be impregnated by the father.

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  11. Hi! I have a female guinea pig who gave birth nearly a month ago (She gave birth to two girls), and they are still drinking her milk. I was wondering if they will stop on their own or do I need to do something (we are planning to keep all of them. We don't have a male because she was pregnant when we got her from the petshop). Someone told me the mother decideds when they finish drinking her milk? Is this true? Thanks :D

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  12. I am not sure if this is in your area of expertise, but I am unsure where to go. We just purchased a 3 month old little GP girl (Bella) this evening at our local pet store. We didn't notice until we had been home for several hours that she cannot close one of her eyes. We have another lady GP and just lost our eight month old to an infection :(. So, we have experience with GPs, but I've never seen anything like this! The pet store said they would "buy" Bella back and then take care of her vet bill, leaving us the option to purchase her from them again when she has a clean bill of health. However, we have already bonded with her and are not comfortable signing her over to a store! I'm calling our vet in the morning, but my daughter is just so worried that Bella is in pain or that we should be trying to do something more. I've scoured the internet, but have seen nothing dealing with eyes that will not close - just lots of stuff about eyes that will not open. My daughter is 11yrs old and was extremely close to Lacy (our little girl who just passed). She already loves Bella and I don't want her to face another loss already! Can anyone help?

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  14. My guinea pig is 2 yrs old and I suspected that she is pregnant. I am wondering what is the success rate and this is her 1st time? Yesterday i just lost my female piggy and the babies died inside her according to the vet and x-ray and she was 1 yr 8 months old was her 1st time too. It was an accidentally pregnancy.
    What can I do to ensure the mother gonna be safe? I was really upset when I lost my girl. I do not want to lose this one as well.

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    Replies
    1. HI! First of all, don't get upset because your piggie is a bit older. One of my best silkie females did not get pregnant until she was nearly 2 years old and she had her babies just fine. Your first guinea pig may have become sick with toxemia, which can cause death. If your current female is healthy, one thing you can do is let her exercise a bit each day. My pregnant females get lazy, so I carry them down to the end of the hallway. Sometimes, they need a bit of encouragement. At the other end of the hallway is a snack they can not resist: fresh basil.

      Make sure your female is getting adequate vitamin C. For my pregnant females, I double the amount of vitamin C during their last week of pregnancy and their first 2 weeks nursing babies.

      Try to be there when mom gives birth. You can help her out by carefully removing the sack from the baby's face. The way I do this is to have to warm towel. I use the towel to pick up a newborn because they are slippery and you don't want to drop one. Before you pick up a baby, you may find it is still attached to the placenta by the umbilical cord. Just sever the cord with your fingernails or a pair of small scissors. Leave a couple centimeters - don't cut the baby's cord too close to the body. Then, gently tear the sack from the nose and pull it back over the shoulders. Tip the baby so his head is a bit down, not up. That way, when the baby takes his first breath, he won't suck up any moisture.

      Because the babies are covered with bloody fluid, I take them directly to the bathroom and carefully rinse them with my fingers using warm water. I do one baby at a time. Then, back into the towel the baby goes for a loving gently drying (just wrap the baby gently in the towel), carry him back to mom, and she will do the rest.

      I have never had a female reject a baby. However, if the mother is not licking the baby off or ignores it, just rub mom's rear end to get some of the birthing fluid from her and rub it over the baby. The mother will smell it and then she will accept the baby.

      Be sure to have your female guinea pig on a nice thick fleece or a soft clean towel. Giving birth in wood shavings or other particle bedding is difficult because it will stick to the babies. The mother will eat up the placentas and any afterbirth. After all the babies are born, gently put them on a clean fleece.

      One thing I do is have a small fleece, about the side of a hand towel. That way, I can gently cover the babies while mom is giving birth to the next one. I don't cover the babies' heads. I just put the fleece around them and cover their backs. You might have to line up the babies so they are not sitting head-to-toe.

      Be aware the most guinea pigs give birth to their babies without any complications. Also be aware that sometimes, the birth process does not go as smoothly as nature intended. I am very sorry for the loss of your other guinea pig.

      In closing, try to relax and think positive because your female guinea pig will pick up on your feelings. If you think nice thoughts, she will too. Peter Guerny has some good notes on the birthing process, so look up his website and read what he says.

      Remember: excercise, vitamin C, good food, plenty of water, and a clean bed. That is what your mom-to-be needs the most.

      Good luck!!!

      M. Masters, guinea pig lover since 2004/registered silkies, texels, and coronets, and 3 adorable peruvian/absynnian pets pigges :) :) :)

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  15. My female guinea pig is 6 weeks and she keeps looking down to her lower belly and im wondering if its a sign of pregnancy or not

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  17. how long after the mother give birth they care for there babies?

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  19. chances are actually quite slim unless your girl was on heat. They only come on heat every 16-18 days, and only for a few hours at a time.

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  20. hi, I got two female guinea pigs (a brown one and an albino one) about a week ago from a pet shop and i'm wondering if the brown one is pregnant. when we were in the shop looking at them, I asked them how old they were as the brown one looked a lot bigger then the albino one. the man in the shop told me that they were11-12 weeks old. the brown one is very anti-social, it is spending a lot of its time in the guinea pig house and I rarely see it come out for food or water. the guinea pig has a bump on both sides, just above the back legs, which give the guinea pig a sort or triangular shape. is there a possibility that the guinea pig is pregnant? also the white guinea pig holds its head to the side all the time and it twitches a lot, the white one also drinks and squeaks a lot, is this something I should be concerned about? the white one also doesn't sleep in the house with the brown one, I sleeps in a corner over the other side of the cage and I was beginning to wonder if the brown one is bullying the white one as every time the brown one comes near it, it squeaks and runs off. I would really appreciate your feedback. thanks a lot :)

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  21. I have a question, but before I ask it, I just want it known that uneducated people who casually breed their animals are horribly selfish. As civilization progresses, I hope there are eventual laws to stop dimwits from carelessly contributing to animal over-population, inbreeding, and cruelty.

    Unfortunately, no laws exist yet, so I am here because of a dimwit.

    I recently bought two baby female guinea pigs for my daughter from a "breeder" (by breeder, I mean an irresponsible woman who casually allows all her pigs to produce more and more pigs).

    I got two of the same gender because I did NOT want to be bringing more guinea pigs into the world. It never dawned on me that one of the babies could already be pregnant. I just expect people to be more responsible than that. I was so wrong.

    It turns out that one of the babies is indeed pregnant. The "breeder" had all her guinea pigs housed in the one small cage, including the father. What worries me is that the father may have impregnated his daughter. It's doubly irresponsible.

    So, my questions is, are the offspring seriously at risk of genetic abnormalities? Can a father and a daughter breed healthy offspring?
    How risky is this pregnancy?

    Thank you for your help. Please help educate the idiots from doing what this woman did to me.

    To any selfish idiots reading this: Please do not give away or sell pregnant guinea pigs to unsuspecting owners. It's massively irresponsible and wrong. Not everyone shares your casual disregard for bringing more lives into this world.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Paula, being rodents, it's actually not unusual for guinea pig relatives to interbreed - they don't have the same family-ties as us humans and dads think nothing of mating with daughters and sons with mothers etc. The biggest concern for me would be the age of the bub who's currently pregnant - and whether or not he body will be able to accomodate full-term pups.

      Another worry might be how much interbreeding has happened before this generation. If the breeder only started with two animals then the genetic pool will be quite limited and you will likely find some recessive traits popping up. These aren't always bad traits (for example satin coat and ear hems are recessive), but you might find a predisposition to teeth issues showing up later in life, or a resulting offspring might be more prone to skin issues/digestive issues? Occasionally you see extra toes.

      For the most part though, the species is pretty hardy, and with good care you'll be giving your pets the best chance.

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  22. It actually sounds more like she might be 'popcorning' Jessica. Maybe google 'baby guinea pig popcorning' and find some videos. See if that behaviour matches what she is doing. Sometimes guinea pigs do just scratch/itch themselves. If she's starts cutting into her skin with her claws and loosing hair - then you can suspect mites and she will need a vet.

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  23. o have two pages with care information: Top Tips for Cavy Care and ... gpigcages.blogspot.com

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  24. Hello, I am new here, i just wanna inform you all that the pregnancy herbs i ordered from Dr fiokpor worked for me, i tried to get pregnant for years but no luck, through an insight i came across an email that speaks good about him so i give it a try and i am happy i am pregnant his email is fiokporspiritualtemple@gmail.com you can contact him for any relationship issues, according to him he specialize in so many things he can offer you the best solutions

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  25. Hello,

    My guiniea pig had a litter and only one survived. Then the son (the one that survived) got the mother pregnant. When she gave birth all the babies died, about a week later the mother died. I was wondering if you knew what happened. Also, how do you know when to separate the babies from the moms cage?

    Thank you so much!

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  26. Hi

    My giunea pig died. I really don't know how he would eat and drink good. We would give I'm grass and fruits like oranges and apples. Some times when we held I'm he would cry and get scared. We got I'm about a month ago. Do u know what might of happened to him???
    Thanks!

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  27. Hi I recently bought a female and male guinea pig the male is 3 months and the female is 2 months and they were in a cage together the female about 2 days ago her vagina was swelling up and was all wet on her stomach and near her vagina but she was also very skinny and then yesterday morning I walked out to check on her and she unfortunately passed away

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  28. Hi My Guinea is 8 months old and she is pregnant . She was fine yesterday but she is not breathing too well today . Please help

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  29. Hello. My female guinea pig is currently 2 years old and over. When she was 11 months when she had her first baby, and they are both perfectly fine. Am I still able to breed the mom at her current age?

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  30. we recently bought 2 baby pigs from a pet store. Both males. Both were in the same enclosure with several other males. We bought the first one on tues afternoon and went back for the second on fri afternoon. We put them in the same cage (which is new to both of them) and the one we had since tues keeps getting on top of the other one. Should we worry or try to shoo him off each time or just let it go. We had a pair of older males my daughter adopted years ago that shared a cage until one died from old age and we never had these problems. When we purchased another male after the death of the first one we had to separate the cage because the older one would not tolerate the younger one but they were side by side. I figured since these two had been together at the pet store all this time we wouldn't have any problems.

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  32. Hello! I jus picked up a guinea pig yesterday, she is about 3 months old! And I bought only a single since I live in a boarding, but she is very shy and refuses to move about when I put her on the floor, there is proper intake of food though. So I was wondering if she would be fine on her own if giver her a lot of attention and how long will she take to get used to her new home and me?!

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    Replies
    1. You have to tame her :) all guinea pigs are different so they all take diffrent time to get comfortable with there owners. You should not take her out of her cage for a couple of days and let her settle in, and its always better to have 2 guinea pigs because they are herd animals

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  33. I bought a young, girl Guinea pig from the pet store about a month ago, is it safe to buy another young, female Guinea pig and put her in the same cage as my first girl?

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    1. The cage is also big enough for the two, I have double the supplies needed, such as, igloos, food bowls. I read somewhere that it's also help to bathe them in the same so soap so that they have the same scent. Would doing all this work? Or would I still have to separate them first

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  34. Need help badly pls

    I adopted a piggy home n i did check with the person is the pig pregnant? Obviously is no the ans but there is nothing I can be sure so I just adopted. The 1st week she lost 8g which is normal cos she jus change enviroment but 2nd week she gain 47g and the 3rd week she gain 51g and she is brown crested breed. I am not sure is she pregnant or she is big sizd or fat. She is still v active. My concern is how to know is the weigh is normal the way it keeps adding up so much n now the pro is, the owner cage got the parent n gave birth to 2 and one boy n one gal so when I adopted her is already 5 mths old. I am not sure how will it turn out cos this is then a inbreed case. Pls help.... Thank you

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  35. Plz help me out.. I bought 2guinea pigs from an owner now he is in no contact with me.. I told him to give me 2males but today i came to know one is male and other is female as they are mating and they both are just 2months old.. Whats the solution plz hel.. I dont want my guinea pig die

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  36. Plz help me out.. I bought 2guinea pigs from an owner now he is in no contact with me.. I told him to give me 2males but today i came to know one is male and other is female as they are mating and they both are just 2months old.. Whats the solution plz hel.. I dont want my guinea pig die

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    Replies
    1. Put them in different cages there is a chance the female may die but she might make it, she is very young to have babies so keep an eye on her. She made need to go to the vet but there's a chance everything can go fine

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  37. We got a male and female and baby boy guinea pigs(baby 1 month old, now about 4 month) Both parents started picking on him so he spend all the time separated from them/ He can eat with them most of the time but that's the only time he is close to them. Could you tell me what is this behaviour about and how bad this is experienced by the baby guinea pig. Any suggestion about improving their quality of life in this situation?

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    Replies
    1. Is there any chance you can put him in a different cage its proberly just because he's little and there big. I wouldn't leave the male and female together for much longer as she will be back to back breeding.

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  38. I am a new owner of two young male Guinea pigs. About one week ago I saw some blood in the cage and I checked the Guinea pigs bodies and there was no blood on them but I never though to check their feet. So about a week later I was cutting their nails and I noticed that one of my Guinea pigs had a nail that was black and it was very short. I don't know what to do , how do I help him? Please help I'm very worried.

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    Replies
    1. It may be because of the netting on your cage or something sharp in the cage that cut him or they might be fighting meaning you should put them in different cages. I would just watch and see if they fight.

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  39. My girl gave birth last night and my other one that's with her should have given birth to as they were pregnant at the same time and should bring each other on? Does this mean something has gone wrong?

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  40. I got a 4mth old female guinea and i wanted to get another one. I went to a petshop and they said unless i got 2 from the same litter that my guinea would be territorial. I heard that they are social animals. And id love to have 2 and let them be in the same cage. How do i go about introducing and having them love eachother. I want another female and i want a baby too .

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  41. Hi there, my guinea pig had delivered a very healthy litter(her first), exactly a week before Christmas, consisting of 4 girls and a little boy. I plan on keeping them all but am unsure of what to do with the little boy as I have separated him and he seems very lonely. I wanted to get another baby boy as a friend for him but I have been told that there might be future complications synch as fighting. Can u please help me out? Thank you.

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  42. Hi, I got my guinea pig a month and a half ago and I recently noticed her stomach moving and her eating and drinking a lot more. Could this mean she's pregnant and when from now would her due date probably be?

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  43. Can a 4 year old male guniea pig and a friends 1 year old male guniea pig have a playdate my friend live in the area?

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  44. Can a 4 year old male guniea pig and a friends 1 year old male guniea pig have a playdate or will they fight

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    Replies
    1. I have a six month Guinea pig with a 2 year old and a 5 year old with a 2 year old Guinea pig they get along really good when I first put them in their so it should be ok but that depends on the Guinea pig because all Guinea pigs have different personality's

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  45. My male Guinea pig has been really depressed since his friend died and I think he doesn't know how to mate anymore, we have a female and she is the one that mates him not the other way round

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  46. My Guinea pigs are boy and girl but when I seperate them they get depressed as she is 7 weeks pregnant what should I do their like soul mates

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  47. My Guinea pig pregnant but when I touch her she makes a funny noise like eeeerre continuously for a minuet or two

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  48. https://www.erstwilder.com/pages/pet-photo-competition

    Hi, its not a question but a request, my 6yo son has entered his favourite guinea pig in a competition to have your pet immortalised as a brooch. If Pup can receive enough votes to remain in the top ten he will be made unto a brooch. Could I please ask you to post the link on your blog and encourage readers to vote for Guinea Pig rights.

    It'll make him super happy.

    thank you, Peter Dunstan




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  49. i want inform the world about Priest Hallifat how he help me conceive after 7years of marriage no kids ,but today,im carry me twins of 4months .contact Preist Hallifat via Email: lifecentre@live.com for solution!!! kourtney Hayle (L.a)

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  50. Hi, I was wondering when I could put my female back with her gang of cage mates (all female). I was made a larger cage and as I was transferris them, I saw she was in the hut with the little ones. I decided to keep her by herself as the babies can fit through the grid...and I didn't want to stress her with a new surrounding or have a cage mate step on the new babies. She gave birth 3 days ago.thank you for your help!

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  51. I absolutely love having ppl that care enough about piggies to create a blog, but I honestly wish more people who visit would read your very informative info instead of going straight to asking you important questions that you've answered several times over again! I praise you for having the patients for ppl like that and still be polite lol! Thank you for being you ! Ppl need to learn how to read before just buying an animal, no matter what animal it is your buying, I own 5 piggies and still enjoy running into blogs with info from other owners and there experiences.

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  52. I absolutely love having ppl that care enough about piggies to create a blog, but I honestly wish more people who visit would read your very informative info instead of going straight to asking you important questions that you've answered several times over again! I praise you for having the patients for ppl like that and still be polite lol! Thank you for being you ! Ppl need to learn how to read before just buying an animal, no matter what animal it is your buying, I own 5 piggies and still enjoy running into blogs with info from other owners and there experiences.

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  53. Hi my guinea pig is 5and a half years old and is Pregnat will she die or not?

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  55. Hi. I have a female piggy who is around 1. We got her a friend (girl) in September from people who had lost one of theirs and she was lonely. Our piggy Rosie is now pregnant. A vet check and pumpkin the girl is actually a boy and dad to be. We had him castrated on weds and they pined so are back together. I've bought them in As he is post op and she's due soon I think. I'm worried about when to remove him as they stop eating apart. Also will she be ok? We got her in May and assume she was about 6 weeks old then. Very worried as they are very loved!

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  56. Helo .. i have a abbysian guinea pig .. my problem is .. she is pregnant but she was 3months if she 50/50 .im worried . She from the pet shop .

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  57. Helo .. i have a abbysian guinea pig .. my problem is .. she is pregnant but she was 3months if she 50/50 .im worried . She from the pet shop .

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  58. Hello I have two female guinea pigs Cece and Lyla and a male Schiller. So the thing is we noticed that Cece was pregnant and Lyla was just a little fluffier and always had big body but Cece only had her belly noticeably big. Since they live in a big cage in the garden we dont see them everyday cuz grandpa feeds them and all. Yesterday, I saw they had two babies around a week old and we were sure it was Cece and Schiller's babies. But the thing is when I visited them yesterday, Cece just left the cage as soon as I reached and Lyla was the one protecting the babies with the father and I thought may be its like aunt love kinda thing but today again, As I cleaned their cage and had the babies with me in warmth, it was Lyla again who was looking around and Cece just stayed in the cave and looked out a little. As I left, Lyla was the first one to reach out to the cage and the ltitle ones started following her and she then disappeared with the babies in the next cave. But if I see Cece her belly is flat now and Lyla still is as fluffy and full and she always was. Its really confusing also due to their body changes and the behaviours towards the kids. Can anyone help? I know its really complicated but a little help would be good so I could find out who really the mom is and I'm definitely gonna keep eye on them now. How else do you find out if one gave birth or not? Thanks. :)

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  59. Hi, I have a sow who is nearly 3 years old I adopted her when she was 7 months old along with here daughter who was 3 months old.
    I have never bred her before and when I adopted her she had previously only had one litter when she was 4 months old, she had two healthy babies a boar and a sow.
    What I really wanted to know is would it be safe to breed her once more before she turns three she weighs 1.15 kg

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  60. I have a question. I have 4 guinea pigs. The mother and her two babies that are about 5-6 weeks old. It looks like the mother keeps rejecting them every time they get close to her. She would chase them in their house until they come out. Is It because they are getting older?

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    1. Or other is something wrong with them. I dont think it matters but one of the babies is a Teddy and the mom an the other one isn't. The mother really pushed the Teddy away out of her space. Is that the reason?

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  61. I've been trying to breed a female guinea pig since she she was 5 1/2 months old and we've kept her with two different males during this time. She is now coming up eight months and still showing no sign of being pregnant although the males would attempt to mate her. We've checked the genders and everything and they are correct. I tried another female as well with two males, one being the same one the first guinea pig was with, and still no signs. What could the problem be?

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  62. We got two piggies from the pet shop and named then Patchy and Fudge. Both were apparently male and roughly six weeks old for my sons seventh birthday. A couple of months later Fudges shape changed dramatically and now she's in her own cage waiting to have her babies :). If only pet shops sexed properly :( . We love our pigs though and will love their babies but daddy's going to get the snip soon :(

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  64. Hey!
    My Friend got a guinea pig a few months ago. She's had guinea pigs for years now and her New Guinea pig is pregnant. Today she had her guinea pig inside and her guinea pig tried jumping on her shoulder as she stood up, the guinea pig fell off her shoulder onto the floor. She is tall for her age and we don't know what to do? The Guinea pigs stomach caved in but she can still feel the guinea pig babies kicking. We're worried they're injured and they may die / leave problems with birth or kill the mum ( Called Tilly ). Please give some advice on what to do or tell us what could happen? She is around 167 cm tall - Thanks!!

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    1. Hi, I strongly suggest that you take the pregnant guinea pig to the vet to make sure that her and her unborn babies are ok, better to be safe than sorry.

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  65. I am debating buying two guinea pigs but they were not kept in the same cage at the petstore, one is slightly older than the other, do they have a better chance of getting along and not fighting then waiting until the petstore gets more babies which may take a few weeks? I already have the baby on hold and I dont want her getting hurt by the bigger female

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    1. They both would be brought home at the same time if that helps any

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  66. Both guinea pigs should be fine especially if they are female. I've done this plenty of times with my guinea pigs and the most females really do is maybe just chatter their teeth as they go past and raise their head. Female usually get along with each other especially well. They don't seem to get real aggressive like males who can cause serious damage. Also, since you're getting them both at the same time that is a bonus as nobody has been settled in long enough to say that it's their territory.
    I hope this helps.

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  68. i wanted to know how old can a skinny pig be to have babies because she is now 11 months and i got her from a pet store and i wanted to know if she can still have babies

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  69. Well I’m assuming that a skinny pig and a normal guinea pig would be the same so if that’s true I’d probabaly want to have them as soon as possible since there is the chance her pelvic bones will fuse and will need a c-section. This isn’t necessarily a high chance tho. I’ve had a guinea pig that was at least a year old have babies and she was fine. But just consider this before making your decision.

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  70. I bought a guinea pig from a pet shop long story short she had 4 babies, before i got her a friend of mine gave use a nother female can i keep both females in the cage or will the one thats not the mother hurt thr babies

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  71. When you’re used to the bottom falling out, it’s impossible to relax. But I managed to cure my infertility and get pregnant with this method => HOW TO HAVE A BABY CLICK HERE
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  72. Hey my one of my guinea pigs died yesterday leaving her 25 days old baby behind...the baby is now missing his mom and I can't see him like this...how should I make him happy? please help...

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  73. Hello, we have two sisters that are both moms now. They lived there whole lives together, untill we took them apart to have their babies. They both have three beautiful young now, does it generally gives a problem to put them all together as one big family? They spawned 7 days apart from each other

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