Guinea Pig Breeding
Guinea Pig Breeding – Before You Decide to Start
Ask yourself if you can keep each guinea pig that you breed if you are unable to find a good home for him or her. Many potential breeders overestimate demand for guinea pigs and then unable to keep the animals they have bred – turn them over to shelters. Don’t be that person. There are enough abandoned guinea pigs in shelters already. If you are assuming you can sell your guinea pig in a pet store remember that pet stores do not screen potential owners. Your guinea pigs could be purchased as food for pet reptiles and snakes or used as bait in illegal dog fights.
Do you have the room to provide adequate cages – both in number and in size? If you choose to breed guinea pigs know that the average litter size is 3 to 4 and many can be larger. The resulting litter could be all male, all female, or mixed. After 3 weeks, males will need to move into separate cages. Furthermore, the father of the litter will need to be removed from the same cage as the mother once she is pregnant and should not be reintroduced for at least 5 months. Keep in mind that in addition to separating males and females you may need to separate guinea pigs that do not get along.
Don’t forget that the more guinea pigs you have the more bedding and food you will need to buy. Each cage will still need to be cleaned at least once per week. This will take extra time. Depending on your circumstances you may have so much extra trash that you need to add an additional trash can and pick up. You will need to buy more food and spend more time cutting it up, then you need to place food in each cage, and afterwards clean it up. Two times per day. Each cage will also require huts, water bottles, food bowls, exercise equipment, and toys. This will cost money.
Are you knowledgeable enough to know which types of guinea pigs should never be mated? Mating the wrong breeds of guinea pigs can result in offspring with physical deformities (internal and external.) Without specialized care these animals will not live long and the time they spend on earth will not be pleasant. Are you prepared to pay the veterinary bills for a sick pig? Keep in mind that pregnancy and delivery can also bring about complications which can require the assistance of a veterinarian. As 25% of all pregnancies/deliveries result in complications you’ll need to spend the time looking for the signs of complications otherwise you run the risk of losing the mother and the litter of babies.
Basic Principles
Why do people breed guinea pigs?
Some people are genuinely interested in breeding guinea pigs for show, improving specific breeds, or even developing their own breeds. The responsibilities of breeding should not be taken lightly. For more information on what one should consider before breeding guinea pigs click here.
Breeding requirements
Minimum Age and Weight
Female: 6mo and 1.5-2lb
Male: 8mo
Breeding guinea pigs too young can result in serious health risks for both the mother and the babies. Evaluate both parents for health and condition (under or overweight not ideal.)
When to Breed
Interestingly enough people used to breed guinea pigs only from January to mid summer as during this time there were more freely available greens. These days most people do not follow a seasonal schedule but rather mate according to the female’s 18 day cycle. Signs the female is in season – a swollen vagina with discharge, mounting of cage mates, and lifting her rear end into mating position. The male will also be seen sniffing the females sex organs. The easiest method is to pair a female together for 36 days as this allows for two cycles to pass. Once the female is in season she will be open to mating for a few hours.
Signs of Pregnancy
If successful mating has occurred it is possible to find the leftovers of a waxy core which is produced by the male and used to seal the vagina. This core cannot always be found, so don’t be concerned if you cannot. Another sign of pregnancy would be lack lack of the behaviors that indicate the female is in season (when she otherwise should be.) At five weeks one should be able to feel the babies moving inside the mother. For more information on pregnancies please see the page Pregnant Guinea Pig.
Planning Your Breeding Cycle
Remember to move the male out of the cage before birth of the young as mating will occur immediately after birth. Being pregnant while raising young risks the female’s health and is considered by many to be cruel.
Do not even consider breeding again if you do not have proper homes planned for the guinea pigs you have. Otherwise plan for no more than three litters per year.
Problems You May Encounter
- Infertility of either the male or female
- Aborted pregnancies – if happens more than once remove the female from breeding.
- Pregnant female may die before birth – can be due to the strain of the pregnancy or the environment itself (too drafty, cold, or damp.)
- Difficult births – breech births or malformed babies.
- The mother may neglect the entire litter and they will die . You may try hand intervention.
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