Tips for Breeding Guinea Pigs
It is usually best that you don’t try to breed guinea pigs. It is not only time-consuming and costly, but it’s also very risky to the pigs’ health. However, if you decide you want to breed them anyway, there are a few things to keep in mind. This article will give you a few tips for breeding guinea pigs.
Female guinea pigs reach maturity very early. Some have been reported to reach maturity as early as one month old. It’s best that you don’t breed them until they reach six months old however. They will need to be as strong as possible to undertake the process.
It is very, very common for guinea pigs to experience complications during pregnancy. They actually have a 20% chance of dying from the process. Sows typically double in size during pregnancy and can experience complications such as a prolapsed uterus, hypocalcemia, or dystocia.
When breeding guinea pigs, you should know that females have a cycle of 16 days. However, they can only get pregnant for eight hours during this time span. You don’t usually have to do anything for the male and female to breed besides put them in guinea pig enclosures.
It should be pretty obvious when your female has gotten pregnant. After she does, it’s vital that you provide her with plenty of fresh water. Sows consume much more water than normal whenever they’re carrying a litter.
It’s also vital that you provide pregnant guinea pigs with vitamin C since they can’t make their own. You’ll have plenty of options for this. Suitable foods to give them include strawberries, kale, dandelion green, parsley, and brussel sprouts.
When your sow is ready to deliver, the process shouldn’t take more than one or two hours. As mentioned earlier, complications are very usual, so you should expect some of the babies to be stillborn.
After the sow has delivered, you should move her and her pups to guinea pig houses away from the rest of your pigs. They will feed on their mother’s milk for about a month. After this time, you should separate the pigs by sex because they will readily mate with each other.
These are a few tips for breeding guinea pigs. Make sure that you know what you’re getting into before you start. Be ready to face complications during the pregnancy because they’re very common. Make sure you take proper care of the mother while she’s pregnant by providing her with plenty of water and foods that contain enough vitamin C.
Edison Chase is a pet fancier and social writer who lives in Boston. He has written informative articles about guinea pig enclosures and gay guy dating advice.
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