Any chance of gendering yet?

kikirllett

kikirllett

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hello all!

It's been a few years since I posted here and since then I've moved to Portugal. A store has these two in a teeny, tiny cage and said nobody had wanted them.

They had them up for sale separately so I ended up jumping on the opportunity to get them both before anyone did that. They had no clue on gender or age - just that they're very very young.

I'm not able to get to a vet for a few days but these guys are tiny, way smaller than when I got my boys back in the UK (rip 🌈).... I'm worried if they're from the same litter (unconfirmed) and of opposite sex that things might get a little messy.

I've checked the guide but I'm struggling to notice anything, but number 1 feels like it may be a boy, has a little lump above the slit area, but again I'm a little lost with it. Thanks for any help in advance!
 

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Closer, potentially clearer images :)
 

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Nothing seems to be happening when I lightly press the spot but judging by the photos on that guide I do think he's a boar.

They're around 2-3 weeks old judging by images but I have a new, bigger cage on the way soon so I'll likely separate temporarily in a couple of weeks and get him neutered.

We're seeing a vet this Thursday so hopefully that will help clear some stuff up haha.

Edit: forgot to hit reply! Sorry
 
Viennese Furbabies said:
I would also say that number 2 looks like a female.
Can you try to express the penis in number 1?
Here is a guide to help you: Sexing Babies (with pictures)
Click to expand...
Nothing seems to be happening when I lightly press the spot but judging by the photos on that guide I do think he's a boar.

They're around 2-3 weeks old judging by images but I have a new, bigger cage on the way soon so I'll likely separate temporarily in a couple of weeks and get him neutered.

We're seeing a vet this Thursday so hopefully that will help clear some stuff up haha.
 
Confirmed by a vet. 1 is a boy, 2 is a girl.
My only concern now is the vet said I don't need to separate them for another 4 months and that the male can't be neutered for at least 6 months. 🤨

I'll go find the correct place to ask these questions, as I appreciate this one isn't the right one! But I'm pretty sure the vet is trying to get them pregnant at those rates 🤣
 
kikirllett said:
Confirmed by a vet. 1 is a boy, 2 is a girl.
My only concern now is the vet said I don't need to separate them for another 4 months and that the male can't be neutered for at least 6 months. 🤨

I'll go find the correct place to ask these questions, as I appreciate this one isn't the right one! But I'm pretty sure the vet is trying to get them pregnant at those rates 🤣
Click to expand...

Yes, the vet has given you very wrong advice!

The male needs to be separated at 21 days old or 250g in weight, whichever comes first.
Given you don’t know the age, the weight check is going to be your only real guide here.
If he weighs 250g then their separation needs to happen straight away today.

He will have the ability to get her pregnant as soon as she has her first season (which can happen as early as 4 weeks of age) but as you can’t know their age or when it is about to happen, they cannot be together any longer if he is at the weight limit.

He can be neutered once the testicles descend which happens at four months of age.
He would then still need to be kept away from her for six weeks after he is neutered.
This means that there will be many months that they need to be in separate but side by side cages. You need to make sure his cage is very secure and ideally has a lid. Boars can become determined to escape and get back in with a sow.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/baby-sexing-boar-separation-and-moving-on.109391/
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes, the vet has given you very wrong advice!

The male needs to be separated at 21 days old or 250g in weight, whichever comes first.
Given you don’t know the age, the weight check is going to be your only real guide here.
If he weighs 250g then their separation needs to happen straight away today.

He will have the ability to get her pregnant as soon as she has her first season (which can happen as early as 4 weeks of age) but as you can’t know their age or when it is about to happen, they cannot be together any longer if he is at the weight limit.

He can be neutered once the testicles descend which happens at four months of age.
He would then still need to be kept away from her for six weeks after he is neutered.
This means that there will be many months that they need to be in separate but side by side cages. You need to make sure his cage is very secure and ideally has a lid. Boars can become determined to escape and get back in with a sow.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/baby-sexing-boar-separation-and-moving-on.109391/
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
Click to expand...

Ohhh boy. He's 290g, she's 275g.
We can't really afford a second cage right away and my 140cm from Kavee is stuck in customs for a few days (and obviously, once split, would only be 70cm! Not ideal!)

We'll see what we can figure out asap and get her on pregnancy watch!

This is what I get for wanting to rescue these two without putting all my logic into it 😆 but definitely trying my best!
 
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear the cage is stuck and that he has surpassed weight.

You did a lovely thing by giving them a home but it has thrown you in the deep end!

You really do need to a second cage as they need to be apart for many months - they both need their own cage of a minimum of 120x60cm (70cm each isn’t suitable at all).

Is there anywhere you can get a second hand cage from?

What sort of cage (and its measurements) are they in at the moment?
 
Piggies&buns said:
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear the cage is stuck and that he has surpassed weight.

You did a lovely thing by giving them a home but it has thrown you in the deep end!

You really do need to a second cage as they need to be apart for many months - they both need their own cage of a minimum of 120x60cm (70cm each isn’t suitable at all).

Is there anywhere you can get a second hand cage from?

What sort of cage (and its measurements) are they in at the moment?
Click to expand...
They're in a deep storage box (no lid) that's 110x40cm currently. It was our temporary fix whilst we waited for the 140cm cage in the post, which was expected to arrive in 5 days but has now taken 8. Customs is paid so I'm just waiting for it to get here.

In the UK, I'd find two 120cm cages easy, but all I can find in Portugal is hamster cages or rat cages, especially secondhand.

The pet store employee tried to get us to buy a rat cage with 3 layers and I almost got into an argument with her. 🤦‍♀️ It's been difficult finding everything I need, but yes, definitely in the deep end.

I even tried Zooplus, that has a .pt website (back in the UK I got my cage from them, great price and good size) buuuut it didn't ship to my address, my partner's mum's address or her work address. This is likely because we're in the middle of nowhere in the Algarve.

I just don't want to come across like an idiot haha, I know the dimensions I need and I'm trying my hardest to find them. In the pet store, they said these guys had been dropped off by a breeder and they were in a 50cm cage! I hated seeing them like this! I want to make suret get the space they need. 😩
 
Found a 130cm cage on Amazon. It's not perfect, as it's just a thin waterproof lining instead of a thick base, but we have cage liners on the way already and we'll get some padding for under it.

All in all, not perfect, but it arrives on the 18th.

Thank you to everyone listening to my rambling, Portugal has humbled me in the area of small animals 😆
 
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