Do guinea pigs still mate when pregnant?

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gu1n3aP1g

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I'd asked this on reddit but not much luck. Il save the long drawn out stuff and try and keep it precise as to the answer I'm looking for.

I'm looking for if guinea pigs still mate when pregnant.
A breeder may be the best person to answer my question.
I understand that females will mount females and males will mount females any time even as not a mating ritual just for dominance, however mating is alot different if you've got a group of girls with a boy youl understand that the boys charade when mating is different to when the girls and boys mount for dominance. As he actually humps, girls do not, they mount.

Ive read on a handout from a vet before (Google:
Your Guinea Pig's Pregnancy - Lake Shore Pet Hospital)

That they don't mate when the female is pregnant. However this is the only source I can find this information on, and I'm hoping a breeder who understands the difference between mounting and mating / humping has observed whether or not this is true. Would be a help for reasons which are too long to list. Many thanks
 
Is this a theoretical question for some reason or do you have an unneutered boar in a cage with a pregnant sow?
You will not find breeders on this forum. We do not support any intentional breeding and therefore any unneutered boars should be kept well away from sows at all times.
If you have a pregnant sow due to an accidental pregnancy perhaps due to a missexing incident then our pregnancy advisors can offer support, but any unneutered boar should already have been removed and in separate cage so as to not cause a back to back pregnancy.
 
Piggies&buns said:
Is this a theoretical question for some reason or do you have an unneutered boar in a cage with a pregnant sow?
You will not find breeders on this forum. We do not support any intentional breeding and therefore any unneutered boars should be kept well away from sows at all times.
If you have a pregnant sow due to an accidental pregnancy perhaps due to a missexing incident then our pregnancy advisors can offer support, but any unneutered boar should already have been removed and in separate cage so as to not cause a back to back pregnancy.
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I don't breed, sorry I wasn't aware this wasn't a breeding forum, it's to settle a debate. Basically one of my sister's males started fighting and I have so many piggies but not many males so I though heck I can take him and fit him in somewhere, got him neutered and waited to put him in, the day came to put him in and just before my SO had mentioned that one of the girls looks pregnant, we have had multiple pregnant piggies before as people have sold us or given us pregnant piggies for many reasons, never from one of our males though. Well it could be possible he did manage to do the deed before he was neutered as we gave him and some of the females he'd be going in with lap time, he obviously did try and mount but it was fully supervised by two of us and we stopped him every time. Sometimes he wasn't interested and just talked to them.

If this one piggie is pregnant even though she should have a good healthy birth as she's perfect age and size some other older pigs did meet him and could be pregnant and they are too old. I think she's just fat, Mrs thinks she's pregnant and tbh now I also just want to know the answer because its interesting me now. And the mating whilst pregnant comes into it because he was attempting to mate with her yesterday and she was happy to let him, I didn't think this would be the case when pregnant. Again I can't stress enough the difference between mounting and actual mating, I've seen the behaviour and it is different, he was trying to mate
 
Basically I'm just wondering if this info is false or true, as it could be a good measure for pregnancy in pigs for future as well as any now, as I take ALOT of pigs in and out of my house, whether that's one someone can't look after or one I want for myself and sometimes people do just want to get rid quick because of a pregnancy and I have been sold or given pigs that are pregnant without knowing as well as sick and sadly dying piggies but I'd rather them be with me when I know I can care for them I just wish people where more upfront so I can start helping without delay and also because one day olds are literally the most adorable thing ever but their loss. It's not vital I get this question answered but I'm a pig nerd and anything else I can learn about them is another interesting thing to know. I'm going to look if this behaviour is true in other rodents, might help answer my question
 
One thing you should not do is to be putting a boar with sows before he’s safe (6 weeks post neuter), even with suppervision. It takes a mere few seconds for the act to happen.
 
gu1n3aP1g said:
I'd asked this on reddit but not much luck. Il save the long drawn out stuff and try and keep it precise as to the answer I'm looking for.

I'm looking for if guinea pigs still mate when pregnant.
A breeder may be the best person to answer my question.
I understand that females will mount females and males will mount females any time even as not a mating ritual just for dominance, however mating is alot different if you've got a group of girls with a boy youl understand that the boys charade when mating is different to when the girls and boys mount for dominance. As he actually humps, girls do not, they mount.

Ive read on a handout from a vet before (Google:
Your Guinea Pig's Pregnancy - Lake Shore Pet Hospital)

That they don't mate when the female is pregnant. However this is the only source I can find this information on, and I'm hoping a breeder who understands the difference between mounting and mating / humping has observed whether or not this is true. Would be a help for reasons which are too long to list. Many thanks
Click to expand...

Hi!

Sows do generally not come into season again when pregnant although rare cases of superfoetation are known in guinea pigs (i.e. being pregnant with two different aged lots of embryos at the same time).

PLEASE keep all genders strictly separated at all times unless one party is neutered; no full boar has anything to do around any sow that is not spayed at any point in time. Full stop. When a sow is close enough in her estrus cycle, she can spontaneously come into season in the sudden presence of boar pheromones. It only takes a few seconds. Boars have two prongs at the tip of their penis to hang on for just long enough as they rely entirely on a sow to sit still and lift her bum long enough for him to do the dirty deed.

However, if you are lucky it is simply the third kind of cross gender mating that you seem not to be quite aware of: That of a submissive sow accepting a more dominant boar into her group at the start of introductions by allowing him to mount her. For him, this is often sexual as well as social when his brain is turned off and the gonads take over. Submissive sows will tolerate this behaviour.
The very dominant sows will keep any new boar at bay during a bonding (and any meeting between guinea pigs is for them a proper full-on bonding event) until they come into season - provided the boar is submissive enough to stick it out through the whole ca. two weeks bonding process. Otherwise a bonding attempt has failed.
You can find a video of a failed 3 minutes cross gender intro in our bonding guide where the acceptance mating doesn't happen despite the randy boar's insistence: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Any baby boars over 3 weeks/250g of weight need separating and any neutered boars require a 6 weeks post-neutering wait before they are full safe to go with a sow. The little surprise baby in my avatar is the legacy of an at the time (a decade ago) supposedly safe over 5 weeks post-op boar (not one of mine); just as first-hand proof that it can really happen as late as this. Our advice follows current UK welfare and good standard rescue practice (including that of the RSPCA, the official UK animal welfare charity).

Please also accept that sows come into season again within hours of giving birth; the last thing you want to risk is a back-to-back pregnancy and a randy boar chasing a new mother straight across her new-borns.
Ideally you have a maternity ward for any pregnant sows away from all the others, as do any good welfare standard rescues to ensure that pregnant sows get the best of care and that allows you to spot any trouble straight away.
 
I can't add to what Wiebke has said above but I would like to point you in the direction of the forums terms and rules. On signing up to the forum all members tick a box to say that they have both read, and agree with, the forum terms and rules. This is where you will find the rules that prohibit the discussion of intentional breeding. I have attached the link as it does appear that you have not read the rules so far.

Terms of Service And Forum Rules
 
They're seems to be alot of mad people here. Yes I do separate the females who are pregnant in the past I've not found it 100% necessary when it's only females in the run, with the board itl be different this time if indeed she is pregnant which it's still a little early to tell.

Weibke I'm not sure what you mean by if I'm lucky, wether that's with lap time or in the hutch, ample time has elapsed between the point of getting him neutered and bonding the boar with the girls I didn't blindly throw him in. You have answered my question straight away though, that generally they do not come back into season, this is all I was looking for as I can't just trust one source exclusively, thank you

The baby and mother care if and that is still an if he managed to somehow reproduce during laptime, will be completely fine, it's not my first time and I will almost certainly keep all of them, whether that's with their mothers in the herd for females or males in my shed. I know they can get re pregnant, obviously with a fully neutered boar this isn't an issue but the herd would still likely get split for a bit.

I'd already apologized for the not even really rule break, I just mentioned someone who sees breeding may have a better idea, obviously nobody here has guinea pigs that were born... They just appeared in a rescue one day...
 
@gu1n3aP1g please be mindful of your tone. You joined this forum and agreed to the terms and rules on signing up. If this forum isn’t for you please feel free to leave . Describing our members as “mad” and making sarcastic remarks to staff members will result in your account being terminated.
 
Before referring to people as mad you should try to understand that every day, both on this forum and in real life, many staff and members are dealing with the fallout of irresponsible or unplanned breeding. They see directly the unnecessary pain and suffering that the ill thought out actions of others can cause.

Inferring that people don't know where guinea pigs come from is quite frankly rude and disrespectful, given that a large number of people here devote their free time, money and space in their own homes to rescuing and rehabilitating the mistakes of others. A quick look around the Forums will reveal just how much suffering and loss is involved in breeding guinea pigs, and the Forum is always supportive of all piggies and their owners, regardless of where they come from. The Forum simply aims to guide and educate people about the harsh reality of breeding.

it is great that you feel able to keep any piggies that might be born after an accidental pregnancy between your own guinea pigs but this is not the only issue here.
Placing an unneutered male with intact sows (even when supervised) goes against the terms of the Forum that you agreed to when you joined. However (and perhaps more importantly) this causes both the boar and sows in question unnecessary stress, and will in no way indicate if a proper bonding will be successful at a later stage or indeed facilitate this.

Please remember we are all volunteers and are simply doing our best to provide helpful guidance based on many years of expreince.
 
Regarding Mentioning breeders, if you’d read the forum T&Cs, you would have known this isn’t a forum to find them. But you obviously signed up for some reason. But if you feel we are mad and don’t know where guinea pigs come from then this isn’t the place for you.

As the old saying goes (and one that is used here): if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.
 
Siikibam said:
Regarding Mentioning breeders, if you’d read the forum T&Cs, you would have known this isn’t a forum to find them. But you obviously signed up for some reason. But if you feel we are mad and don’t know where guinea pigs come from then this isn’t the place for you.

As the old saying goes (and one that is used here): if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.
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My sentiments exactly but apparently I'm mad for pointing out that they ticked to say they have read and agree to the rules only to prove they haven't read them by saying they didn't know.

Of course we all know where guinea pigs come from 🤦‍♀️ but that doesn't mean we need to support irresponsible breeding
 
BossHogg said:
If you upset my staff, you upset me. And if I'm upset, I swing my ban hammer, your call. :twist:
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I've had my question answered, I'm happy if you want to shut down the thread to not encourage this sort of thing again apologies for any offence caused, it was well meant in the original post but came off a bit sideways I suppose, I felt a little attacked by some and I jumped to conclusions I shouldn'tve. If I'm going to be honest I work in I.T and alot of my day is spent on coding forums ect and when I sign up I don't always read the rules because theyre generally the same and in this case, the first guinea pig forum I have signed up to is not, it's a dumb mistake. Again I'm happy for you to delete or shut down the thread as to not give people the wrong idea, I didn't specifically aim anything at anyone I left it as general as possible as to not cause offence as much as I felt I'd been judged for something, in the original post I had said I'd refrain from mentioning the full story and I did slip up by mentioning breeders which isn't allowed, the. Followed by asking to reveal the full story. I'm sure you can understand I feel a bit screwed for trying to answer what honestly is quite an interesting and imo unique question. Again feel free to remove the thread for violations. Il send a donation over too. I can't quite see where to donate if you have a PayPal send it me over :)
 
Siikibam said:
Regarding Mentioning breeders, if you’d read the forum T&Cs, you would have known this isn’t a forum to find them. But you obviously signed up for some reason. But if you feel we are mad and don’t know where guinea pigs come from then this isn’t the place for you.

As the old saying goes (and one that is used here): if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.
Click to expand...
Sorry, if I'd worded it different it would've been ok, I'm not looking to be in direct contact with a breeder, a better way to have worded it is someone versed in guinea pig mating, someone who has seen it or is experienced without breeding maybe even written a science paper on a related topic. It was poorly worded. As I've said to the main moderator on here if you know the PayPal link I'm happy to donate and apologies to you all, I can't PM most people on here to ask for it I'm not sure if that's a default account setting but profiles appear hiden
 
The things most of us took umbrage to was being called mad
gu1n3aP1g said:
They're seems to be alot of mad people here.
Click to expand...

And stating how we don’t seem to know how guinea pigs come about. They just magically appeared in a rescue.
gu1n3aP1g said:
I just mentioned someone who sees breeding may have a better idea, obviously nobody here has guinea pigs that were born... They just appeared in a rescue one day...
Click to expand...

You weren’t ever likely to find someone here who sees breeding. Simply because of the forum policy. That should have been evident once it was pointed out to you. And people here aren’t likely to be ‘versed in mating’ either because we avoid it at all costs.
 
Siikibam said:
The things most of us took umbrage to was being called mad


And stating how we don’t seem to know how guinea pigs come about. They just magically appeared in a rescue.


You weren’t ever likely to find someone here who sees breeding. Simply because of the forum policy. That should have been evident once it was pointed out to you. And people here aren’t likely to be ‘versed in mating’ either because we avoid it at all costs.
Click to expand...
:agr:Well said @Siikibam!
 
∆∆∆ wot he sez, I'm on nights and have just woken up. 👍
 
gu1n3aP1g said:
Sorry, if I'd worded it different it would've been ok, I'm not looking to be in direct contact with a breeder, a better way to have worded it is someone versed in guinea pig mating, someone who has seen it or is experienced without breeding maybe even written a science paper on a related topic. It was poorly worded. As I've said to the main moderator on here if you know the PayPal link I'm happy to donate and apologies to you all, I can't PM most people on here to ask for it I'm not sure if that's a default account setting but profiles appear hiden
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I hope none of your sows did get pregnant accidentally - but suspect only time will tell if your boar was trying it on and was successful ...

Regarding PMs, you have to have made quite a few posts before the system allows you to initiate a PM conversation (you can still respond to one initiated by someone else though). It used to be a lot lower but there were problems with spammers and the Mods didn't want the forum's PM facility to be abused by such people for nefarious purposes such as spam or phishing. The forum puts out an annual request for donations, which are used to pay for the web hosting and the software, it's usually round about now (watch out for a banner at the top of the main page) - generous of you to offer, thanks 👍
 
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