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Male or Female advice needed please

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samsam

samsam

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Hello! I'm new to this forum but was seeking some advice (I'm new to the wonderful world of guinea pigs)

I have two gorgeous male guinea pigs but lately I've noticed that one of my piggies has suddenly gained quite a tummy. I've researched online and compared as much to my ability but I'm worried that one of my boys might actually be a girl and pregnant.

I have a photo here
gmxwp.jpg
which was the best I could get without all the wriggling.

As they are only 2 and a half months old I'm very concerned that my piggie is too young to give birth after researching about it online and also I'm not sure if I should separate them because I've read that the boar can be a little too rough with little ones (but at the same time I don't want to be silly and separate them for no reason if they're both boys!)

ALL advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Take a deep breath - that looks like a boy to me! But it is good that you are checking; missexing is not at all rare. Here is additionally a good sexing website with lots of pics: http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm

How much are you feeding and how much space have they got? guinea pigs change their figure somewhat when they grow up.

The ideal diet consists of:
- up to 80% of the daily food intake is unlimited hay
- unlimited pellets until the current growth rate is starting to slow down. Then very gradually reduced to the half to handful a mature adult needs after 12-15 months old. Weigh weekly as a health check, too.
- 50g/1 cupful of mixed veg per piggy per day, in as many servings as you like. Please try to include at least one high vitamin C veg like a slice of pepper of any colour, some broccoli (any part) or some fresh parsley or coriander/cilantro and vary between them.
here is a list of what veg you can feed: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42
- fresh water without additives daily
 
Thanks so much for your help! (I guess his brother must be a little more "endowed" than him :P)

I'll admit I spoil them a little. They have a fresh serving of vegetable daily, usually a combination of broccoli, cucumber, carrot, Brussels sprouts, beans, red peppers and celery over the week.

They always have a guinea pig mix in their bowl but they don't eat a lot of it. And they have an unlimited supply of hay because their hutch is covered in it.

This is their hutch, I'm thinking because it's so big that I might get a few more additions but I guess all I can get is more males, do males get along or should I just stick with my two? I'd love to have more!
GnPzj.jpg

I also have another undercover hutch for the rare times that the weather is extremely bad and another run specifically for them to graze every few days.
 
It does look like male, but usually the testicles are far more pronounced than than that, unless they are nuetered. Could we have some more pics from different angles?

If you press just above the little nobbly bit a willy should appear, then you'll know for sure. x
 
Males are definatly best kept in pairs - more males means more guys argueing for the top spot and this can cause nasty fights. However your set up looks lovely! they will be piggies living in luxury. :)
 
Toffeewoffee said:
It does look like male, but usually the testicles are far more pronounced than than that, unless they are nuetered. Could we have some more pics from different angles?

If you press just above the little nobbly bit a willy should appear, then you'll know for sure. x
Click to expand...

I'll take a photo of both of them for comparison, should take me about 5 minutes.
 
That's the same piggie! I pulled his skin up a bit to get a clearer photo. (don't be confused by the light though that gives a illusion of a point on the genitals, it's not there :( ) His brother wouldn't let me get a clear enough photo.

This is a mystery
 
Oh lol ha ha! Well i would say boy then, panic over, sorry that first one just threw me haha. Sorry if i worried you love. xx
 
The last picture is definitely a boy. Not all piggies develop at the same rate and some can be still rather in-between looking at that age.

While your run is certainly big enough, your two hutches aren't unless they are a minimum of 2x4ft each. Boars are best kept in pairs. Boar trios and quartets are usually very unstable and end up with separations, especially when they are subadults.
 
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Well that's a relief! He must just be putting on a little bit of weight!

In regards to my other question, does that mean I can only have the two boys? I'd love to adopt a few more, does getting them fixed have any affect on their moods? They have such a big home that i'd love to rescue some if I could.
 
Neutering has no effect on their behaviour, all it does is take away their ability to re-produce. I would stick with the 2 in that set up.... boars can be funny and have serious fall outs.

Doesn't mean you can't get another set up and rehome some more piggies :))
 
Toffeewoffee said:
Neutering has no effect on their behaviour, all it does is take away their ability to re-produce. I would stick with the 2 in that set up.... boars can be funny and have serious fall outs.

Doesn't mean you can't get another set up and rehome some more piggies :))
Click to expand...

I think I might do that with my other hutch then :)!
 
Good plan, though on a serious note, if you do decide to and you get some girlies, it COULD/MAY (or may not) effect your boys bond if they can smell the girls, if they come near them or are on the grass after them for example and cause them to fall out. As i said though they could be fine. Many members on here have males and females in the same room and all is fine.

Would you like the link to the re-homing section :))
 
Where abouts in the world are you? Because some other countries do have rescues too :)
 
I'm from Melbourne Australia, I've checked out the RSPCA and offered a foster home thing but they don't have many and when they do they come in pairs and it's $50 per piggie.
 
We would be very grateful if you could put your country/state in your details, so we can give you more suitable advice for products/medication etc. as they are different for each part of the world.

You can do that if you go to User CP/edit profile.
 
At 4 1/2 months it looks like a boy, if you press gently above opening it should form a y with a slit for a girl, a boy will either bump or donut. If you can't be 100% take them to your vet for sexing - check they are pig savy first or they will be confused as you, or if their is a local Piggy Bank person who would be happy to come and take a look for you.

You hutch set up looks great x
 
As everyone else has said, yes, it does look like a boar - so no unexpected babas for you, phew! :-)
Using a guide can be a big help to sussing out these kind of things. A good tip is that usually you find that when you put slight pressure above a girl's vagina, a Y shape appears.

Also, yes their home could house a few more piggies - just remember to not go too overboard, I know they can be addictive. ;-)
x
 
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