Mis-sexed?

[Natashadavi]

Heres the situation. The primary school my mum works at has pet guineas, the owners were on holiday over easter, and since i love them we've taken them in for the period. We suspect one might be female and pregnant as it has grown noticably larger (a firm lower abdomen) in even just the 2 weeks theyve been here - but we are not guinea pig owners so we need help! We keep other small critters (rabbits, rats, hamsters, gerbils, and such) so we were able to identify the other two as distinctively male, but we're unsure about the last. I will attach photos of everything if Wiebke could kindly offer her expertise.

Of course this guinea could just be a lazy food motivated boar, but our reasoning for possible pregnancy is: it is often the first on the food and the least active in the run, stark weight gain way more than the other two, and a theory as to why there haven't been any pups yet is because a primary school is not an ideal environment for pregnancy (the teachers are the primary caregivers but the kids do get involved and they do go out to homes on the weekend who are trusted by the teachers but ultimately have no experience with pigs). Additionally the suspect is grumpy and i often find it settled away from its companions. We'd really really appreciate the help, we are able to deal with the pregnancy but we need to know if thats what it actually is or if the weight gain is indicative of some other problem we need to alert the owners about

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Just to clarify, were these three guineas all housed together at the school and when in homes at the weekend, and how long has the school had them?

I'm not an expert but I think it is unlikely that they are 2 boars and a sow, as 2 boars would almost undoubtedly fight if housed with a sow. Having 3 boars together would be quite an achievement in itself too. Not impossible though, so hopefully Wiebke or someone else qualified to judge will be able to tell you what this one is.

 

[Wiebke]

Heres the situation. The primary school my mum works at has pet guineas, the owners were on holiday over easter, and since i love them we've taken them in for the period. We suspect one might be female and pregnant as it has grown noticably larger (a firm lower abdomen) in even just the 2 weeks theyve been here - but we are not guinea pig owners so we need help! We keep other small critters (rabbits, rats, hamsters, gerbils, and such) so we were able to identify the other two as distinctively male, but we're unsure about the last. I will attach photos of everything if Wiebke could kindly offer her expertise.

Of course this guinea could just be a lazy food motivated boar, but our reasoning for possible pregnancy is: it is often the first on the food and the least active in the run, stark weight gain way more than the other two, and a theory as to why there haven't been any pups yet is because a primary school is not an ideal environment for pregnancy (the teachers are the primary caregivers but the kids do get involved and they do go out to homes on the weekend who are trusted by the teachers but ultimately have no experience with pigs). Additionally the suspect is grumpy and i often find it settled away from its companions. We'd really really appreciate the help, we are able to deal with the pregnancy but we need to know if thats what it actually is or if the weight gain is indicative of some other problem we need to alert the owners about

Hi

Great that you have taken those piggies on. School piggies are sadly among the most neglected and traumatised pets; not least because they are shoved between parents or staff who are not looking after them well enough during weekends and holidays.

Please take a deep breath. You definitely have two boys. And thank you for the clear pictures

Ron may be a bit overweight but he is showing the characteristic wedge-shaped abyssinian breed figure. He's obviously the more outgoing and greedy one.
If he was pregnant, the babies would be showing around the middle of the body as lumps and not mainly over the hips. There would also not been the charactistic testicle swelling from boars of over 4-6 months of age around the genitalia.
If you can no longer feel his ribs, then a treat free, hay based diet with only a moderate selection of non-fattening veg and very little pellets in combination with making him work for his food by coming to across the room for another bite, should take care of it for the long term. Lack of exercise will have contributed to the problem. You will find these two guides with all the practical tips and more in-depth information useful. The overweight guide contains a chapter with practical tips on getting lazy and fat piggies to move.
- Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
- Weight (Underweight & Overweight) - Monitoring and Management
- Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

We have got a much wider information resource on here but you or the owners are always welcome to come here for any questions. We are a friendly and supportive place.
- Here is our boar check and servicing guide: Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

How you can check whether the boys are a good weight for their individual body size and figure (BMI) at any age and how to put weight gain and loss into perspective, you may find this link here helpful: Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

If you can no longer feel his ribs, then a treat free, hay based diet with only a moderate selection of non-fattening veg and very little pellets in combination with making him work for his food by coming to across the room for another bite, should take care of it for the long term. Lack of exercise will have contributed to the problem. You will find these two guides with all the practical tips and more in-depth information useful. The overweight guide contains a chapter with practical tips on getting lazy and fat piggies to move.
- Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
- Weight (Underweight & Overweight) - Monitoring and Management
- Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

We have got a much wider information resource on here but you or the owners are always welcome to come here for any questions. We are a friendly and supportive place.
Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

 

[Natashadavi]

Believe me i know how improbable this situation is but harry weighs 1152g, theres clearly something up. Ive attached their carrier which they live in at school, but they have a pen about twice the size to run in my garden

 

[Natashadavi]

Hi

Great that you have taken those piggies on. School piggies are sadly among the most neglected and traumatised pets; not least because they are shoved between parents or staff who are not looking after them well enough during weekends and holidays.

Please take a deep breath. You definitely have two boys. And thank you for the clear pictures

Ron may be a bit overweight but he is showing the characteristic wedge-shaped abyssinian breed figure. He's obviously the more outgoing and greedy one.
If he was pregnant, the babies would be showing around the middle of the body as lumps and not mainly over the hips. There would also not been the charactistic testicle swelling from boars of over 4-6 months of age around the genitalia.
If you can no longer feel his ribs, then a treat free, hay based diet with only a moderate selection of non-fattening veg and very little pellets in combination with making him work for his food by coming to across the room for another bite, should take care of it for the long term. Lack of exercise will have contributed to the problem. You will find these two guides with all the practical tips and more in-depth information useful. The overweight guide contains a chapter with practical tips on getting lazy and fat piggies to move.
- Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
- Weight (Underweight & Overweight) - Monitoring and Management
- Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

We have got a much wider information resource on here but you or the owners are always welcome to come here for any questions. We are a friendly and supportive place.
- Here is our boar check and servicing guide: Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

How you can check whether the boys are a good weight for their individual body size and figure (BMI) at any age and how to put weight gain and loss into perspective, you may find this link here helpful: Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support Levels

If you can no longer feel his ribs, then a treat free, hay based diet with only a moderate selection of non-fattening veg and very little pellets in combination with making him work for his food by coming to across the room for another bite, should take care of it for the long term. Lack of exercise will have contributed to the problem. You will find these two guides with all the practical tips and more in-depth information useful. The overweight guide contains a chapter with practical tips on getting lazy and fat piggies to move.
- Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
- Weight (Underweight & Overweight) - Monitoring and Management
- Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

We have got a much wider information resource on here but you or the owners are always welcome to come here for any questions. We are a friendly and supportive place.
Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

Thank you so much

 

[Wiebke]

Believe me i know how improbable this situation is but harry weighs 1152g, theres clearly something up. Ive attached their carrier which they live in at school, but they have a pen about twice the size to run in my garden

Hi

The weight in itself is perfectly normal for an adult boar. Please feel around the ribcage as to whether he is overweight or has put on weight in your good care.