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My male guinea pig is trying to hump my femal guinea pig :(

A

Adrian_444

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Hi, a new guinea pig owner here. I got my piggies almost a month and a half ago, and when I bought them, I didn't keep it in my mind that It's better to have either two female guinea pigs or two male guinea pigs. I got to know a few weeks ago that one of them is actually a female (Ari). I was instantly worried that my male guinea pig (atlas) would try to pounce on her.
So far so good, but then they eventually began to fight, Ari was scared to be around atlas who would chatter his teeth and try to mark his dominance. I tried to calm them down seperately, and it worked but today atlas tried to hump Ari who was so scared and ran around the cage in fear. I was also scared because I didn't want atlas to hurt Ari, and even more terrified that Atlas might impregnate Ari. I can't have baby guinea pigs, because the cage is too small and I am worried I won't be able to take care of so many of them... I certainly don't want them to die if they are born. I know surgery for atlas is an option but it's too expensive. Can anyone help me with this ? Can I do anything at home to calm atlas and keep him from doing this ? I am extremely scared for my piggies. :'((
 
Please separate them immediately. Your girl will need to be put on a 10 week pregnancy watch, as there is a high chance she may be already pregnant.
Please take time to read through these guides -
Pregnancy, Mother & Baby Care Guides
Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...-dad-your-short-and-long-term-options.194280/

Also I would urge you to make sure your pigs have adequate space. Please have a read through these guides on appropriate sizing for their cages (which will now have to be two single cages), even if she is not pregnant, it is your duty to make sure they have a suitable cage full of hay and places to run/hide..
Cage Size Guide
Sourcing Conventional Cages And Hutches
All About C & C Grid Cages Around The World
 
Thank you, I did seperate them immediately, and I am gonna watch Ari for any pregnancy signs. Does the male stop trying to hump the female after a few days ? If I do keep them seperate for two or three days ( at the maximum )
 
You need to separate them indefinitely, if put together he will make your girl pregnant. You must separate them until you can get him neutered, which will be the operation and then the 6 week wait after.

Please make up their cages and you can put them side by side so they can still interact through the bars and not feel lonely. It is needed that you make sure they do not have physical contact with each other.
I would recommend you look into buying C&C grids, you will find more about this in the links above, so you can make two cages next to each other with enough space for each. A lone pig will need less space, so you can make a decent sized cage to fit on any countertop that will be adequate for your boy and girl to live next to each other.

Please understand the risk with a pregnancy, not only is is very taxing on a sows body it is also irresponsible and cruel as recues are filled with pigs needing homes, this is why we are anti-breeding and pro-rescue. As you said you do not want piggies, nor can you look after them, so they will have to be separated full time.

Pigs can live side by side each other, if they are able to sniff and see each other they can speak and live happy lives. I do not know what cage they are in but if it is one bough from a pet store then it is likely this cage is too small anyway.
You can make temporary housing until you can get another arrangement sorted, this is why many members recommend C&C cages as they are easy to use and also easy to change. If really needed you can create a temporary home in a bathtub, if you place an absorbent layer and bedding on the bottom.
 
Hello. Sadly it sounds as if you have been given some poor advice at some point, this is quite common with small animals unfortunately.
Guinea pigs are not like dogs where you can keep them together and then separate when the female comes into heat. A sow comes into heat regularly with very few signs (or even none). Mating happens in seconds so the chances are it has already happened, the sow can then become pregnant again almost immediately after giving birth. If you are quite certain you have a boar and a sow they should be separated, if possible they could be kept side by side so that they can still see each other for company however you must ensure that the boar is enclosed or he may be able to climb over to her.
Good luck with your sow, I hope she isn’t pregnant.
 
piggl said:
You need to separate them indefinitely, if put together he will make your girl pregnant. You must separate them until you can get him neutered, which will be the operation and then the 6 week wait after.

Please make up their cages and you can put them side by side so they can still interact through the bars and not feel lonely. It is needed that you make sure they do not have physical contact with each other.
I would recommend you look into buying C&C grids, you will find more about this in the links above, so you can make two cages next to each other with enough space for each. A lone pig will need less space, so you can make a decent sized cage to fit on any countertop that will be adequate for your boy and girl to live next to each other.

Please understand the risk with a pregnancy, not only is is very taxing on a sows body it is also irresponsible and cruel as recues are filled with pigs needing homes, this is why we are anti-breeding and pro-rescue. As you said you do not want piggies, nor can you look after them, so they will have to be separated full time.

Pigs can live side by side each other, if they are able to sniff and see each other they can speak and live happy lives. I do not know what cage they are in but if it is one bough from a pet store then it is likely this cage is too small anyway.
You can make temporary housing until you can get another arrangement sorted, this is why many members recommend C&C cages as they are easy to use and also easy to change. If really needed you can create a temporary home in a bathtub, if you place an absorbent layer and bedding on the bottom.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I hadn’t seen your post when I posted mine.
 
Hi and welcome

Unneutered boars and sows cannot be kept safely together; full stop. Guinea pigs are not wired for for off/on relationships; each new separation is hugely upsetting and frustrating for them and can contribute to stress-related illnesses in the longer term. There is no 'safe sex' for piggies that will work reliable for years on end.

You have to be aware that domestic guinea pigs are life-long nonstop breeding machines due to human outbreeding for farming purposes several thousands of years ago. Unlike their wild South-American ancestors, they do not have a breeding season throughout the summer months when fresh vitamin C rich green grass is plentiful.

Boars (males) start making babies from 3 weeks onwards (basically as soon as they are majorly weaned) and sows can get pregnant from 4 weeks onwards. There is no menopause for either gender, they can keep making babies (with less good outcomes) until the die from old age.
Sows (females) come into season again within hours of giving birth. Without protection from any males, they will be basically nonstop pregnant until they die sooner rather than later. As soon as their first batch of babies is weaned their second batch will have reached a size where the new embryos will start pulling on their mother's physical reserves without giving their bodies a respite to recover and to refill their own bodily reserves. Eventually the mother's body will give out if she doesn't die young due to birthing complications which affect on average every 5th birth in good care and that can affect every 2nd birth in the worst cases. :(

I hope that makes our advice more understandable. Unless you end the circle right now, you can easily and quickly end up with a mess of interbreeding generations and genetic faults turning up as soon as a faulty gene is present in both parents. which will be more parents with every passing generation. After 3-5 generation, you can quickly be at over 100 piggies with about 2-4 babies from every sow over 4 weeks of age in the coming generation. I have adopted more than once mothers and babies coming out of situations like those to give them as good and as long a life as possible - which is sadly not always the caaw.
It happens far more easily that you would think; many of those messes haven't started out with intentional breeding, just plain lack of information or misinformation. All it takes is just one mis-sexed pup or you not separating the parents quickly enough... :(

Please take the time to read our pregnancy guide information collection:
Pregnancy, Mother & Baby Care Guides

We do also have a very practical information and helpful tips collection on a wide range of aspects that new owners come up against regularly: Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners
You may want to bookmark those links as you will hopefully find them very helpful for the next few months.

Please accept that we are a strictly no breeding forum and that any advice and support is given with the sole aim to prevent any further pregnancies - we are supportive of those who are willing to do this.
Many of our forum members are rescue volunteers, supporters and adopters who help with dealing with messes from uncontrolled breeding or the sale of mis-sexed piggies or already pregnant sows to unsuspecting customers. Our support is only available for people who are willing to cooperate with our forum ethos to help mitigate the current overproduction of hapless pets who pay the price with their lives, often through unnecessary major suffering.
Terms of Service And Forum Rules
 
piggl said:
You need to separate them indefinitely, if put together he will make your girl pregnant. You must separate them until you can get him neutered, which will be the operation and then the 6 week wait after.

Please make up their cages and you can put them side by side so they can still interact through the bars and not feel lonely. It is needed that you make sure they do not have physical contact with each other.
I would recommend you look into buying C&C grids, you will find more about this in the links above, so you can make two cages next to each other with enough space for each. A lone pig will need less space, so you can make a decent sized cage to fit on any countertop that will be adequate for your boy and girl to live next to each other.

Please understand the risk with a pregnancy, not only is is very taxing on a sows body it is also irresponsible and cruel as recues are filled with pigs needing homes, this is why we are anti-breeding and pro-rescue. As you said you do not want piggies, nor can you look after them, so they will have to be separated full time.

Pigs can live side by side each other, if they are able to sniff and see each other they can speak and live happy lives. I do not know what cage they are in but if it is one bough from a pet store then it is likely this cage is too small anyway.
You can make temporary housing until you can get another arrangement sorted, this is why many members recommend C&C cages as they are easy to use and also easy to change. If really needed you can create a temporary home in a bathtub, if you place an absorbent layer and bedding on the bottom.
Click to expand...
I think I'll try that. I'll try to make it so they can live side by side without being completely exposed to each other. And you're right, I did some research and guinea pigs cages are usually extremely big, but the one I received ( i tried to get the biggest the store had available) is still not big enough technically speaking. It's alright for one piggie tho. But until I get the cage that is right for them, I have a big cardboard box. I cut two windows on each side and it's spacious for one piggie. I can keep atlas in that, right next to the cage where Ari is. Is that a good solution?
 
Pantalaimon said:
Hello. Sadly it sounds as if you have been given some poor advice at some point, this is quite common with small animals unfortunately.
Guinea pigs are not like dogs where you can keep them together and then separate when the female comes into heat. A sow comes into heat regularly with very few signs (or even none). Mating happens in seconds so the chances are it has already happened, the sow can then become pregnant again almost immediately after giving birth. If you are quite certain you have a boar and a sow they should be separated, if possible they could be kept side by side so that they can still see each other for company however you must ensure that the boar is enclosed or he may be able to climb over to her.
Good luck with your sow, I hope she isn’t pregnant.
Click to expand...
Thank you 😓😓
 
Adrian_444 said:
I think I'll try that. I'll try to make it so they can live side by side without being completely exposed to each other. And you're right, I did some research and guinea pigs cages are usually extremely big, but the one I received ( i tried to get the biggest the store had available) is still not big enough technically speaking. It's alright for one piggie tho. But until I get the cage that is right for them, I have a big cardboard box. I cut two windows on each side and it's spacious for one piggie. I can keep atlas in that, right next to the cage where Ari is. Is that a good solution?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately these cages are sold to make money, and most do not even meet the minimum requirements. So if you are able to, I would look at purchasing some C&C grids, then you can make your own cage that is suitable for both of them.

I am not sure about the cardboard box, I imagine it may go soft when peed on and you have to be wary that boars can be very adventurous and will often do anything they can to reach their "mate". Is there anything else you could use?
Temporary Housing Solutions?
 
I have just had a thought. Are you absolutely 100% certain that one is a female? Males will behave like this to each other as will females so it may be worth just making absolutely sure of their sexes.
 
piggl said:
Unfortunately these cages are sold to make money, and most do not even meet the minimum requirements. So if you are able to, I would look at purchasing some C&C grids, then you can make your own cage that is suitable for both of them.

I am not sure about the cardboard box, I imagine it may go soft when peed on and you have to be wary that boars can be very adventurous and will often do anything they can to reach their "mate". Is there anything else you could use?
Temporary Housing Solutions?
Click to expand...
Actually I get what you mean, but the cardboard box I have is pretty hard, plus I arranged a bedding and added hay. That's the only option I have available as of now. I am looking for cages though, and There are so many options, but the place where I live don't have them.I'll have to dig in and search. But thank you so much for helping me I was literally freaking out. I guess I am still worried for my piggies because it seems like Ari doesn't like being seperated too, and atlas is already going crazy. But thanks for guiding me :")
 
Pantalaimon said:
I have just had a thought. Are you absolutely 100% certain that one is a female? Males will behave like this to each other as will females so it may be worth just making absolutely sure of their sexes.
Click to expand...
Yeah I guess so ? Actually it did take me a lot of time to figure out if Ari was male or female. I would happily be wrong, but I don't think I am. Can you tell me how much time does it take for them to get pregnant? Like I read somewhere mating process could take hours, and here I read it doesn't take time at all.
 
Adrian_444 said:
Actually I get what you mean, but the cardboard box I have is pretty hard, plus I arranged a bedding and added hay. That's the only option I have available as of now. I am looking for cages though, and There are so many options, but the place where I live don't have them.I'll have to dig in and search. But thank you so much for helping me I was literally freaking out. I guess I am still worried for my piggies because it seems like Ari doesn't like being seperated too, and atlas is already going crazy. But thanks for guiding me :")
Click to expand...
There are many different types and sizes, if you have a look at the sizing guide and C&C guides I attached that should help you a bit.
I don’t actually own a C&C cage so couldn’t elaborate, sorry!
If you post a thread in the housing section of the forum asking for advice about two single but attached C&C cages, members with similar set ups would be able to reply and give you some tips, if you would like.

You can post pictures of their genital areas if that might help you get some clarity, but if you follow the hands on guide I attached above it should be quite easy to tell.

I don’t know the exact timescale but I would imagine it would/could be quite quick, so this is why we urge you to separate them immediately, but boars generally reach sexual maturity from 3-5 weeks and around 4-6 weeks for sows.
 
I inserted the image ! Ari was moving so much so it's a bit blurry. Actually when I bought them, they were already more than a month old. Black one is Ari, Brown one is Atlas.
 

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Adrian_444 said:
I inserted the image ! Ari was moving so much so it's a bit blurry. Actually when I bought them, they were already more than a month old. Black one is Ari, Brown one is Atlas.
Click to expand...

Hi!

What a cute pair! :love:

The sexing picture is very blurred and at an awkward angle; the strong marking running right through the genitalia is also making it more difficult.

Have you got somebody else who could take the picture for you so you have two hands to keep hold of her so I can make sure? Right now it is rather guesswork and that is never good enough.
 
Please also be careful with the windows you cut in the box. Are they big enough for Atlas to escape? And is the cage Ari is in lidded?
 
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