Purring

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niczmer

New Born Pup
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Hey! I have recently bought a guinea pig and he’s doing pretty well. Very bubbly and gets along well with his cage mates. I have noticed something, he often purrs like a cat. Do they always do that?
 
What it means depends when they’re doing it. It can be happy or even a sign they don’t like something.

Is he in with other boars? Boars are best kept in pairs so it would t be an idea to either pair him with one of them or find him a (male) friend of his own.
 
Please separate immediately. He can’t live with her when he is intact. He could get her pregnant, if he hasn’t already. You can put the cages next to each other but make sure that he can’t escape and get back in with her.

You should always double check the sex of any piggy you’re taking on. You’ll have to put her on pregnancy watch now. The average pregnancy lasts 10 weeks.
 
It can be. I can’t remember the percentage but some pregnancies can end in the death of both mum and pups. Why would you want to take that risk, even if it’s very low due to her young age? You don’t have any exotic vets so what would you do if something went wrong?

This forum doesn’t support (intentional) breeding. You putting a boar in with a sow when he’s still got his bits is almost the same as breeding. Especially when we told you with your previous boar that you needed to separate him from the sow.

Please make sure they get plenty of hay. Read the guides in the link below. Look closely at the one about diet. If she is pregnant, you want to give her the best chance.

I also think you need to learn to sex guinea pigs so see the other guide below.

Pregnancy, Mother & Baby Care Guides
Illustrated Sexing Guide
 
Sows can be lost from pregnancy especially if they are young, also this forum is pro rescue not intentional breeding as there are many many piggies in need of homes without more being intentionally born that will possibly need new homes. Besides the rate of piggy breeding you could get quickly overwhelmed if a large litter and the sow is fertile immediately on giving birth so if not seperated would get pregnant again.

Maybe see if you can get him neutered so he can live with his sow
 
I do not support intentional breeding as well. Despite this my father is so persistent on getting me a male-female pair so they could breed. It’s frustrating me. I’ll be feeding them lots, thank you.
 
Don’t feed them lots, only give what they need. Did your dad get the male or did you? I think given the circumstances maybe you could look at a pet that can live on its own. If your dad thinks it’s okay to put them together you don’t want to risk pregnancies by having a mixed pair. Sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s not fair on them.
 
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Will do. My father did, he has his mind set on getting mixed pairs so they could breed. I don’t want to lose more furry friends and me being inexperienced definitely will make it harder for the both of us. Sadly they aren’t vets nearby and I really don’t want to take any risks. I also can’t get guinea pigs on my own. This is the most help I can get. I have already seperated them and have given them hay.
 
On your previous thread you said that she was with a boar who sadly passed away. I said in that your other thread that there is chance she was already pregnant by your previous boar and that needs to already be on pregnancy watch from being with him. Did you read the pregnancy guides I added into your other thread about how to care for a pregnant guinea pig? Ive added them all in again below for you to read.

I am glad you have separated her from this new boar, because whether she is pregnant yet (by the previous boar) or not, she will definitely get pregnant by this new boar. If she is pregnant, she will come back ito season just a couple of hours after giving birth and if your boar is still in the cage, she will get immediately pregnant again, therefore increasing the risks of complications for mother and/or pups.
You must now make sure his cage is very very secure as boars will climb out of cages to get into the cage with sows. You need to read the pregnancy guides and plan for how to care for multiple piggies and plan new living arrangements for if she is pregnant (and for separating any baby boars at the correct time as they cannot live with her long term either and you can only keep two boars together in the same cage).

I know from other members it’s hard to find vets in the Philippines, but unfortunately, there is going to come a time when you are going to need a vet, so do have a plan on how to get to a vet If an emergency arises.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pregnancy-guide.109375/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pregnancy-and-nursing-diet.109377/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/after-birth-mother-and-baby-care.109389/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sexing-separating-baby-boars-and-rehoming-babies.109391/
 
Yes I have read them :) As of now I’m still observing her behavior. Both of them seemed to have calmed down when they were seperated.
 
It does sound like a difficult situation for you and please be reassured that all the advice given is to keep the piggies in best health and avoid suffering and expensive vet visits. It is so sad when females end up with awful reproductive tract infection or when little ones are born struggling to survive. Your boy and girl might be lonely so if you can put the cages next to each other so they can see, hear and interact until the situation is resolved it would be kinder.

I once had a neighbour who wanted dogs, but then thought it would be a good idea to buy two for breeding and sell the puppies to make some money. She ended up with 12 big dogs (it was a large litter) and totally wasn't prepared for the worry and expense of feeding and cleaning up after them, for them fighting each other, and vet bills for mum and pups. She lost money and she sure didn't try it twice!

I also had a friend who bought two 'female' gerbils and rapidly ended up with 35 gerbils. It was a nightmare. These things can very quickly spiral out of control.

Good luck with your situation - and enjoy your piggies, knowing that you are trying to give them the best life and most love 💕
 
I see. That was what my father was trying to do. I wanted to try taking care of two piggies of the same sex but a mixed pair was bought so he could sell the babies. We’re definitely not prepared as our knowledge about pets are limited to dogs and cats. Thank you though <3
 
We are all learning all the time. And it's great you have so much interest as the forum is getting more members from countries like the Philippines and it's nice to be able to contact other people in your country and share your interest. In this country many people get guinea-pigs for their children... when mine were small I could talk piggies with quite a few of my friends. Now the children are big and I only know 1 other local adult who keeps piggies!
 
That’s cool! I don’t think I know anyone who owns piggies 😅 I’m definitely learning alot in this forum!
 
niczmer said:
Yes I have read them :) As of now I’m still observing her behavior. Both of them seemed to have calmed down when they were seperated.
Click to expand...
You won’t know from her behaviour if she’s pregnant. It usually shows in the latter stages of the ten week period.
 
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