Sad/overweight Guinea Pig?

[Hammy.Hamms]

Hi! Every time that I walk into the living room, (the room where his cage is) Hammy happily starts squeaking and popcorning when he sees me. But this morning, he was acting very strange. I walked in and he would not come out of his house. He was looking at me like i had just killed his family or something. He looked very mad/sad. He came out for me to hand feed him some veggies, gave 1 popcorn, then went back in his house and gave me that look again. Is he mad at me?
Also, this past week, he looked like he had gained a lot of weight FAST. I feed him usually a little bit of coriander and lettuce every day, sometimes accompanied with some carrot, celery, or red bell pepper. I don't feed him too much pellets, usually about 1/4 a cup a day. Is that too much? i also top off his hay when it runs out. He's around 6 months old.
PLEASE HELP!
Thank You Sooooo Much!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! Every time that I walk into the living room, (the room where his cage is) Hammy happily starts squeaking and popcorning when he sees me. But this morning, he was acting very strange. I walked in and he would not come out of his house. He was looking at me like i had just killed his family or something. He looked very mad/sad. He came out for me to hand feed him some veggies, gave 1 popcorn, then went back in his house and gave me that look again. Is he mad at me?
Also, this past week, he looked like he had gained a lot of weight FAST. I feed him usually a little bit of coriander and lettuce every day, sometimes accompanied with some carrot, celery, or red bell pepper. I don't feed him too much pellets, usually about 1/4 a cup a day. Is that too much? i also top off his hay when it runs out. He's around 6 months old.
PLEASE HELP!
Thank You Sooooo Much!

Hi!

If a guinea pig is acting out of character, please switch from weighing weekly to weighing daily at the same time. Weighing regularly is very important as you have much better ground to stand on when it comes to vet visits.
Cheap kitchen scales do the job perfectly fine.

Up to 80% of the daily food intake is hay, so even if your guinea pig is still nibbling on a little bit veg, this can be misleading as hay is usually the first food group that is being dropped. As soon as you notice a drop in weight of 50g/2 oz you need to start topping up with syringe feed and ideally book a vet appointment, especially if any weight loss is from one day to the next. Guinea pigs need to eat regularly to keep their guts going.
Should my piggie see a vet? - a quick guide
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

How long have you had your guinea pig? Babies don't grow evenly, they have growth spurts where one week they look rather fat and the next week very long and thin.

However, you might want to double check the gender in case you are dealing with a pregnant sow. Please handle your piggy careful and do not put any pressure on the belly and sides where until you are sure that this is not the case. A 6 months old boar has got fully descended testicles around his genitalia; you cannot mistake him for a sow at this age anymore.
Here is how a boar with descended testicles looks (my Nye on the left was 6 months old when this picture was taken) as opposed to a sow (my Iola on the right). A developed boar also has got a noticeable round penis whereas a sow knob is usually angular and her opening is sealed with side flaps unless she is in season.


Guinea pigs at that age can have growth spurts, but you want to make sure that your are not dealing with an accidental pregnancy, which has either happened at the shop or a breeder's. A guinea pig pregnant takes around 10 weeks. If you think you have got a sow and may be dealing with a potential pregnancy, please open an ongoing support thread in our pregnancy section where you can also find lots of information at the top.

 

[Hammy.Hamms]

Hi!

If a guinea pig is acting out of character, please switch from weighing weekly to weighing daily at the same time. Weighing regularly is very important as you have much better ground to stand on when it comes to vet visits.
Cheap kitchen scales do the job perfectly fine.

Up to 80% of the daily food intake is hay, so even if your guinea pig is still nibbling on a little bit veg, this can be misleading as hay is usually the first food group that is being dropped. As soon as you notice a drop in weight of 50g/2 oz you need to start topping up with syringe feed and ideally book a vet appointment, especially if any weight loss is from one day to the next. Guinea pigs need to eat regularly to keep their guts going.
Should my piggie see a vet? - a quick guide
Complete Syringe Feeding Guide

How long have you had your guinea pig? Babies don't grow evenly, they have growth spurts where one week they look rather fat and the next week very long and thin.

However, you might want to double check the gender in case you are dealing with a pregnant sow. Please handle your piggy careful and do not put any pressure on the belly and sides where until you are sure that this is not the case. A 6 months old boar has got fully descended testicles around his genitalia; you cannot mistake him for a sow at this age anymore.
Here is how a boar with descended testicles looks (my Nye on the left was 6 months old when this picture was taken) as opposed to a sow (my Iola on the right). A developed boar also has got a noticeable round penis whereas a sow knob is usually angular and her opening is sealed with side flaps unless she is in season.
View attachment 59246 View attachment 59248

Guinea pigs at that age can have growth spurts, but you want to make sure that your are not dealing with an accidental pregnancy, which has either happened at the shop or a breeder's. A guinea pig pregnant takes around 10 weeks. If you think you have got a sow and may be dealing with a potential pregnancy, please open an ongoing support thread in our pregnancy section where you can also find lots of information at the top.

Ok. So i figured out that he is not fat, he was just hunched over and it made him look a little chubby. I'm guessing that he is around 5-6 months old, and the place we got him from, said he was a boy, but honestly, i'm not sure. Please look at these photos of him and tell me.
He would not sit still, so some of the images are a little blurry. And incase you are conserned, about the one with him upside down in the snuggle sack, i thought that if i quickly snapped a shot while he was climbing in, that you could maybe see quite well.
I think He might be a girl, but please help me!

 

[Wiebke]

Ok. So i figured out that he is not fat, he was just hunched over and it made him look a little chubby. I'm guessing that he is around 5-6 months old, and the place we got him from, said he was a boy, but honestly, i'm not sure. Please look at these photos of him and tell me.
He would not sit still, so some of the images are a little blurry. And incase you are conserned, about the one with him upside down in the snuggle sack, i thought that if i quickly snapped a shot while he was climbing in, that you could maybe see quite well.
I think He might be a girl, but please help me!
View attachment 59252 View attachment 59253 View attachment 59254
View attachment 59255

I am very sorry, but your pictures are too blurry around the penis area - if it is a boy, he is at least 2 months younger than your shop has told you! Please don't panic and ask somebody in your house to either help holding him or take as clear a picture as possible in as good daylight as possible. It is much easier when you don't have to do it on your own with a wiggly youngster.
Here are some more boar pictures of boars of different ages: Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

 

[Hammy.Hamms]

I am very sorry, but your pictures are too blurry around the penis area - if it is a boy, he is at least 2 months younger than your shop has told you! Please don't panic and ask somebody in your house to either help holding him or take as clear a picture as possible in as good daylight as possible. It is much easier when you don't have to do it on your own with a wiggly youngster.
Here are some more boar pictures of boars of different ages: Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths

Hi! What would your best guess be?
Do you think it is a boy or a girl?
I want to get another guinea pig, but i need at least a good estimate of what gender it is.
I just need your best guess because i don't have a very good camera.
Thank you!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! What would your best guess be?
Do you think it is a boy or a girl?
I want to get another guinea pig, but i need at least a good estimate of what gender it is.
I just need your best guess because i don't have a very good camera.
Thank you!

Sorry, the pictures are simply not clear enough for anything even approaching a safe guess! And where potentially a piggy's life can depend on correct sexing, I NEVER just guess. I always make very sure that the gender is inequivocal and that your piggy and any companion is totally safe at all times.

Please take the time to get a good picture and clear proof of the gender before you get another guinea pig; you are not planning to get another guinea pig today or tomorrow! Double checking the gender upon arrival should happen anyway. Never take a shop or anybody's word for it - even vets can go wrong!
ALWAYS make sure yourself and double check BEFORE introducing another guinea pig or introducing a new guinea pig to an existing one or a group. I do it automatically with every new arrival, even when adopting from a reputable rescue that knows their stuff.

One of the safest ways you can check the gender yourself is by looking at the inside of the slit below the knob. In boars it goes straight down. Sows have got a kind of arrangement just inside the slit with side flaps that is sealed whenever she is not in season.
Sow ca. 3 weeks and adult sow, slit arrangement:

Boar ca. 3 weeks and with expressed penis and slit before the testicles have descended:

(Pictures copied from cavyspirit website: Sexing Guinea Pigs: How to Sex a Guinea Pig)

 

[Hammy.Hamms]

Sorry, the pictures are simply not clear enough for anything even approaching a safe guess! And where potentially a piggy's life can depend on correct sexing, I NEVER just guess. I always make very sure that the gender is inequivocal and that your piggy and any companion is totally safe at all times.

Please take the time to get a good picture and clear proof of the gender before you get another guinea pig; you are not planning to get another guinea pig today or tomorrow! Double checking the gender upon arrival should happen anyway. Never take a shop or anybody's word for it - even vets can go wrong!
ALWAYS make sure yourself and double check BEFORE introducing another guinea pig or introducing a new guinea pig to an existing one or a group. I do it automatically with every new arrival, even when adopting from a reputable rescue that knows their stuff.

One of the safest ways you can check the gender yourself is by looking at the inside of the slit below the knob. In boars it goes straight down. Sows have got a kind of arrangement just inside the slit with side flaps that is sealed whenever she is not in season.
Sow ca. 3 weeks and adult sow, slit arrangement:

Boar ca. 3 weeks and with expressed penis and slit before the testicles have descended:

(Pictures copied from cavyspirit website: Sexing Guinea Pigs: How to Sex a Guinea Pig)

He kinda looks like a mix between both. Is that possible?
I will try to take a good picture as soon as possible.
Is there any way that I can tell their gender just by the way that they act?
And don't worry, I'm not getting a guinea pig for a couple more weeks

 

[Wiebke]

He kinda looks like a mix between both. Is that possible?
I will try to take a good picture as soon as possible.
Is there any way that I can tell their gender just by the way that they act?
And don't worry, I'm not getting a guinea pig for a couple more weeks

No, there is no way you can tell the gender just by the way piggies act or by their nipples!

Take the time to make a nice clear picture and take the time to look at your piggy's slit. There is no hurry; just the need to make absolutely sure, one way or other.

The first pic is a neutered boar with his testicles removed, so he looks most similar to a young boy - the slit is straight and goes straight down even when you gently push on it , and below is the arrangement of a sow when you start looking at her slit; it is v-shaped and does NOT go straight down.
Boar (Maelog)


Sow 1 and sow 2 (Iola and Hafren)

 

[Hammy.Hamms]

Ok. I tried to take much better pictures, but I think that he might actually be a GIRL!

 

[Lady Kelly]

I would say you have a girl there. @Wiebke

I would also now be watching out for possible pregnancy considering she was believed to be a boy and hence could have been mixed in with boars

 

[Hammy.Hamms]

I've had her for about 3 months now, and there is no sign of pregnancy. Is it still possible that she could be pregnant after 3 months?

 

[Hammy.Hamms]

I would say you have a girl there. @Wiebke

I would also now be watching out for possible pregnancy considering she was believed to be a boy and hence could have been mixed in with boars

LoL. I forgot to quote the message above but yeah. that was for you.

 

[Lady Kelly]

I've had her for about 3 months now, and there is no sign of pregnancy. Is it still possible that she could be pregnant after 3 months?

Wiebke said a pregnancy takes around 10 weeks so if you are around 12 weeks now then hopefully you are safe

 

[Claire W]

I agree that it looks like you have a little girl there BUT please make sure for definite before introducing a new piggy

 

[Wiebke]

Ok. I tried to take much better pictures, but I think that he might actually be a GIRL!
View attachment 59503 View attachment 59504 View attachment 59506

That is indeed very clearly a girl!

A pregnancy lasts usually around 10 weeks, max. 75 days, so it is strictly weight gain and nothing else. Sows develop a somewhat pear shaped figure when they are past the initial growth phase. This has nothing to with weight - the bum shape in sows is as genetically determined as a human female figure.

To check whether she is a good weight for her size, please check around her ribs. Ideally you can just about feel every rib. If you can't, your piggy is overweight. If you can feel every rib standing out, your piggy is underweight. We call this the 'heft'.
Take the time to read these guides here to make sure that you are not overfeeding, especially not overfeeding pellets or giving far too much veg.
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

 

[Hammy.Hamms]

That is indeed very clearly a girl!

A pregnancy lasts usually around 10 weeks, max. 75 days, so it is strictly weight gain and nothing else. Sows develop a somewhat pear shaped figure when they are past the initial growth phase. This has nothing to with weight - the bum shape in sows is as genetically determined as a human female figure.

To check whether she is a good weight for her size, please check around her ribs. Ideally you can just about feel every rib. If you can't, your piggy is overweight. If you can feel every rib standing out, your piggy is underweight. We call this the 'heft'.
Take the time to read these guides here to make sure that you are not overfeeding, especially not overfeeding pellets or giving far too much veg.
The Importance Of Weighing - Ideal Weight / Overweight / Underweight
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

Hi. How long does it take for a guinea pig to get pregnant? i know it takes humans about 2 weeks, but i have had her for about 3 months now. Is there any possibility that she could get pregnant? Also, she is not overweight like how I said at the beginning of the thread, she was just hunched over, and she looked quite chubby.
Thank You sooooooo much for your help! If it wasn't for you, I would have totally got her a friend already (a boy). Now I know what gender she is so thank you so much!!