If you'd like to breed your own guinea pigs it's really easy and there is not too much to worry about.
Female guinea pigs can start having babies when they are as young as four weeks. Male pigs are sexually able to make the sow pregnant from as young as twenty four days so it is best to make sure you separate your boys and girls when the little boars are twenty one days old.
Although sows can breed from an early age it is better to wait until the sow is at least three to four months old and weighs at least 16 ounces or 400 grams. Four to five months would be the preferable age before you start breeding. If you are going to start breeding it is better to do this so that the sow's first litter is born before the mother reaches the age of eight months because if her first litter is born after she has reached eight months there could be serious complications.
A female pig's heat cycle, her oestrus, is about sixteen days but she will only be interested in dallying with the male for about eight hours of this and at other times will reject his advances. They won't hurt each other and the easiest way to make sure that everything is right is to just leave them together over this period until you are sure that they have mated.
The gestation period for your guinea pig is between 8 to 10 weeks, from 59 to 73 days. So you are going to have to wait a little time after there has been a mating before there are any pups. You will certainly know when the female is pregnant as she will change shape and become noticeable rounder as the pups develop inside her. While the female is pregnant you should make sure that she has adequate vitamin C in her diet. Dandelion leaves and brussels sprouts are very rich in vitamin C and have much more vitamin C than oranges. You can give your piggy some orange as well though and even one or two strawberries if you have them.
Mothers normally produce three to four pups but they can produce as many as seven or as few as one. You might like to spend this time trying to find nice homes for them, Remember some people who say that they would like one of the babies may change their minds so it is always worth while having a few extra people ready to take them on.
Make sure that you move the sow into a nursery area before she gives birth. Sows can become pregnant again very quickly after giving birth and her is always a possibility of the young pups being stepped on by one of the older pigs.
Enjoy the birth of your young puppies and your new family.
John Evans is a lifelong guinea pig lover. For more great information, visit my website.
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