Breeding Guinea Pigs – Are You Prepared?

While caring for guinea pigs is relatively simple especially when you know what to do. Breeding guinea pigs is much the opposite, it requires a firm understanding of their nature, natural characteristics & cycles. Those who blunder their way into breeding, tend to end up with a lot of problems.

Adoption houses are full of homeless cavies, abandoned by overwhelmed owners who are in over their heads. This article is aimed at helping you become aware of whats involved when you breed cavies.

The female guinea pigs can mature sexually as early as four weeks of age. The gestation period is between 59 and 73 days, and the average size of the litter is usually between 1 and 4. Guinea pigs have been known to have as many as seven babies in a single litter, but that is a rare case and highly unlikely with your guinea pig.

Breeding cavies is usually discouraged by most experts, as the birthing process is very risky.  There are many complications when your guinea pig gives birth, mainly because babies are born ready to run and fairly large.

Many sows are unable to give birth after turning 6 months, and it can be fatal for a sow that is more than 8 months old. This is because there is a joint of cartilage that joins the sows two pubic bones, and this cartilage becomes stiff and impedes her from giving birth unaided.

Many guinea pigs that suffer from the stiffening of this cartilage joint require a Caesarian and this is usually a fatal procedure for the mother. Even simply having your guinea pigs neutered or spayed is a risk that may end up killing them.

If you do decide to breed guinea pigs you must be prepared and understand the potential risks involved. The birthing process can have a number of different complication occur however I won’t discuss these today, as it is an entire article on it’s own.

Some important tips to remember when breeding are:

  • Feeding the right diet during your sow’s pregnancy is vital.  A pregnant guinea pig needs higher amounts of vitamin C than normal, so it is important that you find a way to add more vitamin C to its diets. Pellets often contain high doses of Vitamin C, or fruit such as oranges can also be introduced to the diet to ensure that she remains healthy and receives the necessary vitamin levels.
  • Ensure that the boar is taken out of the cage before the birth to avoid one pregnancy after another.
  •  It is important that you have a plan for the pups once they are delivered. If you have a large enough cage, then you can keep the pups at home. If not, then you need to ensure that the pups have a home even before you begin the process of breeding guinea pigs. Without a home, the pups are destined to an untimely death, and it is your responsibility as the breeder to ensure that they are well cared for.

You are the one that makes the final decision whether or not breeding guinea pigs is the right choice, but you should take the life of your cavies into account. If you don’t want to end up with a dead sow or way to many pups, than you should think hard before deciding to breed.