After the surgery, keep your pet quiet and separated from other guinea pigs while recovering. A small, clean cage with towels for bedding works well. The towels should be changed at least twice a day. Check to see that the guinea pig is eating and drinking; extra vitamin C may also be helpful.
Male guinea pigs boars usually mature sexually and can mate as young as months of age. Female guinea pigs sows typically mature sexually at 2 months of age 55 to 70 days. However, both males and females can mature and be fertile even earlier.
Females can have estrous or fertile periods at any time of the year, but they are most common in the spring. The estrous cycle length is 16 days. A female is fertile for about 6 to 11 hours, most often during night hours. Female guinea pigs begin a new estrous cycle shortly after giving birth.
The guinea pig gestation period is 59 to 72 days. The litter size ranges from 1 to 8 pups, but a litter of 2 to 4 is more common. A female can give birth to up to 5 litters per year. When a guinea pig is about to give birth, any male guinea pigs near her will gather around and try to become the dominant male in order to both protect the female and mate with her.
The female has a short postpartum estrus that will last for only about half a day and, without a dominant male, all of the males will try to mate with the new mother.
Newborn guinea pigs weigh about 3. Senior guinea pigs need exercise like any other small companion, but their exercise may need to be curated to fit their abilities as they age. Be sure to set time aside daily for interaction and quick wellness checks when your guinea pig is in their golden years. Click here to see full infographic.
Back to Blog Home. November 20, Guinea Pig Life Stages At what age should your guinea pig start eating adult guinea pig food? Young Guinea Pigs Guinea pigs are considered young from birth to about 6 months of age. Adult Guinea Pigs Guinea pigs are typically considered adults from 6 months to about 5 years of age.
This can be achieved by including various toys and tubes in the enclosure that allow guinea pigs to display natural behavior patterns. If keeping boars and sows together, ensure they are neutered to prevent unwanted breeding. Studies have shown that a lack of companionship can increase your guinea pigs stress levels, resulting in poorer health.
This can result in less food intake and therefore slower growth. This particular study even showed that a male guinea pig lost As you can see, there can be a lot of variation in size between guinea pigs and it is very important to maximize on the areas mentioned above to ensure healthy growth. If you are concerned that your guinea pig is not growing as quickly as it should or if they seem otherwise unwell, contact your local veterinarian immediately.
While guinea pigs are not the largest of pets that you could keep; that does not mean that they are necessarily considered to be small. And beyond this, they do have specific requirements and needs for space. This is especially true of their housing. They need sufficient room and floor space to roam and exercise, with separate places to nest, dig and burrow. For instance, you will need to take the following recommendations into consideration when looking at cages:. Then there is where you place the enclosure, the kind of conditions you keep and how you care for and clean the cage.
Ultimately, just as with any pet, its important to consider their final size and what this could mean in regards to their ownership. I am a practiced pet owner with decades of experience owning a number of different pets. Pet Educate is sponsored by its readers. Please assume that all links are affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we earn a commission - at no additional cost to you.
This includes links to Amazon.
0コメント