THE RABBIT AND RODENT WEB BOOK

Sometimes due to lack of experience, or being given the wrong information on getting a Guinea Pig, pet owners come across a situation where their Guinea Pigs are different sexes when they were told they were the same sex, and they end up with a litter of Pups. Due to this situation I am including a section on understanding breeding and caring for the parents and the young.

Shall I breed from my Guinea Pigs?

Breeding is not a thing to be taken lightly. It should not be used to avoid the costs of neutering.

This is not a solution to getting your animal neutered and stopping aggression. You will be occurring more cost in looking after the Sow and the young, i.e. food and Veterinary bills and also using up a lot of your time in Guinea Pig care and finding new homes for the Pups.

If they are re-homed and you are not knowledgeable of breeding and Guinea Pig Husbandry, there is no reassurance that the home they are going to is loving, and they could end up in a sanctuary, ill, or even starved to death through neglect, inexperience and lack of knowledge from yourself.

By breeding without in depth research you may be adding to the population of homeless Guinea Pigs stuck in sanctuaries, do you really want your Guinea Pig to be one of them?

Also you may come across genetic faults that effect the Guinea Pigs health, so researching the genetics of the Guinea Pigs that you wish to breed from is a must. Generally pet shop Guinea Pigs are no good for breeding as many have been inbred too much or are rejects due to genetic problems themselves.

To want to breed Guinea Pigs you have to be very dedicated and have the time and the money to spend on them. You will also have to come to terms that there are complications sometimes that you may have to deal with. Do not think that by breeding you will make a big profit. This is a hobby and must be done for the love of the animal and pleasure rather than the money. You will also need a lot of knowledge of Guinea Pig husbandry to be able to pass on the care information to potential buyers, making sure that they are really wanting to give the Guinea Pig a good home and that it is not going to be neglected, due to you not giving them the correct information. You must also find out about what they have done in the ways of research in keeping a pet Guinea Pig.

At what age are Guinea Pigs mature enough to breed?

Sows are sexually mature from 5 weeks onwards but must not be used for breeding until 5 to 6 months of age. Also the first pregnancy should not be after a year old. Both cases are due to giving birth to stillborn or mummified young or the Sow dying whilst giving birth. Sows should only be bred from once or twice a year to stop stress on her body.

The Boars take a little longer to mature and are active at 9 to 10 weeks of age but should not be used for mating until they are at least 6 months old. Their reproductive life is for around 4-5 years after which they should be retired from breeding.

I am interesting in breeding where do I find information on breeds, breeding and shows?

Contact you Guinea Pig Club/Society. You will be able to search the Internet to find out the clubs or societies in your area. Please take into account the information I have given above on breeding though. You have to have a huge dedication towards Guinea Pigs to start breeding. Also find a good book on breeding Guinea Pigs and gain knowledge of Guinea Pig genetics.

What facilities do I need to house the Guinea Pigs?

Sows can be housed together if they are not pregnant. Pregnant Sows should be housed individually if you want less risk of one of the Sows giving birth prematurely. You can have a cage with a divider in so the Sows can see each other, but a pregnant Sow cannot interact with a mothering Sows Pups, which may bring on labour.

The cage should be roomy and adequate for the Guinea Pig you are keeping, but also comfortable and draft and damp free. It is therefore essential to house the hutches in an air-conditioned weatherproof shed with adequate lighting. Sows and Boars should both be allowed adequate amounts of exercise in runs before and after breeding and kindling to stop stress to the Sow and to prepare the Boar for another mating cycle. Both sexes should be handled on a regular basis to check for health, to provide companionship as they are being housed singly and also to gain the trust of the Guinea Pigs during mating and nursing.

You must also have a Guinea Pig log where you can write down Guinea Pig activities and any problems that may appearing the breeding process. This is important to eliminate bad stock.

Adequate amounts of food and bedding, Guinea Pig bottles, grooming and nail clipping facilities. Carrying boxes, nesting boxes, hand rearing milk for emergency intervention and syringes and Vet details in case of an emergency. You may have to research a good Guinea Pig Vet as some Vets are more Cat and Dog orientated.

How do I select my stock?

Ask to see the breeding generations line. A good breeder will keep records of mating, births and winning lines.

The Boar and Sow should both be of good solid build but not overweight and not small. A good weight is 1.60kg. The ribs or spine should not be protruding on either sex and there should be no teeth mis alignments or genetic faults such as Polydactyly. The Guinea Pigs should also be living in good conditions and should be active, alert and feeding.

How do I introduce a couple for mating?

Make sure both sexes are healthy. Do not mate thin, overweight and ill looking Guinea Pigs. Put the Sow and Boar in the hutch with a divider in between them for a few days. The hutch should be clean of any smell. After a few days take the divider out and watch the pair to see that there is no fighting.

How Many times can I put the Boar to the Sow and how long for?

The Boar should be left with the Sow for two seasons. The sow has a season every 18 days. Once mating has taken place, you can remove the Boar from the hutch. Make a note of the date of mating. Leaving the Boar in the hutch throughout her pregnancy will not harm her but the Sow can become pregnant soon after giving birth, which would not be in her best interests while she is feeding her Pups and it could put her health at risk. Also the parents could injure the Pups.

How can I tell if my Guinea Pig is pregnant?

At 4 weeks you will notice a difference in size in the Sow. At 5 weeks place her on a table, tummy downward, put one hand on her upper back/shoulders and feel her lower abdomen in the pelvic region. You should be able to feel the Pups moving

How long is the Sow pregnant for?

The gestation period is 65-70 days. Even though this is the case, Pups may be born up to 72 days. If a mating is unsuccessful the first time then the date of conception and birth may not be totally accurate. Babies born before the 60th day are born weak and have a high risk of not surviving.

My Sow has not made her nest yet, when will this happen?

Sows generally do not make a nest. But they will dig the ground sometimes when they are ready to give birth.

Giving birth.

Sows will eat plenty of food right up to the last moments, which is when they prepare to go into labour.

Giving birth must be done in a quiet, stress free environment. The Sow must be left alone to give birth. Just keep an eye from a distance. Sows usually give birth in the night or just before dawn. It can take up to 30 minutes to deliver her Pups. Sows can have an average of 4 young but can have more. The babies are born fully haired and eyes open and can run around within a few hours. The Sow will eat the placenta to gain nutrients and hormones to start the milk flow, and wash the babies after birth. As the babies are born check that the foetal membrane is being removed by the Sow. If she does not do this intervene and break open the membrane so the Pup can breathe.

After she has finished giving birth, visually check the Sow for excessive bleeding or abnormalities in her vent area. There is not usually that much blood at the birth or afterwards. If there is anything amiss contact your Vet.

With gloves check the nest to make sure the Pups are all healthy. Do not touch them with bare hands for the moment. If there are any dead Pups remove them. Dead babies can be due to a number of things including weakest in the litter, accidentally being chewed by the Sow when she removes the membrane, suffocation in the womb which may also lead to toxaemia in the Sow, lack of nutrients to the Sow and the Pups when still in the womb due to a big litter causing all Pups to be born weak.

Pups should start to suckle straight away after being cleaned at the time of birth. They will also eat vegetables and hay as well as feeding from the Sow.

Litter rejection.

It is not unusual for a Sow to reject her litter if she is a first time mum in a stressful environment as she may find this and looking after a litter overwhelming, if there is a possibility of the pup being unhealthy, the Sow is exhausted and ill, or she is an un-experienced Sow. In the case with an in-experienced Sow, in final attempt to get her to nurse her young attach the Pups to the Sow to suckle. If this does not work you may have to hand rear the Pups. Keep a close eye on the Sow, incase she is ill. Some Sows can suffer from pregnancy Toxaemia soon after birth, which is fatal. First signs of this illness are no appetite and depression.

My Sow has had her litter (kindled), how do I look after the Sow and the Pups?

The new family must be left in peace to feed in which time you must make sure the Sow has plenty of fresh food. It is normal for her appetite to increase. Feed the Sows a good-pelleted diet along with plenty of vegetables, including fresh greens and hay, and provide Guinea Pig multivitamins in her water bottle to make sure she is not missing out on anything. If she does not get enough food she will become thin and will not be able to feed her Pups.

Handling the Pups should be left to one person to check regularly for injuries or illness.

The Pups will continue to suckle from the Sow up until around 4 weeks. If the Sow is not coping with a feeding a big litter, foster some of the litter off to a Sow who has had a small litter. The same goes if there is a weak Pup in the litter to give it better chance of survival.

By four weeks of age most Guinea Pig Pups are eating solid food and drinking water. The Sow should be getting exercise away from the Pups by now as the cage can become very stressful. There are acceptations to weaning age depending on the size of the Guinea Pig and the size of the litter.

At 5 weeks of age sexing can be done and the young can be separated, as they are old enough to look after themselves and Boars do have a chance of mating with their mother and fellow sisters. If you are in-experienced at sexing and you have had an accident litter, see your Vet who can determine the sex for you. Boars should be housed singly if kept near Sows, as they will fight.

Selecting Guinea Pigs for further breeding

To select a Guinea Pig for further breeding the Guinea Pig should be in top condition, healthy and have no deformities. You are best to speak to a reputable breeder that is listed with the local Guinea Pig society in your area. The Boars should be producing good-sized, healthy litters.

Brothers and Sisters can be selected to breed with their mother and father to correct genetic defaults, but brother and sister must not be allowed to mate with each other.

Finding homes for the Young

All Pups that are sold should be checked by a Vet for health and deformities, good weight and should be on a good diet.

Homing unwanted Pups can be a bit frustrating and you will come across time wasters sometimes. Make sure you have plenty of extra hutches for the young until you can re home them. Remember you will have to get an extra supply of food and bedding in to house the young while they wait for new homes and to offer a feeding/bedding package to new owners.

Rehoming can take time and as a caring breeder it is vital that you make sure that the Guinea Pigs go to responsible owners. You must also make sure that the new owner has all the information needed to care for the Guinea Pig and at least 2 weeks supply of food. It is a good idea to design and provide a leaflet with all the items needed for keeping the Guinea Pig as well as giving information on what your Guinea Pigs are fed on.

It is also a good idea to make sure that the potential owner has everything set up before they take their Guinea Pig(s) home.

The good thing about selling direct to a potential owner is that if you are not happy with the person wanting a Guinea Pig you can always turn them away.

The same is not said if you decide to send the Guinea Pigs to pet shops. You cannot select whom you are going to sell the Guinea Pig to. The pet shop may also feed a different diet to what you have fed and the Guinea Pigs can be stressed out by being over handled by potential buyers and by the general noise/environment which they are being kept in. This is something that can also be controlled in you own home. Guinea Pigs from pet stores are forever being sold to customers that do not know what they are doing and there is not always come back for pet shop customers if they have a problem with health or general husbandry. There are good pet shops around who do offer after care advice but just be cautious.

Guinea Pigs that you breed should never end up in a sanctuary just because you cannot re home them. A good breeder/Guinea Pig keeper should take full responsibility for the rehoming of the off spring. It would also be a good idea to offer the potential new owner after sales advice. Give a contact number to the buyer so that he/she can contact you if any problems occur with health or if general advice is needed.

Some people may contact you as potential new breeders. In these cases make sure that the potential breeders have the information required to start breeding. Selling to anyone who wants to breed can end up in disaster due to the ignorance of some people just wanting to breed one litter for their children to observe grow or breeding related Guinea Pigs for instance. This again is another responsibility to make sure breeding for the sake of it does not occur and is done with the Guinea Pig’s welfare in mind.

Feeding orphans

If you really have to intervene and syringe feed the Guinea Pig by hand it is best to contact a Vet for the best formula in your area to give to the Pup(s). Sometimes the Vet will recommend an addition to the milk formula to help the Guinea Pigs to grow healthily. Cows milk is not suitable.

Feeding orphans can be demanding and frustrating as a lot of the time the Pup does not survive if it is under 2 weeks of age if the Sow dies. The Pup needs feeding a diet of water based (not milk) baby porridge syringed into its mouth as it contains essential vitamins, along with orphan milk. You can also try vegetable baby food in jars. Try balancing the meal out so the Pup has an equal share of each food. It is best to feed once every few hours with a feed just before you go to bed.

Stimulate urination by wiping the anus and urethal orifice after every meal.

When housing the orphan, if possible house it with a young but weaned Guinea Pig to show it how to eat vegetables. The orphan can go through the night without a feed, but make sure a water bottle of orphan milk is available in the cage.

Make sure all your feeding equipment is sterilised daily to prevent illnesses in the Pups and if you are worried about the progress of the Pups or if they stop feeding consult your Vet.

Copyright © K L Gardner all rights reserved

Please note that all wording, design and illustrations in this Guide, remain the property of K L Gardner (the author and creator of the website Tillys Burrows) and the words, Drawings and photos should not be used for editing further Guinea Pig guides. It should not be photocopied or printed to give/sell to members of the public. The guide can only be printed for home use.

The finished document and photos should not be used for commercial purposes. This Guide can only be sold by the Author.