• If you want to breed your piggy because you just want another one, please think about rehoming a homeless piggy from a rescue centre. Remember - You might end up with 5 or 6 baby pigs ! A lot to care for (especially if they are all male and have to be housed separately or in pairs if you're lucky!) or find new homes for.
• If you just want to see what baby piggies are like - think about getting in touch with a local breeder and learn about them that way rather than bring more into the world.
• Maybe your friends love your piggy and keep asking you if you are going to have babies from her so they can have one ? It may be a good idea to get them to go to a local rescue centre and rehome a piggy that is already looking for a loving home.
• If you want to continue the line of your beloved piggy (a sort of living reminder - I really can understand the desire to do this) think very carefully about the possibility of losing the mother to complications. Do you want to take that risk ?

Having said that, on the whole, Guinea Pigs tend to have relatively trouble free births with the babies coming out fully formed, eyes open, covered in hair, full set of teeth and running around as little miniature pigs - but fatalaties can, and do, occur.

If you do decide you are going to breed your piggy then please ensure that you are able to either keep all the babies yourself or that you have knowledgeable and loving homes for the babies. Don't interbreed your piggies with their relatives, consider your piggies temperament - does it have traits you don't want it to pass on ? Has it genetic problems like misalagned teeth that should not be passed on ? Make sure your 'mother' piggy is fit and well and of a good weight. These are just general tips as this is a general guideline not a lesson in breeding !

I am not going to provide a complete 'guide to breeding' here but will list a few main points for information - for example you might have a new pig and discovered it became pregnant before coming to live with you. However, if you decide to go ahead and breed your pig then I strongly recommend you obtain a copy of:

The Sex Life Of Guinea Pigs by Peter Gurney - this contains all you will need to know regarding mating, pregnancy, birth and complications. You can get this from Winking Cavy Store.

Also see if you have a local breeder that will share their knowledge with you.

Female - The female piggy is capable of having babies from about a month or so old but obviously is only a baby herself so to breed from her at such a young age would be completely irresponsible at the very least !! She should be bred from for the first time, at approx. 5 - 6 months of age and be a weight of over 500g. She must have her first litter before she is 10 months old - as after this the pelvic bones fuse together and the mother will more than likely have problems giving birth to the babies, this may result in the death of both mother and the babies. You may have heard the term 'Dystocia' - this is when the young are too large to pass through the pelvic canal during the birthing process, this could be because it is a small litter and the babies are very large, the babies could be deformed and cannot fit through the birth canal or it could be because the pelvic bones have fused and there is simply no space for the babies to pass through.

Males - Although the males are capable of breeding at about 4 weeks of age it is best to wait until about 5 months old - when they have developed themselves.

The female piggy is 'polyoestrus' and will come into season [oestrus] every 14-18 days, with each season lasting approx. 24-48 hours. Signs that the female is in season are that she may mount other females whilst make purring noises and you will also see that if you stroke her she may kind of flatten down on the floor [this is called the 'Lordosis posture'] and purr. She will be receptive to the male for a period of a few hours whilst in season.

The female is pregnant (called gestation) for anywhere between about 66 - 72 days - so approx 2 and a half months.

A few minutes after mating a kind of a waxy 'copulation plug' forms to prevent the sperm escaping. The plug is often expelled a few days after mating - you may find this in the bedding if you have attempted to breed with 2 of your pigs - a sure sign that mating has taken place - however sometimes this just dissolves so you wouldn't find it anyway. Signs of pregnancy include weight gain, the mother may start drinking more water, and you may be able to feel movement of the babies in the later stages (day 42).

Here is a photo of my friends guinea pig *Crystal when she was pregnant ! Thanks Tweet !	Here is a picture of *Crystal and her 5 babies - taken when they were just under 3 hours old !

If you think your piggy is pregnant then keep feeding her on her usual dry piggy mix, make sure she has plenty of hay and keep providing her with her usual 'fresh' food for Vitamin C, you may want to also give your piggy extra Vitamin C (i.e. extra fruit/veggies - but watch her droppings) or in supplementation form (crush part of a Vitamin C tablet over her fresh food). Make sure she gets plenty of exercise and handle her extremely gently - do not pick her up unless you really have to. A healthy diet and exercise can help to prevent pregnancy toxaemia which can be fatal.

For hormonal reasons sometimes pregnant sows can develop hairloss in the later stages of pregnancy. They can also develop bi-lateral hairloss after the birth on her sides and also underneath her abdomen.

The size of the litter can vary from 1 to about 6. The best size you could hope for is about 3 medium sized babies. If the litter is very small - say 1 or 2 babies they will probably be very large and the mother could have problems giving birth to them. If there are a lot of babies, say 6, then they will probably be very small and not very strong, the babies may not thrive.

The birth will most likely take place at night or when you're not looking, and be all over by the time you wake up to find little hairy piggies running around. There are not usually complications. The birth will not usually take longer than approx. 30 mins with about 4/5 mins between babies. Bear in mind that the mother will come into season again a few hours after giving birth so make sure you separate the father or any other male pigs that may have access to her. To allow her to become pregant again without at least a good few months rest to regain her optimum health would be irresponsible.

You can handle the babies as soon as you like after the birth procedure is finished and the babies are all washed and dried by their mum. Handling from a very early age will help them to grow into happy piggies that are not scared of being held. You may want to wait until a day after the birth in case it distresses the mother - it depends on the pig.

The babies come out fully formed and will be running around very shortly after birth - they will obtain milk from their mother (who has two nipples) and will begin eating independently (pellets, hay & veggies) normally within a day or so. You will need to determin the sex of the babies by the time they are 4 weeks of age. The babies will suckle their mother's milk for about 4 weeks and should be weaned at about 4 weeks of age - which is when you should separate the male baby's from the females - you can leave the baby girls with their mother. You may want to put any baby males in with their father for company for now.

Piggies that are going to be rehomed can leave at approx 6 weeks - although they can be separated from their mother at 4 weeks they are too young to have the stress of going to a new home - another few weeks will let them grow that little bit more and become more robust.

If you are rehoming the babies it is a good idea to write up a care sheet for the new owner and provide a list of good guinea pig books and websites where they can find information. Also provide them with samples of food & bedding - it is a good idea to offer to look after the babies when the new owner goes on holiday (so you can check on them!!) and to offer a guaranteed home for the piggies if the new owner can no longer provide for them. Try and stay in touch if you can to put your mind at rest.

Next >>

Prevention is Better !

Regular Health Checks

Weigh Day

Syringe Feeding

Cavy Communication

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Page Last Updated: 21/03/06