Guinea Pig Breeders
Some Interesting Facts about Guinea Pig Breeders
Many people who have guinea pigs as pets think about becoming guinea pig breeders. This is not always the best idea unless some special circumstances are present. There are already many private and commercial guinea pig breeders in the world and lots of guinea pigs alive now who do not have homes. In fact, there are guinea pig rescue organizations and shelters that regularly have guinea pigs for which they cannot find adoptive homes.
Responsible guinea pig breeders do not want to contribute to the overpopulation of the species. Still, there might be some reason that it is necessary for your guinea pig to have babies. One of the most common is that you purchased a female guinea pig at a pet store only to find out later that she was pregnant. In a case like this, it is best to go through with the pregnancy and try and find homes for the baby guinea pigs. If you think that a good reason to breed guinea pigs is to make money, you are off-track. There is really no money to be made at all from guinea pig sales.
Some people do show guinea pigs but even if you are interested in taking this up as a hobby, there is no reason to bring new guinea pigs into the world. There are already many private breeders who specialize in show animals. Shelters are full of guinea pigs and putting them down every day around the world. A shelter in Los Angeles estimates that at least twenty-five percent of all guinea pigs turned in there are purebred breeds. So, even if you want to show, adopting can still be a good way to go.
On top of all of that, 25% of all guinea pigs die when giving birth. Many people do not research guinea pigs enough to know that a guinea pig can become pregnant as early as when she is three weeks old. Because she is not fully developed, giving birth at that young an age could kill her. She should be at least three months old before getting pregnant. By the time a female guinea pig reaches eight months she can die during pregnancy because she is too old. By eight months, the uteruses of female guinea pigs harden and they are unable to be flexible enough to give birth. When this happens both mother and babies will die.
Under the best of circumstances, guinea pigs have difficulty in pregnancy and birthing. A guinea pig pregnancy is long, especially considering her own age. Pregnancy can take up to seven weeks and a guinea pig can have anywhere from one to eight babies. One of the reasons that birthing is difficult is because baby guinea pigs are born large with all their fur, and ready to run, eat and play. Unlike other rodents, such as mice, they do not start out as teeny little pinkies without fur who grow slowly.
If you do have a guinea pig who has babies, males and females will have to be divided into separate cages as soon as the mom is done nursing them. This will prevent unwanted pregnancies. Don’t forget that it is possible for the female babies to get pregnant themselves in three weeks and that the mother, if left in a cage with the male, can be pregnant once again in as few as twenty-four hours after delivery.
Watching a guinea pig give birth to a healthy litter can be rewarding, just as being there when any mother gives birth can be rewarding. But unless there are very special circumstances, it is best not to breed guinea pigs. If you want to have males and females together in the same cage, the answer is neutering the males or spaying the females. And, if you are looking for a guinea pig to own, try a shelter or rescue association and give a new home to a guinea pig that was unwanted.