Boars and Sows

[LoveCutePiggies]

I think I have a problem. I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but here goes.

I got two guinea pigs two weeks ago, one of which was from a Craigslist ad. She was the product of an accidental pregnancy. I think that the owner mis-sexed the guinea pig I got, though I should have known better since she's had two accidental pregnancies already (I didn't find out this until after I got the piggy).

Now the piggy I got from Craigslist I think is a boy, and she/he's been housed with a female guinea pig, and she/he is eating all the veggies and running around like crazy all the time hopping over the other guinea pig. She/he's also alot bigger, even though she/he's supposed to be two weeks younger.

So question time. Are males typically larger than females? Do males eat more? Will a male and female mate quickly or is there a possibility that if they're of different sexes, they didn't mate yet?

Also, I am willing to admit when I make a mistake. I should have quarantined them, but for some reason when I did my research I never saw that until it was too late...

[Haley0489]

Males are larger than females.
When a female housed with a male gives birth she can become pregnant immediately afterwards. So yes, they breed quickly.

[Jennicat]

Originally Posted by Haley0489

Males are larger than females.

This is absolutely not true. Every single male pig in this house right now is smaller than 3/4 of my female pigs. It's a VERY variable thing, and a very dangerous method to rely on for sexing.

[Haley0489]

Off GuineaLynx:

900-1200 grams for males
700-900 grams for females

I didn't say all males were larger, but I believe the general population is larger than females. I didn't say they couldn't be smaller and I most certainly did not imply that this is any sort of method to sex a guinea pig, I would never advise anyone to do this as a tried and true way to seperate the "boys from the girls".

[Jennicat]

Those are guideline sizes. I also consider them incorrect, since 900 grams isn't even a full 2 lbs. I have ONE adult pig that is under 2 pounds, and he has osteodystrophy and is considered to be on palliative care. Personally in the past year of rescue, I have not had a single pig come in weighing under 2 lbs that was not young or malnourished.

[Jennicat]

Also, just FYI, the Guinealynx website has this to say about those weights:

These weights do not seem typical nor representative of pet guinea pigs. Male and female weights are often similar and overall weight is generally higher.

All three of the author's sows weigh(ed) more than the average cited above, ranging from +1000 grams to 1600 grams

Guinea Lynx :: Weigh Weekly!

[clotho]

The most important thing is to separate those piggies until you know 100% what their sexes are!!

Next, take a look at this sexing site and sex the pigs yourself. I always double/triple check the sex of any piggie - no matter who told me it was a boy or girl - just to be positive!!

Guinea Lynx :: Sexing Guinea Pigs

If you feel just above the genitalia, see if you feel a ridge there. If you do, that's a penis - and you should be able to make it pop out if you press there. I never believe a male is a male until I can get a penis to show. A female will have a definite opening whereas a male's sac is more like a rolled up pair of socks (for lack of a better way to describe it). Another tip is that a female pees out the back whereas a male pees out the front.

Once you have your piggies sexed properly, if you discover you do indeed have a male and a female, you need to wait and see if the female is pregnant. There is always a chance that she's not pregnant yet. Also, even if she was pregnant, you would want the male separated from her because she could get pregnant again immediately after giving birth.

If you are not already weighing weekly, start doing it and keep track. In fact you should be doing that for any piggies you have. Weight loss is usually the first sign something is wrong. Or in this case, a large gain will be your first sign she's pregnant.

Also, even if you do end up having two females, the one that came from Craigslist could already be pregnant, depending on how the previous owner housed them - so be on the look out for that.

Good luck! I hope you end up having two females and neither is pregnant!!! You can also try to find a cavy savy vet in your area who will sex them properly for you - but make sure they have LOTS of experience with guinea pigs because even vets can missex them.

[LoveCutePiggies]

Thank you everyone! As far as weighing them, where did you all get your scales from and how much were they? I don't think I've seen a grams scale around here, but in all fairness, I haven't checked. How do you keep them still while weighing them. Mine are still skittish.

And about sexing them, I've looked at the one I think is a he several times, and I think that it is a he, as far at the I versus Y test is concerned, but then again, these are my first guinea pigs. I'm taking them both to an experienced vet this coming weekend.

[Ziggy&Herald]

Look at this site if you haven't already. It has detailed pictures of male and female pigs of different ages. http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm

I bought my scales from Wal-Mart in the kitchen supplies. To keep them still I use the bottom of an old easter basket from my kids with the handle removed. Then I place it on the scale, tare the wight of the basket, then put the pig inside.