Me and My Pig(s): Help with 5 babie guineas please :)

[mtjohnston]

Hi!

My daughter 11, saved her paperroute money and bought two guineas from the pet store. We had tried to adopt one from somewhere but no luck. The pet store worker told us we had two boys but Cow, our pure black one started to get big. My daughter bought her a pregnancy test (I just thought I would humor her and would you believe it came back positive?!) Realizing that we obvioulsy had a girl and a boy, I called the very about getting the box fixed but they said to wait until he was 3 months. As Cow got bigger and bigger, we separated them into two C&C cages we had made. Cow gave birth two days ago to 5 adorable little guineas. We now have Mom Cow, Dad Milk and babies Lucky, Charm, Joe, Patch and Cocoa. I realize we dont want to breed and that I have to be careful to not let mom (or anyone for that matter) get pregant again, but, I am not sure we can bear to give any of them up. I understand that this could be a huge undertaking -7 piggies - but, I was wondering if anyone had any advice or thoughts? Could I keep the boys in one cage and the girls in another once the babies are weaned? SHould the girls be across the room from the boys so the boys dont fight? Is 7 too many? I am not sure on the sex of the babies yet - is it too early to tell? I need advice so any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Paula]

Hello and welcome.

Advice on sexing - Sexing Guinea Pigs: How to Sex a Guinea Pig.

Leave the males with mom and sisters no longer than 21 days. You will need to keep the boys and girls in a separate cage once they're old enough to be separated, yes.

Whether or not 7 is too many is entirely up to you and what you can afford, the amount of work you're able to put into them etc. Many members here have more, myself included. It's just kind of up to you. You will have to make sure to build them a cage that's large enough to accommodate them. See. Guinea Pig Cages, Your Cavy At Home for more information.

It's not at all uncommon to get pigs from a pet store that are missexed and pregnant, unfortunately.

We had tried to adopt one from somewhere but no luck.

Also, I just wanted to comment on this. There is always a way to adopt if you are patient and persistent. I realize you have your pigs now and there's no going back, but should you be looking to acquire any more in the future, please don't continue to support the cruel cycle of breeding for profit that pet stores promote.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Pet store pigs are usually missexed and sick.

You can sex the babies as soon as they are born. Here http://www.guinealynx.info/sexing_pups.html

You need to remove any male babies at 21 days. They can go with Dad but you need a large enclosure for males. How many you can handle depends on how much time, space and money you have to commit.