Sexing Boy Or Girl? Thinking girl...

newpiggieowners · Mar 30, 2015

Hi everyone! We are proud new owners of two guinea pigs. We purchased them from a mom & pop pet shop. Found this forum AFTER purchasing them, but no regrets--our family loves them so much already.

One of them is adjusting beautifully, while the other is skittish and territorial (which I'm seeing is perfectly normal for new environments). She has been on Groot's butt non stop--constantly sniffing it, nipping it, mounting it. When Groot tries to come into the tunnel or the house, she burrs so loudly. I started to question the pet store employee's confident judgment of her gender (she's usually "spot on with gender"), because after researching their breeds last night I found out she is not, in fact, peruvian but abyssinian so I started to get nervous.

Best picture I could get, she claws wildly when I tilt her upward or go to lift her, so we tried to snap it quickly. Does this look like a girl? (Not sure if that is bedding or what's going on with the white spot?).

Thanks so much!

Soecara · Mar 30, 2015

That is a girl. The white stuff looks like some normal mucus, you should be able to gently wipe it off with a tissue, it's not anything to worry about.

On a side note keep an eye on her, it is quite common for pet store guinea pigs to come to their new owners sick or pregnant.

LoveMyPigs25 · Mar 30, 2015

That is a girl

pigmommy89 · Mar 30, 2015

It looks like a girl to me. How old are they? Young Peruvians will look a lot like Abyssinians because both have rosettes and the long hair hasn't grown in yet.

newpiggieowners · Mar 30, 2015

Soecara said:
That is a girl. The white stuff looks like some normal mucus, you should be able to gently wipe it off with a tissue, it's not anything to worry about.

On a side note keep an eye on her, it is quite common for pet store guinea pigs to come to their new owners sick or pregnant.

Thank you so much!!

We will definitely keep an eye on her, I had the pregnancy concern for her as well.

newpiggieowners · Mar 30, 2015

pigmommy89 said:
It looks like a girl to me. How old are they? Young Peruvians will look a lot like Abyssinians because both have rosettes and the long hair hasn't grown in yet.

They said she was 3 months. Here's some pics that show her fur better!

sierralj97 · Mar 30, 2015

She's beautiful!! She looks just like my little girl Patches

Congratulations on your new fur family, and I hope that they're indeed healthy and pup-free

newpiggieowners · Mar 31, 2015

sierralj97 said:
She's beautiful!! She looks just like my little girl Patches
View attachment 73347

Congratulations on your new fur family, and I hope that they're indeed healthy and pup-free

Thank you so much! Patches is so cute!!!

bpatters · Mar 31, 2015

Do you have two females, or a male and a female?

newpiggieowners · Mar 31, 2015

bpatters said:
Do you have two females, or a male and a female?

Well that's what I was trying to find out ;-)

bpatters · Mar 31, 2015

So do they both look alike in the pertinent parts, or are they different?

Pregnancy is VERY hard on guinea pig sows and pups. The pups are HUGE in relation to the size of the sow when they are born, and the death rate is high for both of them. Additionally, guinea pigs are susceptible to several genetic disease. Osteodystrophy is a painful bone disease for which there is no cure. Mating pigs with the roan/dalmatian gene (allele) can result in the birth of lethal white pups -- pigs who are blind, deaf, have missing/wonky teeth, and immature digestive systems. They require lifelong, expensive care.

So if you're not positive that you've got two of the same sex, then please separate them immediately until you know for sure what you've got. There are thousands of guinea pigs in rescues and shelters in this country, and there's no need to breed any more. Accidental pregnancies will keep the species going. So if you care for your female, make sure she's separate from the other one if there's a possibility that he's male.

You can post pictures of the other one here, and we'll help you figure it out. You can also look at www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm and (broken link removed) for some pictures to compare with.

newpiggieowners · Apr 1, 2015

bpatters said:
So do they both look alike in the pertinent parts, or are they different?

Pregnancy is VERY hard on guinea pig sows and pups. The pups are HUGE in relation to the size of the sow when they are born, and the death rate is high for both of them. Additionally, guinea pigs are susceptible to several genetic disease. Osteodystrophy is a painful bone disease for which there is no cure. Mating pigs with the roan/dalmatian gene (allele) can result in the birth of lethal white pups -- pigs who are blind, deaf, have missing/wonky teeth, and immature digestive systems. They require lifelong, expensive care.

So if you're not positive that you've got two of the same sex, then please separate them immediately until you know for sure what you've got. There are thousands of guinea pigs in rescues and shelters in this country, and there's no need to breed any more. Accidental pregnancies will keep the species going. So if you care for your female, make sure she's separate from the other one if there's a possibility that he's male.

You can post pictures of the other one here, and we'll help you figure it out. You can also look at www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm and (broken link removed) for some pictures to compare with.

Oh gosh, just reread my post and realized I never even said Groot's gender... They said female but I will check for sure in the am!

Thanks for all the information!

newpiggieowners · Apr 1, 2015

Ok, here's a pic of Groot's business....

So it's fair to say I have two females (if I'm looking at that correctly)...but I need to watch out for pregnancy due to her being in a cage with other pigs at the pet store.

Soecara · Apr 1, 2015

Yes that is also a female.

After six weeks in your care you should be able to tell if they are pregnant as you will be able to feel movement if you sit down with the girls and cup their lower abdomen in your hands. Have a read of this https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...inea-pig-is-pregnant-And-how-far-along-is-she

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Sexing Boy Or Girl? Thinking girl...

newpiggieowners

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