Sad Bought 2 Females, found out today 1 is Male?

[HotShod]

Long story short my husband bought me two baby “female” guinea pigs from Petco. I gave them a couple days to settle in and handled them today... discovering that of course one is male. I have them separated now. They’re both young (age unknown though they’re small) but I assume old enough to breed.

What would you suggest I do now??? Please help... :sad:

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

You have a dilemna on your hands, and there IS no easy solution. I know how quickly people get attached to pigs, so I don't know if this is an option or not.

You can take the male back to Petco and explain the situation and get yourself a female. That's the easiest solution. The others are less so.

You can keep them separated until the male is old enough to be neutered. Once the neuter is done, they'll need another month apart to make sure any wigglies die off and at that point, they will need to be reintroduced.

The same scenario applies if you choose to have the female spayed.

This is all well and good IF the female is not already pregnant, and it's a possibility. The male is capable of impregnating a female when he is only 3 weeks old. I'm not entirely sure how young a female can be. I've heard two months, but younger is possible.

In the meantime, they have to be kept separated.

 

[Soecara]

I agree your options as it stands depends on how attached you are to them. Female guinea pigs can get pregnant from 6 weeks of age, male guinea pigs are fertile from about 3.5-4 weeks old which is why we recommend to separate male pups at 3 weeks old.

The female may be pregnant so waiting and seeing if she is indeed pregnant and if she is what she gives birth to is an option as well. If by chance she successfully gave birth to a male and some female pups just housing babies with parents would be an option as well. If she is not pregnant, or miscarries/has stillborn, or only births female pups, then having the male neutered is an option. By the time the girls pregnancy watch ends in one way or another the male should be old enough to neuter.

If you do decide to keep both for now and take a wait and see option for what you want to do going forward then make sure there is no way for the male to get back in with the female. Male guinea pigs are surprisingly good climbers, and a determined male can push up a lid on his cage, but can not lift a lid on her cage. And when she goes into heat, which she will if she is not pregnant, or as soon as she miscarries or gives birth, he will definitely be determined to get to her.

 

[HotShod]

I haven’t made a decision yet, but your answers / advice has helped immensely. Thank-you so much for your time and knowledge. It is greatly appreciated!