Difficult Sex Difference

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Looks like a boy to me but I will let a few others have their say too as I am not an expert on girly pigs!
 
There are some photos on guinea lynx website of boars and sows bits at different ages. It might be worth comparing him to those?
 
I'm leaning towards boy - doesn't look anything like my girls parts but hey oh could be wrong...
 
Please don't try and breed your guinea pigs. This forum is pro-rescue and discussions about breeding are against the forum rules.
Pregnancies are very difficult for the female, and can often result in still borns, and due to the length of the pregnancy and development of the pups the mummy-pig can experience complications giving birth putting both mum and babies at risk.


I would strongly advise you to keep your boar and sow separate, and find them a friend of their own sex each.
 
I too would suggest that you separate. If there is any suspicion that this might be a male and you are positive that the other is female then there is a significant chance that she may already be pregnant. Pregnancy takes a significant toll on a sow and as your piggies are only young it can be even harder for a first time mum. It also means finding homes for babies or space for more cages as male babies need separated from mum and any sisters at 3 weeks to avoid them getting anyone pregnant as well.

Visit our pregnancy section to get some advice and signs to watch for in case you have an unplanned pregnancy on your hands, so you know what to expect. It's unfortunately not uncommon for pet shops and breeders to sell the unsuspecting public mis-sexed pairs and result in unwanted pregnancy. It appears time and time again on this forum. I would also suggest you get in touch with your nearest recommended rescue for help and support as well as confirmed sexing of both piggies before deciding to get them a friend of the same sex for each if you can. Piggies much prefer to live with others than alone.
 
Looks like a male to me too and I reiterate what the others are saying please don't breed. It might seem a lovely idea but rescue centres are full to brimming point with piggies. Do you want the same fate for any babies your piggies have?
 
Hi! It is a boy - but please don't breed!

Guinea pigs have a very high rate of pregnancies going wrong for both mum and pups - the highest in all rodents. You will also have to consider what you are going to do in the long term - you can't just leave dad in with mum for the long term, as too many or back-to-back pregnancies will eventually kill her, not to mention all the potential inbreeding with any pups.
Baby boars can make babies from 3 weeks onwards and baby girls can become pregnant from 4 weeks onwards - that is pretty much as soon as they are being weaned. I guarantee you that dad won't like at all being separated all the time! You will also have to learn very quickly to properly sex babies, who are even less easy to sex than your boy, in order to prevent a major mess on your hands!

Are you really prepared for what breeding to a good standard of care involves (including financially - an operation can set you back several hundred dollars or pounds to up to $1000), getting several more big cages, a good diet and a very expert, piggy savvy vet on stand-by who can diagnose problems properly up to performing cesarians and dealing with uterine prolapses without mum dying from the procedure? Are you prepared for dead born babies or losing pups after just a few days or losing a pregnant mum - or caring for a mummy that has permanent damage after a birth has gone wrong?
Here is what the best international medical website for guinea pigs has to say about breeding (including a link to what breeding to a good standard involves): http://www.guinealynx.info/breeding.html

Our forum rules. Please always read them before joining any forum.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...forum-rules-please-read-before-posting.36529/
 
Thank you all,
I'm really upset now to buy 1 boy and 1 girl. I have been informed by the petshop, but i see every information they gived me is wrong.

What should i do now? i can give them back (my wife would kill me), and if i seperate them they will not be happy.
What is the best solution, seperate them? or give one of the them away and take another one with same genre?
 
I think you should separate them now and then see about getting your boy neutered. They will have to be kept separately for 6 weeks after the neutering op as pregnancies can still occur up to that point. You can then put them back together. Obviously the situation will be more difficult if your little lady is already pregnant - only time will tell!
 
I am very sorry for the pickle you have landed in! Pet shops are notorious for the bad information they give - all they want is a sale, not animal welfare! We sadly get quite a number of new members coming here because of a problem due to a pet shop. :hb:

Your options:
You can either find each of them a friend of their own sex; that would probably make your wife happiest. if you are short on space, you can either stack the cages on top of each other, or for easier access, have the boar cage on a cheap or secondhand table above the sow cage. Boars and sows should not be able to see each other because the pheromones of a sow coming into season can cause fights in hormonal boars.

Or you can take one of the piggies back and get a same gender friend for the other. If you prefer to rehome privately, please don't leta piggy go into a single situation and make sure that their new home a decent standard of care. Guinea pigs are social animals that shouldn't be kept with a companion of their own kind. (Another welfare issue that pet shops ignore!)

Have a look at the information threads at the top of our Care sections before you rush out to buy more cages etc. A big cardboard box will do as a spare cage for a few days while you decide what best to do and where to best source any stuff from. You are welcome to ask any questions you may have.

Which country are you in? There are rescues and shelters in Britain, Australia, the US and Canada. Here in Britain, we strongly recommend to have your single guinea pig bonded under expert supervision at one of our recomemnded good standard rescues, so you only come home with only guaranteed character compatible, healthy and non-pregnant piggies. Some rescues in the US will also offer meet&greet sessions, which make for a much more stable bond.

You can add your country, state (US/Aus) or county/general area (UK) by clicking on your username on the top bar, then going to personal details/location. That would be a great help for us in giving you any appropriate advice and recommendations straight away.
 
Definately separate for now you can put cages next to each other so they can communicate between bars.

then I would suggest you wait as if the girl is pregnant it would be handy to have your boy there for any baby boys to join at 3 weeks when they have to leave their mum.

You should know sometime in next 8 weeks or so as pregnancies are 8-10 weeks.

Once you know what you are dealing with you can better assess the situation.

If she is not pregnant (which is what we are all hoping for) then you could consider neutering the boy or rehoming boy and getting another girl (this ideally should be done at a rescue so she can choose her friend)

If she is pregnant then you could keep a baby girl with her and rehome the rest or keep them in same sex groups.
 
Sinan said:
Thank you all,
I'm really upset now to buy 1 boy and 1 girl. I have been informed by the petshop, but i see every information they gived me is wrong.

What should i do now? i can give them back (my wife would kill me), and if i seperate them they will not be happy.
What is the best solution, seperate them? or give one of the them away and take another one with same genre?
Click to expand...

I'm so sorry that you've ended up in this situation. It's not unusual for petshops to mis-sex piggies and not be very helpful when you go back to them with problems!

You need to separate them. If you do not then your girl will definitely end up pregnant if she isn't already. Having a cage side by side will let them chat through the bars without any danger of babies. Like the others have said you have a few options open to you and some of them depend on your location so it's wise to update your profile so we know how best to advise you. We have members from all over UK, US, Australia and others!

Your options are: You could rehome one or both piggies, either back to the pet shop, privately or via a reputable rescue (in the UK our locator will help you find somewhere to help)
You could keep them separately and find a same-sex friend for each of them (once it's clear your girl isn't pregnant) and this is best done through an introduction process or dating at a reputable rescue if possible or with the help of an experienced individual.
You could get your lad neutered and 6 weeks after the operation he will be safe to re-introduce to the female without the risk of unplanned pregnancy. (Any earlier and babies are still a risk even at 5 weeks post op!)
If your girl is pregnant then after the babies are born any males need separated at 3 weeks old and can live with Dad for a while although more than two males together long term can be tricky... and any girls could continue to live with Mum as girls are happier to live in larger groups.
 
I'm from Turkey, and guina pigs are not very familiar in veterinary here.
So neutering is not an option, and i can't send them away, it has been 2 months now and they are already from family.

I will seperate the cages, and hope that Maydanoz (parsley in turkish) is not pregnant.
I will seperate with bars and they will be able to chat.

Thank you all for the informations, here i have been really informed by pregnancy.
You can see my cage in below link, i don't know if it will be big enough after seperation. But if not i will try to make bigger one.

https://i60.tinypic.com/21o26he.jpg
 
It is difficult to judge how big the cage is. We recommend 60x120cm for two guinea pigs.

If your piggies have been together for two months, then there is unfortunately a real likelihood that Maydanoz is pregnant. Please have a look at our pregnancy guides at the top of the pregnancy section. In that case, I would not go and buy any new guinea pigs and rather wait a few weeks to see whether you end up with babies that can either go with the father if they are boys or stay with the mother if they are girls. ;)
 
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