Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs

[Wiebke]

1 First Hours (Birth and newly born)
2 Baby Days (Nursing and weaning)
3 School Weeks (The overlooked formative learning period)
4 Teenage Months (Those pesky hormones...)
5 Adult Years (Looking at some frequent challenges)
6 Old Age (Caring for the elderlies)
7 Facing the End (How to make the most of any precious time left)


This article series has been written for Guinea Pig Magazine and has been published in issues #54-60 (Jan. 2020 - Jan. 2021) under the title 'Days of their Lives'. The article series is property of Guinea Pig Magazine and is being run as an information guide on this forum with the magazine's permission.
Individual issues of special interest and with their other high quality content can still be back-ordered internationally in print or download format from the Magazine website: Home - Guinea Pig Magazine

This year I am exploring the different stages of a guinea pigs life. Since guinea pigs have a shorter life span than humans, all of us generally see our beloved fur balls develop and change as they go through life. Each age has its very own joys and challenges.


1 Newly Born – The First Hours

Birth
Watching little new-born pups is admittedly totally engrossing. Guinea pig babies are ‘precocious’, i.e. fully developed at birth. They are indeed born fully furred, with their eyes open and their teeth out and growing. New-born pups will start nibbling on hay within hours of being born and can move around, explore their surroundings and even popcorn (if not yet fully coordinated) just a few hours after being born.

The first baby step of Blossom's three boys (the middle one, Llelo, is now living with the Tribe)

But this head-start comes at a high price: because of their roaming lifestyle to and from their feeding grounds twice daily at dawn and dusk, guinea pigs – like their larger cousins, the capybaras (who hold the record) – have the smallest litters with the longest pregnancies of all rodents. A guinea pig pregnancy takes about 9-10 weeks on average.

The liveliest of the boys making his first baby popcorns while Blossom is still not yet in milk and not encouraging him to suckle

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=220941195440113

Guinea pig pups are a multiple the size of human babies to give birth to compared with their mothers' size. An average-sized pup can weigh as much as a quarter of their small pre-teenage mother when they are born because even the youngest of sows will give birth to normal babies. That is one of the reasons why baby mis-sexing in breeders and pet shops can be such a problem.
It is therefore not surprising that a rather high percentage of births end with dead babies and/or the death of the mother, even with the best of care. The price for all that baby cuteness is all too often paid in lives.

Births happen more often in the quiet hours of the night or the early morning, rather than when you are actually around to watch, so it is not something you can bank on being around. Mothers and babies are so quiet that you can be in the same room and not notice because birth is the time mothers and babies are at their most vulnerable to predation, so the birth process is designed not to draw any attention.


Buff-coloured Tesni the day before giving birth to a single surprise baby

Larger litters can sometimes arrive in such quick succession that a mother hasn’t got enough time to entirely free one baby from its sac before the next one comes and she has to turn around to attend the new one. Apart from stuck babies and premature litters, this is one of the most common sources of loss. Occasionally a pup will start breathing during birth (especially if the process is lasting a little longer). Aspirating the amniotic fluid in the sac is unfortunately in most cases fatal and can lead to a pup dying shortly after birth.


Freshly born and still wet

The first hour or two are spent cleaning up the still damp babies as well as dealing with the afterbirths by eating the majority of them. This triggers the contraction of the womb and kick-starts the milk flow.


Eating the afterbirth on top of one of the babies (newborns often have a pinkish coat until has all been licked off)

It is always a marvel how all those huge babies fitted into a mother’s belly once they are out!


The first drink

Birth weights can vary enormously from a very dodgy 30-40g (which will require extra round the clock experienced support care to have a chance) to potentially lethal whoppers of 120-140g, which are at high risk of getting stuck during birth, or of breaking or permanently damaging their mother’s pelvis. The ideal birth weight is around 70-100g for new-borns for a smooth birth and a good start in life.


The First Day
A lot has to happen in the first day or two of a baby’s life. Its lungs have to work straight away to draw the first breaths but just like in premature human babies, the lungs are not always fully developed in premature pups, and there is no neonatal clinical care available.

Since nutrients are also no longer arriving via the blood flow, the whole digestive system has to start up once the babies are born. That is why you see guinea pig mothers lick their babies’ bums religiously in the first few days in order to stimulate gut movement.

It can take a few hours or even a day for a mother’s milk flow to kick in. A mother won’t let her babies suckle until she is actually in milk. Babies are generally provided with a little extra to help them bridge this gap.


Tesni is nursing her daughter Tegan, the little baby in my avatar picture

First-time mothers, especially after a somewhat traumatic birth, may struggle with accepting their babies and looking after them; it may take some hours in close confinement until the maternal instincts come to the fore.
Occasionally a baby may be rejected. Often, but not always, a mother can perceive that there is something very wrong with a pup and that it won’t live to grow up. Some can be brought up as orphans if there is no serious issue.

The first milk is called colostrum. It is essential because it is laden with antibodies and serves as a multi-purpose job to start up the immune system (which takes several weeks to develop fully) and to give the pups some instant protection and a much-increased chance of survival.
It is worth mentioning in this context that guinea pigs become lactose intolerant once they are weaned and that cows’ milk is too rich for them and should be avoided if at all possible; this especially goes for support-feeding babies!


The 'milk bar' in service while the ravenous mother is stuffing herself

There are only two teats, so there is quite a bit of competition for access since first-time mothers can have up to 6 babies; usual is one to four pups. In later pregnancies, the litter size can be even larger – up to ten pups in over-bred sows, although all too often very few or no babies in these huge litters will survive.
It always such a relief to see all babies drinking and their mother busy licking them!

While the belly button fades away in adults, it is usually visible and raised in younger guinea pigs.


Clearly visible belly button where the umbilical cord has broken off

Mother comes into season again within hours of giving birth. This is why removing any full boars immediately is an absolutely must and why even neutered boars can start chasing the poor mother right over the top of the hapless new-born pups.
As soon as her season is safely over, a neutered boar can be reintroduced again but the first meeting should be away from the babies on neutral ground as mothers can also be very protective and may not want them underfoot. Some ‘husboars’ make wonderful nursery nurses; it depends very much on the personality.
It is an urban myth that boars will kill babies. Any harm done is usually from very distraught mothers desperately trying to revive dead babies that have not survived birth or died soon after.


Minx's babies snuggled up and nibbling on hay just a few hours after birth


For more practical in-depth forum information on Pregnancy, Birth and Mother&Baby Care which covers the whole period step-by-step with extra information guides where needed, please click on the link below. In order to access our information, you will have to register and accept our strict no intentional breeding policy on the forum. For ongoing experienced advice, please open a support thread in our specially monitored Pregnancy and Baby section, which will become visible after your registration.

Thread 'Pregnancy, Mother & Baby Care Guides'

Oct 30, 2017

Please note that you have to register with the forum and accept our no intentional breeding rules in order to access our Pregnancy and Baby Care section and the following guides.
Any advice and support on this forum will only be given with the express aim to prevent any further pregnancies.
Anybody found in deliberate breach with our very explicit no breeding rules will be summarily banned.
Terms of Service And Forum Rules
Our no breeding and no breed showing forum policy explained


1 Detailed diet information for pregnant and nursing sows...

• sport_billy
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Sexing, Pregnancy & Baby Care (forum members only)

 

[Wiebke]

2 Baby Days  

The first week 
Guinea pig babies are kind of living on fast forward. Every single day brings a new development and they grow so fast! 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1700654569965394

Four days old Tegan follows her mother everywhere

The very first tiny baby poos on day two or three should occur at the same time as the first weight gain; this means that the digestive system is fully operational.  


Nice fat baby poo - 4 months old mother - adult piggy poo

This is also the time when babies find their voice and are fully able to keep up with the group. By the third day babies are no longer new-borns; their personalities are starting to unfold, and with each passing day they should start to fill out a bit more. 

Three days old Honey meets the hurdle on her first roaming outing. She prefers to squeeze underneath!

Frequent turns at mother’s milk bar are interspersed with digestive naps, but the babies are also starting to become a lot more active and boisterous as the days go by. Wherever mother goes the babies will follow, but they will also become a little more independent with every passing day. ‘Popcorning’ jumps and wild ‘zooming’ around the cage will burn off any excess energy, and will inevitably leave you giggling or with a big silly smile plastered across your face. Baby antics are irresistible, and you learn to see the world in a whole new way! 


Mother Blossom is in need of high heels!

While baby guts get used to the various vegetables, fresh herbs, fresh grass or the occasional bit of fruit their mother is eating mainly through the milk, they also start eating more fresh food with every passing day. Babies from mothers with a varied diet won’t be at risk of bloating or diarrhoea when confronted with new fresh foods, as they their guts get used to it in small quantities first. 
Learning what is safe to eat happens by sniffing the mouths of their mother and any other group piggies, or by snatching bits of fresh food from their lips.  


Tucking in with auntie and mother at 5 days of age

In the same measure that babies should put on several grams with each passing day, their own appetite for solid food is growing.  
Sows with nursing babies will often bring up their babies in a crèche, and not be bothered whose baby is drinking from her, but it depends on the personalities involved and doesn’t always work. 
 

The second week 
While babies still continue to drink (less often but more milk with each session), they are also gradually switching from mainly relying on their mother’s milk to a more solid adult diet over the course of their second week.  


Cornering mother Minx at 3 weeks old for a drink from the gradually drying up 'milk bar' - what a change in size since their first drink!

Snatching food from each other’s mouths or from any of the older piggies present is becoming more aggressive and pronounced as part of their learning process. This is the reason why even dominant older guinea pigs will tolerate this behaviour, although they can be quite strict with them otherwise.  


Sugar is snatching dandelion from her mother's mouth

While the other piggies in a group will usually keep their distance from a new mother and her just born babies, they are interacting with them much more now that the babies are able to partake in the group’s daily routine.  
The lead sow will usually insist on having her private sphere respected (unless she is the mother), while the lowest ranked piggy goes to the greatest lengths to ensure that her ranking is not over taken by the babies.  
Gradually there is also a hierarchy emerging between the siblings, as are their personalities emerge, ranging from the bold, mischievous and adventurous ones to the timid ones that prefer to snuggle up to their mothers.  
Weight gain is also starting to reflect the babies’ emerging status in their sibling hierarchy; the more dominant siblings will be able to drink more.  


Two weeks old Honey with the hurdle
 
Baby antics will be in full swing as they burst with exuberance and get into countless scrapes discovering their world. Everything is a drama, and it is only quiet in those rather rare moments when they are all fast asleep, allowing their harried mothers a rare moment of rest.  

 
Weaning 
Not long after babies have shifted to eating fully with the adults and are only using the milk bar for topping up, mother will start the gradual weaning process by increasingly discouraging their offspring from drinking, as her milk is slowly drying up. This process is in full swing at around three weeks, and generally finished by four to five weeks, although in some cases mothers with daughters can go on lactating for longer.  Weaning does not need any human intervention or support; it is a gradual process that happens all on its own.


Tegan is increasingly sharing meals with her aunt and her mother

I know the exact moment when my pet shop pregnant Minx considered her two four week old surprise daughters weaned. That was the day she picked up jumping up the staircase during roaming time in our hall again; a hobby which she had discovered only ten days before giving birth! From then on, her daughters had to hunt her down and pin her in a corner for a last drink.  
 

Baby boar separation 
Unlike German speaking countries, where early castration at 200-250g in weight (i.e. just before they start producing sperm) has been increasingly common for nearly 40 years, this practice is virtually unknown in the English-speaking world, and is generally frowned upon - which is a real pity, as it allows single baby boars to return to their family straight after the operation and to continue living with them for the rest of his life. Because babies heal incredibly fast, complications and fatalities are rare.  


The daily baby weigh-in

There is so much misinformation around boar separation time, but baby boars start producing viable sperm between 3-5 weeks old. This means that they need to leave their mother and any sisters at 3 weeks of age. Any baby girls can simply stay on with their mother.  
Occasionally boar babies are born very large and well developed; so much so that they can impregnate their mother when she comes into season for the second time after giving birth around day 15-17.  
This is why I prefer to use a 250g weight qualifier, which is the average weight of a 3 week old baby. Any boars that reach 250g before they are 3 weeks old should be separated earlier; because of their size they are not as reliant on their mother’s milk.  
But it is more common that the sow pheromones from their mother coming into season just wake up the inner boar. While the little boys suddenly start to rumble-strut and mount their mother, the ammunition in their tubes is not yet viable; that usually takes a few days and a little more weight! 
On the other hand, the weight qualifier means that you can leave any small baby boars safely with mother and sisters for either another week or until they reach 250g – whichever comes first. This allows them to make the most of their mother’s milk, but separate before their sisters have their first season between 4-6 weeks.  
The weight qualifier allows you to cater for your individual baby boar needs better without sacrificing their mother’s or sister’ safety.  
If you happen to have the babies’ dad, then introducing any baby boys for short meetings throughout the nursing days will help with acceptance. This makes separation a lot less painful and stressful for the little boys.  
If you don’t have that option, then please keep the boys in an adjoining cage to the sows (preferably a traditional one they cannot break out of) for company, stimulation and social interaction to help bolster the shock of separation and cater for the babies’ social needs. They are too young to fight.  
You have to really harden your heart for a couple of days and stay firm! Keep in mind that boars will complain loudly, but it is the sows that will silently pay with their health and all too often with their lives! 

 
Sexing Babies: Resources and Help 
 You can handle and sex new-borns, but the gender is often not yet always obvious.  
 Double-checking the sex of your babies at two weeks of age gives you a few days’ leeway to ensure that you get it absolutely right with your little super-wigglers, but still be prepared for the deadline. I would strongly recommend making this job a two person task!  

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/baby-sexing-boar-separation-and-moving-on.109391/

 
You are welcome to post clear and day lit pictures in our Sexing section, but please keep in mind that online sexing has limits and you may be asked to do some extra checks yourself to make absolutely sure.  Sexing should never be just a guessing game by strangers, whose experience and qualifications you know nothing about (and this includes sadly not just online folk but also pet shop staff, breeders and vet who don't get to see many guinea pigs.
Our illustrated sexing guide for all ages aims to teach you how you can do the hands-on part of every sexing in the less obvious but much more gender divisive area yourself. The guide features plenty of genitalia and slit pictures of guinea pigs of various ages (babies, teenagers with descending testicles, adult full and neutered boar as well as adult sows).
 Illustrated Sexing Guide

 

[Wiebke]

3 School Weeks

The forgotten age
Because the vast majority of guinea pigs are pet shop or breeder bought babies, most owners are not aware of the important role that the formative weeks in between weaning and the onset of teenage play in a guinea pig’s life.

In these crucial weeks the youngsters become full members of the group.
They learn to navigate guinea pig society, which is not as easy a task as you may assume. Communication and social interaction in guinea pig society is far more complex than anybody had expected as recent research has shown. The youngsters also learn to master the environment they are living in during these weeks.


5 weeks old Carys is meeting 2 years old black Gethin and 7 years old lady Ffwlbri (who lived for nearly another year)

Wild guinea pig species have larger brains than our pet guinea pigs, which have been outbred and become a domestic farm animal several thousands of years ago. Wild guinea pigs need to mentally map a large area they claim as their territory, know all the little paths and tunnels in the undergrowth as well as where the best grazing grounds are and learn to hopefully spot and hopefully avoid or escape the many dangers and predators that are part of the daily life of any wild prey animal.
In contrast, domestic guinea pigs don’t need the large ‘taxi driver’ data storage in their brain because their world is generally much more confined and safer but compared with their wild ancestors they are generally much better at problem solving to cope with a more complex human dominated environment.

The ‘school weeks’ between weaning and teenage are also the time when guinea pigs are at their loudest and at their most nonstop vocal; with a good reason! It is the age when they are also at their most vulnerable to accidents and predation. They are increasingly spreading their wings but do not yet have the experience and the judgement of adults. Their chattering can be heard over quite a distance and serves as a constant status update for the group. Blessed silence when they are asleep…


Becoming a member of the group hierarchy
You usually know from the sudden onset of some rather strong dominance behaviour from the elders in a group - including their mother - and the very vocal and dramatic protests and submission screaming from the babies when they are considered weaned by their family and are firmly and very comprehensively put at the bottom of the of the group hierarchy.

This transition phase can look very rough but is usually rather short. Please don’t interfere; the babies are too agile to be harmed!
Make sure that you have only got only hides and houses with two exits during this period because throwing youngsters out of a prime spot or from a food bowl or water bottle is an integral part of dominance behaviour. Sprinkle feeding or having at least one bowl per piggy and having another water bottle in a different place can help.


Under-sow Mischief is asserting her dominance over Honey

The strongest dominance usually comes from the former bottom piggy making sure that their elevation in rank is not contested by the youngsters while the top piggies of a group will generally stay aloof as their position is not in question. A group hierarchy always works from the top downwards.
The same also goes for bonding a youngster at home: the post-introduction dominance phase is generally a lot shorter compared to the usual average two weeks, but it is on the dramatic side with loudly submission screaming babies and can really upset an owner!


Dylan meets two of Blossom's baby boys at 3 weeks of age to find the one he gets on with best. Your guess?

There is also often a fair amount of sibling/crèche rivalry amongst the youngsters. Following and copying each other when one of them has found a new trick like jumping on a hide or squeezing into a cranny they shouldn’t be in is also always exciting and part of how they learn to make the most of their world.


The ‘apprenticeship’ scheme
Guinea pig groups bring up their youngsters in a kind of crèche between them. However, while the group as a whole usually looks out for their youngsters, there seems to be often one specific member that takes on the job as nursery teacher. This is not necessarily the mother but can actually quite often be a boar - irrespective of whether it is his own offspring or not.


The (unrelated) family is carefully guarding the Triplets on their first outing onto the lawn
(Run cover removed for photographing purposes)

One of my fondest memories is the loving way my (neutered) Bedo looked after his lively adopted Triplet daughters. He was always at hand when one of his charges got themselves into a spot of trouble. It was too cute to watch the three youngsters bound after him whenever he decided it was time to return to the cage!


Bedo with his adored Triplet wifelets Mererid, Myfina and Morwenna

Anyway, I always find it fascinating that it is actually the youngsters who choose an elder they are going to shadow and copy in the coming weeks and which there are trying to emulate, if they have the choice. This guardian can be but is not necessarily the 'nursery nurse' piggy.
Often it is a similar and therefore familiar looking piggy; but personality and outlook in life also play an important role. Of course you do have the timid mother’s babies but an ambitious youngster will orient themselves rather on a career pig. If an adult is not willing to take on an apprentice or is not happy about a particular applicant, they will repeatedly chase them away with some emphatic nips.


Mererid apprecenticed herself to Bedo as the closest colour match

My Tribe born Tegan didn’t stick with her mother Tesni (whose ambition it was to become the Tribe patriarch’s favourite companionship wife and remain that once she achieved her goal) but she rather eagerly observed her aunt Ffwlbri and her often rather rough and ruthless way of dealing with others.
Ffwlbri would eventually take over the Tribe as First Lady. Whenever Ffwlbri was in the thick of a sow dispute, I could be sure to find Tegan was lurking close by, observing the fracas with shining eyes. Trying out Ffwlbri’s tricks on her other group mates didn’t usually go down quite as well though!


Tegan following her ambitious aunt Ffwlbri (who later made top sow of the Tribe) through the thick of it

Young boars love to imitate their elders when it comes to learning how to be an impressive sonorous rumble-strutting lad – which is the way boars measure up against each other peacefully.
Little Llelo with his unusually high baby voice managed to copy his adult boar companion Dylan perfectly with exactly the same hip swing in the same location passing a couple of sows in their hay tray across the grids during free roaming time to learn how to impress them. He was so pleased with himself for copying the manoeuvre perfectly that he bounced off celebrate his achievement with a popcorn party!


Little Llelo attched himself to Dylan right from the start of the bonding and turned into a very diligent student of the correct boar moves!

Here is video of a practice lesson in 'boarliness' between Dylan and his faithful little sidekick

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1026616977509874

However, admonishment for misbehaviour or social violations from their elders is also part of this learning process. Even while youngsters are so agile that they can literally run circles around their elders, they will sit still and allow themselves to be reprimanded by them. A youngster is born to respect their elders. While it may sometimes look rough to our eyes and our human concept of political correctness, this doesn’t apply to guinea pigs. We do well to remember this!


4 weeks old Tegan holding still for inspection by Tribe patriarch Hywel

It is only by watching this encompassing teaching interaction that you realise just how important the formative age it is!


Companionship aspects
Sadly youngsters are never more desperate for company and guidance from an elder than at the age they are usually separated from their family and are all too often sold alone into a strange new world they have to learn to function on their own with support. Or they have to grow up very fast by learning how to be the often rather insecure leader of a baby group, which can result in somewhat over the top dominance.
Getting across the importance of guardianship and company during this crucial phase to new owners looking for human centred cuddly pet is often not at all easy.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1973892272641621

This little video of Bedo with the Triplets encapsulates what the School Weeks are all about

However while babies will put companionship over any other consideration at that age, not every older piggy will necessarily vibe with every youngster. Mutual liking and compatibility come into play as soon as any guinea pigs are allowed to choose each other. These aspects are the cornerstones for any successful bond long before age or gender.


Over-enthusiastic wifelet Heini is expressing her happiness by barbering her long-haired daddy boar. Theirs was a life-long love affair.

A baby can often be more acceptable to an adult with fear problems but it is not a fail-safe magic wand measure. Please think carefully about what you are going to do if acceptance with your own bereaved or fallen-out piggy is not happening before you rush out to the next shop!

Thankfully more and more welfare aware rescues are now offering rescue bonding services, whether it is speed dating for acceptance on adoption day or residential bonding over several days (including introducing potentially several candidates on different days and stress testing any new bond for stability).
If you can access a rescue that offers a dating or meet and greet service, please do so; even if it takes a bit more time and effort and you may have to travel! It will not just give you a happier bond but also supply you with a safe place to fall back on if the bond goes haywire at any point, so you don’t end up with two piggies that do not get on – which is something you’d rather want to plan for before you get a companion on your own.
Rescue Locator

There is a good reason why many rescues pair up their rescue-born babies with an older companion unless two babies are extremely close; these bonds have in many cases an added stability because they work in line with natural piggy social structures and not against them.


But all too quickly comes the day when your delightful little youngster suddenly turns into this alien called a ‘teenager’… but that is going to be the subject of the next article!

 

[Wiebke]

4 Teenage Months

The dreaded teenagers!
Teenage is an age that does affect both genders, but the degree can vary enormously. Some can sail through it seemingly unaffected while others will give you plenty of sleepless nights and heartbreak!

Teenage starts when guinea pigs reach their sexual maturity. That is the time when the testicles descend in boars and when sows will start to give birth; i.e. their sexual organs are now fully developed.


Poor Blossom was a sadly not at all rare victim of a pet shop pregnancy due to being in contact with a likely mis-sexed boar at the commercial supply breeder's and being caught out on her first ever season at around 4-6 weeks of age (basically as soon as she was weaned), giving birth ca. 10 weeks later at the start of teenage - at the youngest age possible while still very much growing herself.


Blossom five hours later and three baby boys lighter

Sexual maturity should not – and sadly many general vets make this mistake because their textbooks do not make that crucial distinction – be confused with procreative maturity, i.e. the age at which guinea pigs can start the next generation, which for guinea pigs happens around or just after weaning about ten weeks earlier. Unlike with us humans, the two do not coincide.


How do the teenage months typically run?
The teenage months tend to start around four months and last until the body settles down into adulthood around 15 months of age although short hormone spikes in boars can occasionally occur later, including in neutered boars.

It is a common misconception that this is a fixed period of constant high stress. In fact, there are quite distinct and typical phases as bodies and minds mature and dependent youngsters learn to spread their wings and explore their environment and their options in their society.
In boars the testicles start descending around four months; sometimes a bit earlier or later. The first strong hormone spike often accompanies this, so you cannot miss the onset of when your cute little baby boys suddenly turn into serious full-on boars!
It is at this age that your youngsters are typically at their loudest and most vocal as they are at the highest risk of accidents and predation while they become self-reliant and make space for the next batch of babies.

Around six months of age, hormones in both genders are at their lifetime high. This is the peak of teenage.
Sows often have noticeably stronger seasons during these weeks, which can easily top any human soap opera drama!
Boars have testosterone literally singing through their bodies and can experience sharp spikes. Apart from the onset, this is the classic age for fall-outs. Furthermore, it is the period when boars are at their most difficult to bond or re-bond.

The next tricky period is often the weeks from about 8-10 months. This is what I call the 'boundary pushing' months when the youngsters are constantly at the limit and are wearing down the patience of their companions but are in most cases just about toeing the line. Sounds familiar?
Teenagers have by then got the necessary experience to master their environment and have reached most of their genetically determined adult weight and size. Now they are spreading their wings and are testing how far they can fly.

It is often the seemingly unaffected piggies that are suddenly waking up late; often around 12 months or shortly after. It feels like they have to make up lost ground while the hormonally most affected ones are usually already over the worst of their teenage months.

Around 15 months, your babies will calm down a lot. They stop being quite as dramatic and boisterous and any constant squabbling settles down. No, they are not ill. They have just become full adults!


Teenage in sows
Teenage in sows gets often overlooked because it rarely leads to fall-outs, although these can happen in poorly matched sows that have not come to a firm agreement about leadership.
Sows in a group are generally wired to get on and to bring up any babies between them. That is also the reason why the sow equivalent of a full-on deep fighting bite is a painful mouthful of fur. If you see this happening, you will know that there is a major rift that will continue to run on, openly or under the surface, waiting to flare up again in the next crisis.

The teenage months are generally characterised by stronger seasons, which can be very dramatic indeed with lots of vocalising, rumble-strutting, chasing and mounting (whether that is mounting the sow ranked just below or, lacking that option, just above in the hierarchy), or even the usually not exactly pleased 'husboar' in the hours before she is ready to properly mate with him for just a short time.
When Sows Experience A Strong Season (videos)

The powerful pheromones given off can trigger other sows within reach of them to come into season as well if they are close enough in their oestrus cycle. If you have a larger group or several, you can end up with a nonstop mega-season that can last up to three days until it is all over and blessed peace returns!
Sows in a group often have their seasons in two clusters; with the smaller cluster generally comprising of the sows whose oestrus cycle is too far off to be triggered and harmonised by the larger cluster.
If the leadership is not yet fully secure or the under-sow is not entirely happy with the existing hierarchy, rumble-strutting and dominance behaviours will be more marked and longer-lasting, both in the run-up to and potentially lasting for quite a few days after a season.
In a group, it is usually the top sow who has stronger seasons, but sharp hormone spikes can overturn this in under-sows.

Another feature of the teenage months is near-constant squabbling, especially between sisters or age mates with a very competitive relationship. This happens typically in the run-up to their first birthday when pushing the others' limits can mean teetering at breaking point more than once.


The teenage Triplets were very much a 'me against the other two and all of us against the world' mob at times right at the limit of the acceptable. Adulthood couldn't come soon enough!

Feel blessed if you have one of those pairs where you don't notice any seasons and that harmonise well!

More about sows in season and sow specific behaviours: Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)


Teenage in boars
Character compatibility and mutual liking are key to any happy guinea pig bond, but never more crucial than in teenage boars. This is really the make or break time for any boar bond!


Nye with his testicles just about starting to descend at around 4 months of age

The most obvious personality mismatches manifest as major clashes and fights, right at the onset around four months. The other make-or-break time generally comes with the intense hormone spikes around six months when the testosterone levels are at their all-time high.
It is no surprise that the by far the largest group of piggies ending up in rescues are fallen-out teenage boars between 4-6 months of age. Because this is also the most challenging age to bond them, an increasing number of rescues will neuter the difficult to bond boars so they can have a happy and peaceful career as a neutered 'husboar' living with a sow or several.


Nye with fully descended large testicles

While the time around 8-10 months can give you sleepless nights, fights and fall-outs are generally rare at this stage. However, a small number can occur in pairs that have swum along peacefully can get suddenly into real trouble in the last weeks of teenage after 12 months. It is often less of a hormone-based fight, but more of character incompatibility caused fall-out that happens at this time.
While hormone fuelled fights can flare up very suddenly, and you may only happen onto the aftermath of one, you don't necessarily have to wait until there is a fight with bloody bites if a relationship is heading towards a fall-out. You should however not separate at the first sign of any mild dominance, either!


Small teenager Nye trying to rumble-flirt with rather unimpressed Big Iola

The best way of working out whether a bond is still functional or not is by putting a divider into the boar cage for a couple of days to allow hormones and tempers to settle down again. Then re-introduce formally on neutral ground outside the cage. A 'buddy bath' is not needed and somewhat counterproductive as by then the testosterone stink has evaporated and been cleared off the coat, and the added stress from the bath will not create a friendly atmosphere.
If the bond is still working, then your boys will go back without more than some mild dominance behaviour; if not, the existing problems will make an appearance pretty quickly again, whether this is some real grudge or one of the boars is demanding abject submission and no longer getting it.
If one of the boars is being bullied, they will perk up noticeably when separated from their companion(s).
You can't do trial separations all the time because they can, in this case, become an additional strain on a relationship already under pressure, but trial separations are the best way of working out the status of a bond without risking a fight.

However, if there has been a full-on fight with deep bleeding bites to rump or head/neck, then this is most definitely the end of the road. An accidental glancing scratch in a scuffle you may just about get away with if you are lucky.
Boars that have been separated without a fight will often not go back together as adults although if their fail has been just a near one, they may eventually come to share run or lawn time again, especially as they age and their testosterone starts fizzling out. You can separate boars when their relationship is clearly not heading anywhere after a trial separation without risking a bloody fight but what should be avoided at all cost is splitting your boars permanently at the first sign of a hormone spike and dominance behaviour! Please don't let your own angst get in the way of your boars' long term happiness!

Thankfully, the majority of boars will actually make it through teenage-hood without a fall-out!
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?


Working around teenage problems
There are things you can do or should not do with teenagers in order to avoid obvious triggers for fights.

Space
Lots and lots of it, please! Start with a 2x5 ft minimum cage for boars but provide more if possible.
Not being available to get away from each other, as piggies would typically do after a lost confrontation, means that they are forced to remain in each other's presence. If you have boars, opt for a cage that can easily be divided into two single cages (or three in case of a trio or quartet).
If you find that a boar is very much sticking to their corner of the cage and is not coming down or across unless they absolutely have to, then be disappointed but also relieved that you have given your piggies the option to have an amicable divorce. Separate formally with a divider if possible.
If you are converting a two-tier hutch or cage, please be aware that the boars still need to remain in contact for ongoing social interaction and vital stimulation. Communication happens not just by voice; it also comprises body language and pheromones and is much more complex than you think.

Everything in the same number as piggies
Please always have at least the same number of huts or log tunnels with two exits as you have piggies in the cage or one more.
Make sure that you have water bottles at different ends and also hay in more than one area or with access that cannot be blocked.
Serve veg and pellets in one bowl each per piggy and in portions that can be eaten in one go, spaced well apart and remove between meals, or sprinkle feed around the cage to avoid food bullying.
Do not clutter the space with toys. Leave those for the run but give teenagers plenty of space to run and to escape.

Observe the hierarchy with any dominant piggies
You must observe the hierarchy, especially if you have a very dominant piggy. Always feed, treat, handle, groom and deal with the leader first in order to not trigger another dominance display; especially with piggies that are very stand-offish.

Be careful with changes to the cages
If you can, please enlarge a boar cage before your boys hit teenagers, or make sure that you have got extra accommodation available in case there are problems.
Any changes to the territory require a new hierarchy sort-out even in adult piggies, which can mean the end of the line, especially in teenagers. If you do extend, then please spread, already scent-marked bedding around and wipe down the new part, so it smells like theirs.

Thread 'Reacting to group or territorial changes: Dominance and group establishment/re-establishment'

Feb 15, 2024

- What can trigger a new hierarchy sort-out?
- What can I do to mitigate the impact?

With an average life span of only around 3 years and a hostile environment, wild guinea pig social life is much more fluid and eventful, whether that is losses, births, regular leadership changes, new boars being accepted or changes to the territory due to climate extremes, infectious illnesses, predation and the waxing and waning of group fortunes and the amount of territory they can claim around their denning areas.


What can trigger...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Behaviours

• 
• 

Do not introduce sows into a bonded boars' environment
The presence of sow pheromones will not go unnoticed and trigger a fight between teenage boys. Boars that have grown up in an environment with sows are generally not affected although they may still react to a very strong season.
Nevertheless, they should ideally be kept out of sight or reach of sow pheromones if that is possible, especially during teenage years.
Single unneutered boars can be kept next to sows, as long as they cannot climb into a sow cage for ongoing companionship and stimulation as they don't have a mate to fight.

Do not be tempted to add more boars to a working pair
You are so happy with your two boys, so the temptation to squeeze in another one or two or to merge your sow and boar pair into one big happy family is ever so tempting.
Please don't! Boars are best in pairs or very large bachelor groups. Teenage trios and quartets have a very high falling out rate. It is simply not worth risking breaking what is not broken!
Either get another separate boar pair or leave your dreams where they belong and concentrate on getting your existing boar pair safely through teenage-hood first before you think about another separate pair of boys!

For more in-depth information on boars, including dos and don'ts: A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars


Neutered boars
While most fallen-out boars are fine as next-door companions, neutering is a valid option if you have got access to a good vet and can afford the extremely variable cost and post-op care service. Two neutered boars living with any number of sows is generally a straight recipe for disaster.


Nye on the eve of his neutering operation at 6 months with a rather impressive set of fully descended testicles


Nye one day later after his neutering operation

However, what neutering does NOT achieve is to allow two fighting boars to live happily together. The operation only takes away the ability to make babies after a six weeks post-op safety wait, but it does not change the personal outlook or socially interactive behaviour. A neutered boar will behave precisely the same as a full one.
Nor will a neutered boar heal a rift between a feuding pair or group of sows. He would inevitably associate with one party sooner or later.
Unfortunately, vets not experienced with guinea pigs still recommend neutering as a calming down measure.


Nye 3 weeks after his neutering operation with his anal sac fully contracted again
He still went through all the classic stages of teenage, though!

For more information on neutered boars, what neutering can and can't do as well as on neutering operation, please read our neutering guide: Neutered / De-sexed Boars And Neutering Operations: Myths, Facts and Post-op Care


After reading through all the teenage issues, I want to reassure you that the majority of piggies WILL survive the teenage months without falling out! The more you can look for mutual liking and the more space you can provide, the higher the chances of getting through teenage without major trouble.


Happy-go-lucky Nye and his best friend, three years old skittish Nosgan
They did make it through Nye's teenage and remained a stable pair until Nosgan's death in May 2019

 

[Wiebke]

5 Adult Years

Since this is by far the longest and most diverse period in any guinea pig’s life, I can only touch on a few more general aspects.

Adulthood is the time when all they have learned in the first year of life is coming to fruition. But in which form largely depends on the personality, their social standing and shape of their group/pair or lack thereof, their interaction with their companions and their environment – the richer and more diverse it is, the more can a guinea pig use their facilities.


Some basic facts
Adulthood is not a static time that is the same for years. Guinea pigs reach the peak of their lives at around 2-3 years of age. This is the time when they will be physically strongest and can now combine this with their growing experience.
Depending on their overall health and their genetic inheritance, they will usually show first signs of ageing between 4-5 years of age and turn into older citizens. Some are fitter for longer than others, the same as humans.

The wild ancestor species of our long since domesticated and bred out farm/pet guinea pigs has an average life span of about 3 years but individuals can live up to 8 years of age.
The average healthy life span of domestic guinea pigs in turn is about 5-7 years although I am always glad if any adoptees from a bad background get past 4 years or at least within spitting distance of it. Domestic guinea pigs can live in cases up to 10 years; longer than that is very rare although it does happen. Feel blessed for every piggy that lives beyond the average life span, but never take it for granted or you will set yourself for some avoidable major disappointment!

However, a longer life than guinea pigs are biologically laid out for does come with some problems; like the fact that there is no menopause and that both genders will go on procreating (with more and more disastrous results and risks of fatality) until they die from old age. Even a 9 year old sow can still become pregnant; as I know from a childhood piggy in my neighbourhood. It didn’t go well.
In sows the hormone output never stops, which is why ovarian cysts (both hormonal ones and non-hormonal fluid filled ones) are increasingly common and can cause problems.

It is also noticeable that sows past ideal pup bearing age from around 2-3 years onward are generally less accepting of boars and much harder to bond. Allowing them to choose who they want to live with is crucial for any success. Hormonal cysts are making themselves felt most typically between 2-4 years old with grumpy or aggressive behaviour and sometimes looking like they are having a strong nonstop season, which can be very disruptive for a group. In older large non-hormonal fluid cysts that don’t cause any symptoms are becoming more common; they are the most common type of cyst. However, they can cause problems if they grow very large.


Social life
Not every piggy is of course a born leader or has got the ambition; like humans, there is a wide range of personalities and interests. Yes, there are the ambitious career types, the natural leaders and the wannabe ones that cannot quite back up their claims but you also get the peacemakers, the carers, the teachers; you get the troublemakers, the gossipers, the sneaky bullies; the timid ones or the ones that prefer to do their own stuff; the ones that cannot stand up for themselves as well as the silent strong ones; the disabled ones that need the support of their mates. Their lives will be shaped by who they are living with and how they get on over time; by deaths of companions and new arrivals.
Like a human family or neighbourhood, it is a constantly evolving relationship. The longer I have piggies, the more diverse and complex and the more like tiny people in fur coats they are – just ones that live on fast forward and in a society with some different rules to all the various human ones.


Hen-pecked husboar Gareth with formidable Teggy (his Top Lady) and feisty Meleri (the Deputy)

I have found it highly fascinating that in a larger group there is actually quite a diversification of jobs. You have the First Lady and her deputy; the First Lady is generally concerned with the overall survival of their group and executive decisions and responsibilities; these can in extreme cases make the difference between life and death. A group without strong leadership is a group in danger. All the privilege that comes with being at the top, like first choice of the safest place or priority in feeding is there to preserve the group as a whole.



The First Lady’s deputy (if she has the personality for it) is ideally a born peacemaker who is concerned with the group coherence. If that is lacking, it can easily end up with a bit of a tyranny or lots of internal strife. A weak leadership can also be challenged, whether that is on personality grounds or through age/illness.
In the tier below you find the middle ranking adult sows, bringing up their own babies or helping to teach youngsters. It was also highly interesting to notice that often one of them was napping by the entrance of their walk-in cage on guard duty. The youngsters will gradually come up through the ranks as they age and find their own place or they will leave to find a suitable boar to risk it and found their own dynasty.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1275580505806138

Hywel, the new Tribe patriarch after Llewelyn's death, is not willing to share a big plate of grass with any of his wives

It is the sows who associate with a boar of their choice to father their babies. He is not a direct part of the sow hierarchy and will not interfere in sow issues as long as they do not threaten group coherence, but he fits into the overall group hierarchy wherever his own kudos will allow him. At the best, he is a canny diplomat and at the worst a bully. But he may also end up at the bottom of the hierarchy and do what his ladies tell him.


Tribe patriarch Hywel with his two self-appointed Favourite Concubines, Tesni and Ffraid


Tesni and Ffraid during their tussle for the post of 'First Concubine'

It was also interesting to see that while a ‘husboar’ will always respect his First Lady but she is not necessarily the one he will hang out with most. Especially in a larger group, there can be quite a fierce competition for the position of First Concubine at times. Human soap operas have nothing on a guinea pig group!


Winner Tesni takes it all!

As long as disabled or ageing guinea pig can keep up with the group, they are tolerated and often touchingly looked after. A guinea pig that is feeling ill will generally move away from their group in order to not risk their survival. In a cage where this is physically not possible, you see the typical sitting in a corner and staring at the wall. Older piggies are generally well respected; their experience is valuable for the survival of the group in a crisis.
Any strictly hierarchical group always has to have a bottom piggy. In a natural group this is generally a piggy that is the weakest in personality, whether that is a youngster or an adult. Checking that they are not bullied is important but it is also important to be aware that by removing one piggy another will have to take their place, and that the submissive piggies often are the ones that depend on companionship most.


Bottom Pig of the Tribe Cariad (who was not the brightest, bless her) and Top Lady Nia (on the right).
Nia to stand guard of the pile and Cariad having being pushed to the exposed edge)

A change in leadership can be as gentle as possible if the leader is a beloved and much respected ‘pigsonality’ or acrimonious if it is a hostile takeover by another ambitious sow. The dominance from the re-establishment of the new hierarchy that is at the very core of any functional group and that underpins cavy society can be minimal or extreme as a result; especially if there are several rivalling claims or the takeover is not to every pig’s taste. It can lead to a group split. This issue is also often at the bottom of failed adult sow bondings.
You will also see more dominance if insecure leader has to take over by default and will overreact to ensure their position.


Taffy (on the right) went from Deputy Lady in the Tribe to leader of the cataract group until her mates most gently took over from her when her eyesight deteriorated even further. Timid seeing master diplomat Terfel is hiding at the back and is letting his rambunctious sight-impaired wives protect him

Adult sows from about 2-3 years onward are also generally more difficult to bond. They have worked their way up in status and often not willing to relinquish that in a larger group. Bereaved sows may prefer their own territory unless you can let them choose a companion of their liking for themselves. It can sometimes be a lengthy process and the bonding won’t be quite easy. Low ranking sows are generally more accepting than top sows, so character compatibility and respect of their social standing are vital considerations.

Find out more about what makes guinea pigs tick in this article series:

Thread 'The Herd, the Group and I: Investigating Guinea Pig Identity and Society'

Feb 17, 2023

Introduction
1 A Look at Social Identity
- Identity and Self-awareness
- Herd and Group: Juggling social identities
2 Herd Behaviours
- On the move
- Shared herd feeding
3 The Group and I
- Group identity vs. individual identity
- Group establishment and affirmation
- Use of the denning...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 8
• Forum: Species Understanding

Weight, size and average life expectancy
I would like to talk about this issue because it crops up fairly regularly and people can be badly thrown by a vet visit when they are told that their piggies are overweight, which usually raises the question what constitutes a normal adult weight range and how can you work out whether your piggies are the right weight for their size at any age?

The largest babies can be three times the size of the smallest; this massive difference carries through in life with weight differences usually becoming even larger. A healthy adult weight can be anything between 700-1700g, leaving cuy breeds aside.
The average of well looked after piggies’ weight usually lies around 1000-1200g (higher than in most general vet literature) with about 80% of the piggies falling into a weight range between 900-1300g depending on their age.


A bonded couple at the size extremes: Helygen (700g) and husboar Pioden (1400g) are a perfect and healthy weight for their genetically determined size, even if they are well outside the accepted human 'norm'.

Much more crucial for long term health is whether a piggy is overweight or whether its weight is right for its body size. This ratio is often referred to as the ‘heft’ or the cavy BMI. It works for all ages from fast growing youngsters to bonier oldies who are gradually losing muscle tone with an adult of any size usually being at their heaviest and most stable around 2-4 years of age – and that is also the age when losing any overweight is most of a challenge!
You also have to take into consideration that the standing in the hierarchy also has an influence on the weight. Higher ranked piggies with privileged access to food will be naturally heavier than lower ranked ones. This will be the more noticeable the larger the group.
Guinea pigs with nutritional deficits from a bad start into life can often catch up for at least part of what they have lost out on and can even grow in size until about 2 years of life.

The quickest way of checking whether your piggies are in the right ball park for their individual size is by feeling around the ribcage. In a healthy piggy you should be just about able to feel the ribs but they should not stand out individually (underweight). If you can’t feel any ribs, then your piggies are overweight. Piggies whose bellies are touching the ground when they are standing are obese; usually through a combination of lack of exercise and overfeeding/over-treating.
It is also important to know that overweight guinea pigs will shed a lot more weight more quickly at the start of an illness or difficult operation recovery than a healthy or underweight one.


Litter sisters Nerys (who was 1500g at her peak; she is the big piggy in my avatar) and Nia (1000g)
It was energetic Nia who led the first generation Tribe despite being one of the smallest sows in the group

The heft/BMI will give you the ball park of what is your piggies’ individual normal weight range. From this you can adjust your life long weekly weight monitoring to look out for changes over 50g in order to detect slowly developing health problems earlier on when they are often more easily to treat or their development can be slowed down. Any quick weight changes over 100g should be seen by a vet promptly, ideally within 24 hours or as soon as you can get an appointment. And larger gradual weight loss over a longer period should also be vet checked.
Please be aware that there can be seasonal changes of around 50g, especially in guinea pigs with plenty of seasonal lawn time or in outdoors piggies. But the overall weight should be ideally pretty stable throughout adulthood.
Please be aware that the more often you weigh, especially over the course of a day, the more the weight will swing. The difference between a full and empty bladder can be 10g and the difference of a piggy before their veg meal and after can make 30-40g. This is why we talk of weight loss or gain only after 50g or if there a clear slow downturn trend over several days. Ideally you weigh always at the same time in the feeding cycle, like before feeding breakfast or dinner.
Anyway, it is also worth noting that a smaller weight doesn’t mean a shorter life but that overweight can contribute to a shorter life and to a higher operation risk.

Thread 'Weight and Weight Loss Explained: BMI, Weighing, Poos and Feeding Support'

Jun 20, 2024

1 Weight and Weight Loss
- Why regular weight monitoring matters
- How weight changes over a lifetime
- How to weigh on your kitchen scales (with video)
- The weight loss rules
- How critical is the weight loss for my piggy?
- Possible causes for weight loss
2 Body Mass Index (BMI) or 'Heft'
- Why is understanding your piggy's weight so important?
- 'Average' weight vs. individual weight - the big trip up
- How to check for the BMI
3 The...

• Wiebke
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Health & Illness Support Corner

• 

You can never count on your guinea pig living a full healthy life span – that is beyond your control. Illness and sudden unexpected deaths can happen at any age. Some piggies, like humans, can sadly draw a very short straw. Being able to access vet care and saving up for a vet fund from the day of their arrival as part of their normal maintenance cost is vital.

But with a good healthy grass hay based diet with no more than 15 ml of pellets (1 tablespoon or 1/8 cup per piggy per day) and just a small bowl full of not too rich veg with not much fruit or high calorie/sugar veg like carrots (which are ‘piggy chocolate’), filtered water to prevent bladder stones and limited but healthy treats (if at all) you can really contribute to shifting the average life span from the shorter to the upper end or even beyond. A good diet can really add 1-2 years to a healthy guinea’s life span!

It is worth rather than spending money on expensive highly processed treats to turn normal dinner time into enrichment time by making your piggies work for their food. This stimulates them and you have all the fun watching them – hopefully for longer with some discipline of yours in view of overweight and well-meant treats!

Find out more about the crucial role of diet and weight monitoring
More information about everything connected with assessing, monitoring and managing weight:
Weight - Monitoring and Management
All about diet: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Enrichment ideas for all senses: Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs

 

[Wiebke]

6 Old Age

Sadly, there comes the time when their fast metabolism turns against even the healthiest of guinea pigs. While in wild populations a few guinea pigs can live up to 8 years, they are very much the exception. The average life expectancy is around 3 years.
This means that nature has not provided for well cared for domestic guinea pigs having a much more extended average life span of about 5-7 years but it can extend to about 10 years occasionally. More than that is extremely rare. Your good care and especially a mainly grass hay/fesh grass-based diet close to their natural diet with preferably leafy green veg and fresh herbs can help to boost the life span for another year or two to the upper end rather than the lower one of the average life-span, but it cannot extend it indefinitely. There is nothing you can do about major health problems or a sudden death out of the blue at any age, which are beyond your control and any veterinary ability.

Please accept that because of most guinea pigs not living to an old age while they developed as a species, guinea pigs didn't have the need to a biologically engineered end of fertility for either gender. Both sows and boars will be able to make babies until the day they die. Only that the results in old age are usually rather devastating!


How are guinea pigs seeing and experiencing old age?
It is important to remind yourself that guinea pigs don’t have a concept for an average life-span. This is an entirely human idea. Guinea pigs measure their life in happy or unhappy todays. It’s not the quantity that counts for them but the quality of their life. When you yourself concentrate on taking each day afresh and not on fixating on the length of life, you cannot go wrong as an owner.

Guinea pigs do however recognise and respect older companions as long as they can keep up with the group and don’t display signs of infectious disease. They are valued for their experience and potential knowledge of extra resources, which may help to save the group in times of crisis.


Ex-Tribe Top Lady Ffwlbri on her 8th birthday

Older guinea pigs know who they are, are comfortable in themselves and have nothing more to prove. They usually know love and the good life when they see it and appreciate all the good things that come their way.
A dominant leader may be pushed from the throne by an ambitious sow coming up the ranks when the older piggy can no longer hold their own. When this happens, the old leader will be emphatically pushed towards the bottom of the hierarchy while the new First Lady establishes her own reign. This often coincides with an illness or developing a major health problem in the previous leader; they can show increased dominance in the lead up when they feel no longer quite fit to be fully in control but are not yet willing to relinquish.
If a sudden illness or an operation recovery creates a power vacuum, the next in line may feel obliged to step rather tentatively into the gap since keeping the hierarchical group going (whether that is a pair or a large group of different ages) is paramount and lead by default. If the default leader grows into their new role and is no longer willing to relinquish to the recovered leader, then you could be looking at a fall-out in adult piggies.
If a leader is much beloved and respected, then the change in leadership will be as gentle and minimal as possible and be interspersed with affirmations of love.

Very old sows can become more willing again to accept companionship as they are beyond the age of leading a group. Especially if they have known each other but not always lived together, they will still recognise each other and remember well where they stand in relation to each other. Some who are insecure about new company may take a bit longer when they feel or fear that the other side is stronger than them. But even next-door company and interaction are vital to keep the zest for life going. It can really add more years to a piggy life!
Older boars past 4-5 years whose testosterone has long fizzled out tend to mellow noticeably and are much more accepting of boar company compared to teenage or adulthood – most notably the very dominant and hormone driven boys! Company very much comes before dominance when leadership is no longer at stake.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1991548897542625

Tegan and Hafren lost their respective companion within two weeks and moved back in with each other after going their different ways for several years since Tribe days. In this video they have some fun together at nearly 7 years of age.

However, this is only a general trend. Guinea pigs are too much individualists, and some can really hang onto grudges. You can always only deal with the personality at hand and give it a try. But too many older piggies are still sadly failed in terms of old age companionship after the death of their mate when the owner doesn’t want to continue or because of what has happened in teenage will dog them for the rest of their life. If you have got a rescue within reach, it may be worth contacting them for possible solutions. Especially the welfare conscious rescues are becoming more aware that there is a growing awareness and need to find a welfare compatible option for the last remaining guinea pig.


Common old age problems
Sadly, old age usually doesn’t come on its own for guinea pigs, either. In many cases ageing is a gradual process that happens around 4-5 years but some piggies can happily sail on for longer and look much younger than they are – like humans, calendar age and physical age are not necessarily congruent. Old age can vary enormously in the individual timing and overall fitness and health. Most guinea pigs live somewhere between 4-9 years of age with 5-7 years covering the bulk. Some piggies will die young from a genetic problem, illness, neglect or breeding complications, a few blessed ones can live even longer.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1922161914481324

Calli on her 9th birthday

However, inevitably the body starts to change as time passes. Muscles are sagging and first the hip bones and later the spine become more prominent. With the body no longer working at full speed, weight is slowly disappearing. In overweight guinea pigs this can be more noticeable when the fat reserves disappear rather quickly at some point and the weight takes a larger tumble. Please have your oldies vet checked ideally every 6 months but at least once a year, as well as having them seen promptly during any larger weight loss over 50-100g (depending on the speed of the loss). In most cases there is a developing health problem at the bottom of it even if it may not be quite obvious. Compared to us humans, the aging process in guinea pigs happens on fast forward.


Typical age-related issues are increased sleeping/deep sleep, a less efficient blood circulation and less body fat to keep older piggies warm.
Oldies often love to snooze in a sunny spot (make sure that they can move into shade when they start overheating) or on top of a microwaveable heat pad, especially during cold nights.

Mobility problems like arthritis and back leg paralysis (which can have very different causes than just a sudden temporary drop of calcium and always needs to be seen by a vet promptly) and secondary problems like urine scald from sitting in the faeces, not being able to clean their bum end as well as an increased risk from foot infections (bumblefoot). Older piggies no longer able to clean themselves especially at the back end are also more at risk from fly strike (flesh eating maggots) – even indoors.


Nerys suffered temporary back leg paralysis and loss of appetite from a large fluid build-up starting in the adrenal gland area

Impaction in about 10% of older boars (a weakening of the musculature at the back that affects about 10% of old boars, both full and neutered) can result in them no longer being able to form and express the ‘caecotroph’ poos that contain the not fully broken-down fibre for the second run through the gut.

Large fluid filled non-hormonal cysts or hard cysts turning cancerous are the types of ovarian cyst problems are more typical in older sows than the classic hormonal ones (which tend to be more typical for the time when sows are coming to the end of their ideal pup-bearing age without the hormone output slowing down at around 2-4 years of age). Non-hormonal cysts are actually the most common ones. It won't cause any classic hormonal symptoms but can cause secondary issues when fluid-filled cysts grow very large and start to impact on other organs. The really large ones often occur in the older sows. Some hormonal cysts can also turn cancerous; these cysts often present hard to the feel - different from the soft fluid-filled ones.

5 years old Iola with massive, very fast growing fluid-filled ovarian cysts the night before her emergency operation as soon as my trusted operating vet was back from their holiday. One of the cysts had become attached to the gut. She did have a good recovery and lived for another year.

The older guinea pigs get, the more likely they are to develop a lump (or a number of them); this can range from harmless sebaceous cysts (which can burst) and lipomas (fatty lumps) to abscesses, various benign or malign tumors, swelling of the lymph nodes (including lymphoma). Please see a vet to have any lump assessed.

6 year old Tesni recovering from needing an infected burst sebaceous cyst right next to her genitalia removed.


The clear definition between the iris and the white of the eye becomes fuzzier with age. Old age cataracts and more rarely the even clouding up of lenses called nuclear sclerosis are not at all uncommon. Pea/fatty eye is also more common in older guinea pigs.


Taffy with a fully developed strong cataract

A sharp, uneven white rim of bony material replacing the soft tissue around the iris is called osseous metaplasia and does occasionally develop – but any major changes to the eye should be ideally vet checked.


Old man Maelog is having a ball with top-up feed. The jagged white edge of his eye is osseous metaplasia

Pea/fatty eye where the lid falls away at the lower rear end is also more commonly seen in older piggies. It cannot be treated but doesn't seem to impact on life expectancy.


Tesni with a classic fatty eye; she lived to 7 years of age but had it for at least three years before her death

A more tender digestion can also become a problem with some older piggies; the need for more stable temperatures (access to a source of warmth they can also move away from if wished especially during colder weather) and greater protection during heat waves and spikes because their body and their immune system struggle to cope are also other areas that need attention. I always dread summers with major heat spikes, as they have tipped the already very delicate balance in many a very frail oldie of mine despite my best efforts.


3 years old Carwyn with nearly 8 years old Ffraid who suffered from frequent mild bloating in old age

Regular weekly body and weight checks can help to monitor the progress; switch to checking daily at the same time in the feeding cycle with more severe problems. Simple measures like providing nearby low access to hay and water for piggies that struggle with lifting their head and back legs, a little extra feed like oats or recovery mix to help those with weight issues despite medication, very regularly changed clean and warm bedding, keeping to as normal a daily routine as possible and regularly adding some suitable enrichment to boost the zest for life can go quite a long way.

More in-depth information on some old age related health problems
Caring for Older Piggies and Facing the End - A practical and supportive information collection

Boar Care: Bits, Bums & Baths
Impaction - How To Help Your Guinea Pig.
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Looking after guinea pigs with limited or no mobility
Digestive Disorders: Diarrhea - Bloat - GI Stasis (No Gut Movement) And Not Eating
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike
Guinea Lynx :: Eyes
Guinea Lynx :: Lumps

 

[Wiebke]

7 Facing the End 

How to make the best of it when time is running out
Old age is a bitter-sweet time but it is in your control how bitter or how sweet you want to make it. Your grieving process starts the moment when you realise that the remaining time may be limited and the moment you get bad news of a terminal illness. Your first reaction is usually an instinctive denial and a desperate search for ways to prolong life. This tends to be the stronger the more you fear death and loss itself. It is however not the most helpful attitude; especially if you are allowing your fears to take over - because you cannot stave off the end indefinitely by clutching at more and more straws. When you fall backwards over the edge of the cliff that every pet owner has to jump over, you are going to have a much harder landing and usually get hurt worse because you aren’t bracing for it. 


Severely arthritic Hedydd on her 8th birthday shot shortly before her death, with 5 years old Pioden who lost all his four wives in just a year and young Dryw who I adopted to prevent him from pining and to see him safely out.

But there is actually a hidden and very precious gift indeed in knowing that the end will come sooner rather than later because it can focus your mind to live this period much more consciously. Reset the life clock to zero and see every new day you find your piggy still there as a great boon. Plan a little special enrichment or a shared cuddle for every day. Take plenty of pictures and videos and make time count in a positive way. See life from the piggy perspective and concentrate on living in the moment! Love transcends time. You can fill a small space of time with a life’s worth of love; as little or as much as there is left, it is there to be filled with as much as you can cram into it. This holds never as true as in this kind of situation. 


Baby Dryw sleeping next to Hedydd for moral support on one of her worse days

The focus on quality of life over time will also help you with the grieving since you can actually process some part of it before death happens; that is the bitter part. But in turn you are left with only the pain of the loss and not with all the other homework on top, like the inevitable feelings of guilt or failure. The more special memories you can create, the more you can fill the hole in your heart with positive content and the assurance that you haven’t wasted any time and done everything you could to make your piggy’s life as happy as possible.


Bryn, who I adopted aged 5 years a no longer wanted widower to live with my first Tribe generation  Golden Oldies ladies, had such a romp in the year he was here that it felt like much longer. I simply cannot think of him without a big smile on my face, even a decade after his passing!
 
Anyway, this attitude is also reason why I can enjoy my old age adoptees so much. Every day with them is a special gift to witness their joy, their amazing zest for life and their wonderful personalities and quirks. When they pass (often after a longer time span than expected because they tend to be the tough survivors), they leave behind the impression that have they been with me for much longer because their time has been filled with so much positivity and joy of life. Some of them I cannot remember without a huge smile plastered over my face!  


8 years old pensioner adoptee Calli and 6 years old fellow peru diva Tegan are proof that you can make new best friends at any age


When the end comes
You can never count on when and how the end comes. It will always happen too soon and come as a bad shock, whether you are braced for it or not; irrespective of whether your piggy is suffering from a progressive illness or a rat-tail of complications or whether it is simply ‘their day’ and their body is suddenly closing down without much in the way of warning or their immune system gives way and something blows up with devastating speed and ferocity. Or you find them dead in the cage in the morning… 
 
Please allow any companions to say goodbye if possible. Depending on the bond and the kind of death, they may have already taken their leave and be watching from a distance. If they share a tight bond and want to be with their mate, then please let them be there, too, with you. Take a piggy out of the cage only if they have removed themselves from the company of their friends, as they would remove themselves from their companions feeling ill by following their instinct to protect their mates from an infectious disease. If possible, let them pass away in their familiar surroundings. But above all, don’t let them suffer and make sure that you can afford to see a vet at any time if the end doesn’t come kindly.  


Heini snuggling up with her beloved Carwyn (on the left). He had to be euthanised when he found to have a brain tumour
 
Looking back, the number of times guinea pigs of mine have passed away at home is roughly the same as the number I have had to euthanize either as an emergency, because the quality of life was no longer there with no improvement in sight or because the dying process didn’t run as smoothly as I’d have liked for them and they were in obvious distress or pain. When the body closes down, it is a much more physical process than most people would assume and it can be rather upsetting the first time you witness it – and odds are that the loss of a pet is your first experience with death. Gently drifting away in one’s sleep is the exception and not the rule, against wide-spread assumption. Please contact a vet clinic promptly for guidance if you are distressed or in any doubt. Make sure that you save up for a vet as part of your weekly/monthly pet expenditure so you can always afford basic life-saving vet care or spare your piggies a slow and painful death. Apart from companionship, this is the second most precious gift you can give your guinea pigs.  
At crunch time, you will always find the necessary strength for any being you truly love, or you will know somebody else who can take your piggy to the vet for you.  

 
Grieving and dealing with your loss
Give yourself time to cry and to mourn and be gentle with yourself after a loss. Any soul-searching or crushing guilt in the immediate aftermath is an expression of how much you care and not of any actual failure.  
Allow your remaining guinea pig companions their own time to grieve but accept that this phase is shorter for them than for you. In most cases you have about ideally 1-4 weeks to sort something out before things become more pressing; that should hopefully take you past the very worst of your own immediate flood of emotions.  
   
The pain of the loss and how you grieve is always fresh because every bond is unique and ties into a different part in your heart. For the rest you can thankfully get help with many countries offering pet bereavement support so you can eventually move past the immediate trauma of the loss to regain the enchanting personality that has been such a wonderful part of your life and that has left you with so many precious and wonderful memories over the years on their journey through life. Try to be honest about your feelings and allow yourself to grieve so the suppressed pain doesn’t resurface at the worst possible time.  
 

Above all and whatever age, please cherish the time you have with your guinea pigs. Relish the adventure of discovery and fun you share with them. You can never choose when they die or what from, but you can choose how happy every single day during your ownership is. Don’t waste precious time by fretting over what may happen; enjoy your piggies in the now and here - it is perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from our piggies.
There is so much more to guinea pigs than just cuddles on your lap. Let them draw you into their own fascinating and rich world and meet the little people in fur coats on their own ground and not just on yours. You will be richly rewarded with memories and experiences that will endure!  
 
As long as you can remember and have tangible reminders, your piggies won’t be lost to you because you will always carry them in your heart, each in their own little nest for as long as you live.  
 

Helpful practical advice, information and resources
- Sensitive and practical forum threads to guide you step-by-step through the worst with links to further support and resources:
Emergency, Crisis and Bridging Care until a Vet Appointment
A Practical and Sensitive Guide to Dying, Terminal Illness and Euthanasia in Guinea Pigs
Looking After a Bereaved Guinea Pig
Human Bereavement: Grieving, Coping and Support Links for Guinea Pig Owners and Their Children
- You can also find more information, help, memorial ideas and practical resources with death, dying, euthanasia and grieving and pet bereavement in a number of articles and stories looking at different aspects of this field in Guinea Pig Magazine, issues #44-46 (2018).