How To Breed Guinea Pigs

Difficulty: Easy

Cost:

Breeding Guinea Pigs can be a very frustrating task, although it is not a complicated one. There are a few easy steps to follow, and then it becomes a waiting game.

First, make sure that your boar and your sow are both healthy. Then make sure that you know your sow's age. A sow has to be bred before she reaches 6 months of age because her pelvic bones fuse together after 6 months. If this happens, she will still become pregnant but she will not be able to give birth. This ultimately spells doom for your sow. For her safety, make sure that she is bred before 6 months of age.
The second step in breeding your Pigs is to introduce them. When you breed them, they will be living together for about a month. Make sure that you have a cage big enough for the two to live comfortably. When you first introduce the sow to the boar he will most likely puff up his fur and make small purring noises to her. This is normal. You should take care of them as you normally would. Always watch them to make sure they are not fighting.
How Do I know they have bred? Well you don't always know that they have bred. They have to remain together for at least a month because the window when the sow will actually allow the boar to breed with her is small. The longer they are together the more likely they are to breed. It is very rare that you will see them actually breed. The sow may start to eat more, and if she is pregnant you will notice a few weeks after breeding her that her stomach will begin to get larger. If she is in fact pregnant, the last few weeks of her pregnancy she will get very large.
What should I expect out of pregnancy? It will take around 68-72 days for the Guinea Pig to give birth. When the babies are born, they will be fully furred and should be running around within a few hours. There will most likely be only 1 or 2, however sometimes a pig can have up to 4. The sow only has 2 teats and it will be hard for her to nurse more than 2.