Guinea Pig male pregnant

Question

Gender  

Belly   About two weeks ago I got a super cute guinea pig. When I got it it was mixed in with all it's siblings and the people working at the store didn't know how to tell guinea pigs' genders. So I brought my new little friend home and used the internet to find out what gender it was now I'm about 90% sure it's a he but then he stared to get a pretty big belly. I looked up what the symtoms are for bloating but he didn't have any. So I looked up the symtoms for being pregnant and he has them all. Also I was wondering is he mated with one of his siblings will the offspring be all disordered. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON!

Answer

A champion Peruvian   Well first let me assure you he is not pregnant. His big belly may be just from getting a constant supply of good food. He is 100% male as is evident by the already mature testicles.

If he did mate with a sister the babies will not be born deformed. That kind of line breeding and inbreeding is occasionally done by experienced breeders when they are trying to develop a new variety (color) or set particular genetic traits. It's not done over and over again you understand, but when crossing a brother and sister any bad traits or coat faults will express themselves and be exposed in their babies.

So stop worrying, you don't have the 'first male mammal to give birth.' Although Sea Horses are said to be born of the father that's not exactly true. The mother and father mate, the mother begins developing the eggs and at a certain stage she passes them into the father's pouch where they incubate until they hatch. Thus giving the appearance that the male 'gave birth.'  

Your pig is not a youngster. He's probably a couple of years old. He has fully developed testicles and as the boars get older they often take on a pot belly look (just like many old men). I suspect that's why you see his belly getting larger. He's just taking on the shape of a senior boar. That's doesn't mean he's not perfectly healthy. He's just changing shape a bit, that's all.

He's very cute and from his color I can tell you he is called a TSW which stands for Tortoise Shell and white.  They are black, red and white in coloring.  That's called his "variety".  He also appears to be a Peruvian (that's the breed). They have long hair that grows in many directions. When the hair is very long and in what we call "show coat" that hair will comb out to eight or ten inches long.

I've attached a picture of a champion show Peruvian that is a TSW. He has the beautiful clear patching of color that makes him so special. And of course the long perfect coat.