New baby

Question
I have a new baby 3days old. I am not sure yet what sex it is but i think it could be male. i would like to put it with my other male when the time comes he is 12 weeks old but am worried that they might fight and the baby get harmed. The mother is also 12 weeks old brought as a male pair! should i get her a new friend on the day i move her baby. I have brought a cage with a run beneath for mom and baby and my male goes in a run right next to them.

Answer
Hello Lynn,

You may get mom a friend if you like or you may just keep her near the boys so she can communicate with them and she should be fine. As for your baby boy, he should be fine with your male since he will still be a baby when put with the original male. I'll send you a link that may help with gender identification. You may start introducing your baby to your male anytime now (my boars always met their pups the day they were born). The young male will likely adore your new pup (most piggies love babies) and love spending time playing with him. Just don't keep baby away from mom too long. I think it's likely they are a bit older than tweleve weeks since piggies are generally pregnant for 10 weeks and females are not generally able to reproduce until at least 4 weeks (usually later). I'm assuming they came from a pet store as genders and rescues rarely misidentify gender and often the ages they tell you are a bit off. But I suppose it really doesn't matter, they are most likely way too young to be breeding anyway. Keep an eye on mom until the pup is weaned. She'll still be at risk for pregnancy toxemia until then. With her young age, and probably small size, this will be a special concern in her case. Making sure she gets plenty of healthy stuff to eat will help prevent it. You probably know most of this already, but I wanted to make sure I mentioned it, just in case. It sounds like everyone is doing well and I hope I've answered your questions and possibly given you some helpful information. Congratulations on your new pup and good luck! It seems they have all found a great home with you.

http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm

-kkat
http://www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs