babies colours

Question
I was wondering, if i breed my jet black and white male guinea pig to a calico female guinea pig do you know what the colours of there babies would be. And another question, do you personally think it is safe for a person to breed there guinea pig or is it very risky.
mariya

Answer
Hello Mariya,

Assuming your pigs are both pure for their colors (which they likely are not), they'd all look like dad. However, it's unlikely either is pure for their colors (most piggies are not), so it's difficult to say without knowing their family histories and a few generations worth of colorations. Dad's black and white pattern is dominant over Mom's TortoiseShell and White pattern though. I'll send you a link to a simple genetics site that may help you out if you do know the parents of your pigs.

http://pipsqueakcaviary.freeservers.com/custom4.html

As for breeding, I don't recommend it for pet owners. The risks are very great even with the best care. Breeding any animal is a HUGE commitment. You need to take the time to read and know everything about Guinea Pigs before breeding and not just things related to breeding. You need to know the backgrounds of the pigs you choose to breed and they themselves need to be in top condition and perfect health before breeding. The breeder needs to have plans and goals behind his or her breeding other than just creating new pigs. A breeder should also have a large network of cavy friends they can turn to in an emergency for advice and a cavy knowledgable vet who will be there in an emergency. It's alot of work and breeding will mean dealing with quite a bit more death than the average pet owner. It can be very heartbreaking and is not for someone who is just interested in having more pigs or watching the miracle of birth. If you are truly interested in breeding and are willing to do your very best at it and do your very best for your pigs and their children, read ALOT before doing anything. I'll send you a few links to get you started. Please check them out, and look for many more on your own. I personally stopped breeding for a good many reasons one of the main ones being because I decided that enough piggies die from things I can't control or prevent and I always blame myself and I would not take it well at all if my piggies died not only from something I could prevent, but actually had a hand in causing. Good luck with whatever you decide is right for you and your piggies. If you have any other questions, I will be glad to help in anyway I can.

http://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html

http://cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm

http://www.diddly-di.fsnet.co.uk/breeding.htm

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/2517/pregnant.htm

http://www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs/breeding.html

http://www.lienanimal.com/z_guineapreg.pdf

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/pets/guinea-pig-faq/section-8.html

-kkat