Breeding age

Question
Hello

At what age can guinea pigs breed? I got a gp from a pet store a few days ago and felt its belly kicking and noticed that it is very round in the back, she is rather small but bigger then my other five week old gp so she must be around three months. Will she and the babys survive? How long should she have to rest between litters?

Answer
Hello.

The best age for a guinea pig to breed is about 5 months of age to about a year old. There's a pretty good chance that she will be okay if she is pregnant (my first guinea pig came to me pregnant at about that age, from the pet store of course). There is always a chance in pigs though, that the mom or her babies won't survive. It's just one of those things that you never know. If you are planning on breeding her, i would just like to let you know about how things can get out of control. I am a person who doesn't believe in breeding, because they are already so many pigs out there that lie in rescues, or in animal shelters waiting to die because there are not the first animal of choice. Many people don't realize the dangers of breeding, or how a simple thing like wanting to have baby pigs can go wrong.

I just want you to be ready. Let say that your guinea pig has 4-5 babies. Are you ready to seperate the males from the females at 3 weeks of age. (you don't want the brothers impregnating his mom or sisters. It's WAY too early for the mom to become pregnant again, and WAY too young for the sisters as well). What if, none of your guinea pigs get along. It does happen, just because they come from the same litter does NOT mean they will get along. Are you prepared to make 4-5 maybe 6 new cages. If guinea pigs don't get along, they need to be seperated RIGHT away or they could fight till one is dead, and no body wants that. It's just a tough thing and i've seen all too many times, people dropping off their pigs at shelters (which most of the time kill the pigs because they stay there too long) or a pet stores, where proper care is FAR from given, because things have gotten out of control. I would just like you to consider this.

I would wait a few months between the time of birth, till you would want her pregnant again. Just remember each time is riskier than the next. Make sure your need for babies outweighs the risk that she may die if you breed her too much.

Hope this helps.
Christy