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Hi i'm new to breeding & want know what age my guinea pigs should
mate. My female guinea pig marley is 3 months old & my male barney is 2.
mate. My female guinea pig marley is 3 months old & my male barney is 2.
Breeding
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Your best bet is to go back to the breeder you got your quality breeding stock from and ask them what they suggest. They can also act as your mentor should the one of the very many breeding complications occur and you need help. If you do not have quality stock from a reputable COE breeder, then you should never breed these 2 no matter what the age.
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well because the shelters close to me are dogs & cats only.
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so you're going to have one litter of babies and keep them all and seperate the males and females after that?
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well no not all the babies but yes i will separate them.
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What are you going to do with the others? And whereabouts are you located? You don't have to give the exact location, but a roundabout area would be nice.
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Australia & i'll keep a couple from each litter & my cousins want 1 each
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i dont think you should even risk the the health and life of your guinea pigs... if they arent show quality (are there shows for guinea pigs?) and you just wanna breed them to breed them, dont you think thats kinda selfish? i mean, i doubt they wanna have babies, maybe you shouldnt make them
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I agree. If it isn't necessary, it's not worth putting your female piggy's life at risk. I have a friend that was supposed to get a baby pig from a litter born to her friend's pig. When the time came, all the babies died, as well as the mother. Eventually, she ended up getting one from a pet store. If I hadn't taken in my sister's guinea pig (because she didn't want him anymore) I would have gone to a shelter.
The decision is yours, of course, but please think it through. Don't rush into it, or you might have regrets later. I'm sure you want the best for your little ones!
The decision is yours, of course, but please think it through. Don't rush into it, or you might have regrets later. I'm sure you want the best for your little ones!
I have a feeling your mind is set regardless of what is said here, but your reasons for breeding are wrong and selfish. I just hope that your GPs don't die in the process. I sure hope you have a breeder to mentor you. I know I am not the only member here who fears the upcoming 'emergancy' posts.
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Why don't you just buy some more? Or check newpapers ads for some. I'm sure you can probably find some "free to a good home" in there. There are just so many things that can go wrong.... How old are female guinea pigs when their pelvic bones fuse, does anybody know?
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Have you fully researched the subject? It might help to check out sites like Cavyspirit.com & read the section on breeding. Warning - some of the stories are upsetting, but are very real. I don't want to come on too strong, but keep in mind that even when people say they will take one of the babies, they may not when the time comes. All too often, the animal is dumped because the owner didn't want to or wasn't capable of taking care of it. If they really wanted a guinea pig, why don't they have one already? You will end up with all the responsibility and no help. That won't be best for you or the pigs. Did you know that some types of pigs should not be mated? If they are, they can produced "lethal" results - babies with small or missing eyes, internal problems that cause pain, deformities, etc. Can you handle that if it happens?
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Here are some rescue groups to check out that are in Australia.
This one is in Sydney- http://www.geocities.com/sydneyguineapigrescue/
This one is also in Sydney (Sutherland Shire, Sydney)- http://www.thecarerescue.org/contactus.html
I don't know if you live in Sydney or near Sydney, but just a thought... I'm sure if you're near, they'll consider meeting you halfway.
This one is in Sydney- http://www.geocities.com/sydneyguineapigrescue/
This one is also in Sydney (Sutherland Shire, Sydney)- http://www.thecarerescue.org/contactus.html
I don't know if you live in Sydney or near Sydney, but just a thought... I'm sure if you're near, they'll consider meeting you halfway.
Where did you get these guinea pigs from? What do you know about their background, genetically? Genetic diseases, etc? How many generations does their pedigree go back? And how many shows have they competed in and won?
If you can't answer these questions, you are not ready to breed your pets. How would you feel if, due to genetic diseases, the babies were all born ill, or dead? What if your sow died in labour? I know that it is harsh, but if you are breeding BYB or petstore piggies, it is highly likely.
Also, do your cousins already own pigs? If not, how much research have they done? How much money do they have saved up for vet visits... which are almost inevitable if the pair that you are breeding are from a petstore, BYB, or anywhere other than a breeder that gave you SHOW quality pigs, not pet quality pigs. If they don't own pigs, they can't have one each. As I'm sure you know, guinea pigs, with very rare exceptions, NEED companionship in order to thrive. Personally, I feel that it is cruel to keep them alone.
Please, PLEASE leave breeding to the people who know what they are doing, who have studied genetics and have good show line pigs and only breed healthy guinea pigs. Just because your pets look healthy doesn't mean that they don't have an underlying health problem that may be passed on to the babies, and I am sure that you don't want that to happen. I am also sure that if your cousins want guinea pigs enough, they will be able to find a rescue that has guinea pigs. Some rescue centres would be happy to arrange transport if they feel that the piggies will be going to good forever homes.
Also, please don't be offended by this post, or any others. I am very passionate about rescuing, and write this only to educate... why breed and buy while shelter animals die?
If you can't answer these questions, you are not ready to breed your pets. How would you feel if, due to genetic diseases, the babies were all born ill, or dead? What if your sow died in labour? I know that it is harsh, but if you are breeding BYB or petstore piggies, it is highly likely.
Also, do your cousins already own pigs? If not, how much research have they done? How much money do they have saved up for vet visits... which are almost inevitable if the pair that you are breeding are from a petstore, BYB, or anywhere other than a breeder that gave you SHOW quality pigs, not pet quality pigs. If they don't own pigs, they can't have one each. As I'm sure you know, guinea pigs, with very rare exceptions, NEED companionship in order to thrive. Personally, I feel that it is cruel to keep them alone.
Please, PLEASE leave breeding to the people who know what they are doing, who have studied genetics and have good show line pigs and only breed healthy guinea pigs. Just because your pets look healthy doesn't mean that they don't have an underlying health problem that may be passed on to the babies, and I am sure that you don't want that to happen. I am also sure that if your cousins want guinea pigs enough, they will be able to find a rescue that has guinea pigs. Some rescue centres would be happy to arrange transport if they feel that the piggies will be going to good forever homes.
Also, please don't be offended by this post, or any others. I am very passionate about rescuing, and write this only to educate... why breed and buy while shelter animals die?
Sorry, then... however, I still don't see my post as an attack, nor in any way belittling.
Oh, by the way, ran out of edit time... if you are intent on rearing babies, or getting babies to rehome... how about fostering/adopting a pregnant sow?
Oh, and how come I got an email through saying that someone had posted a reply (the post said something about how a litter and the mother died) but I can't see it on here?
Oh, by the way, ran out of edit time... if you are intent on rearing babies, or getting babies to rehome... how about fostering/adopting a pregnant sow?
Oh, and how come I got an email through saying that someone had posted a reply (the post said something about how a litter and the mother died) but I can't see it on here?
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