[pickle_mob]

ok, so last month i took in two guinea pigs from a friend of mine who could not keep them any longer. these are my first guinea pigs, ive researched there care but i now have a major problem, maybe. so the girl i got them from said they were both female, but one of them is like twice the size of the other one. she said that the little one was a runt and thats what was causing the size difference. she also said she has had them for 6 months. when i got them they were in a reg. store bought guinea pig cage that was super tiny so i built them a bigger temporary one. yesterday i added on another part of there cage, its about 6ft long and 2ft across and just now ive noticed the bigger one mounting the smaller one and making the purring noise. i know that sometimes the girls do this to each other to display dominance but im also very worried the girl i got them from lied to me somehow. since i just got them they arent really liking the idea of me picking them up to check their sexes just yet. is it at all possible that a male and female guinea pig could of been kept together for 6 months without mating? like maybe since they were in a small cage they were able to get in the mood. and does anyone have any tips on how to get them to let me pick them up so i can try to sex them?im sorry if this is a really dumb question but im throughly worried about this, thanks in advance.

 

[Jennicat]

Go ahead to pick them up and sex them. Guinea pigs are typically shy and even after years of socialization they may be nervous of being picked up and handled. It is possible for two pigs of opposite sex to stay together for several months without pregnancy happening, but it's a roulette wheel and it's not usual.

 

[pickle_mob]

ok, ill try that. also is it weird to have one so small compared to the other one if they are both females?

 

[pickle_mob]

also could the boy be "in the mood" when the girl isnt, because if the one i suspect is a boy my girl is having none of it. and also what do i do if they are opposite sexes, i obviously cant leave them in the same cage..

 

[Jennicat]

It's not unusual for pigs to be different sizes (there are some natural variances) and it may be that one is younger and naturally smaller and the other is older and naturally bigger. The males aren't necessarily always bigger, so the just the size difference wouldn't concern me about their sexes.

Yes, the males will attempt to mate when the females aren't in heat. But female pigs go into heat every 2 weeks or so and when they're in heat they can also rumble and mount other females, just like a male.

http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm
^^^ that's a great website with pictures of all age groups to help with sexing.

 

[pickle_mob]

http://orangecounty.ebayclassifieds...ig-cherry-tara-small-young-female/?ad=3677296

my pigs look like that size wise, and only the bigger one is making the purring noise, the other one just runs away from him/her. ive been trying to catch the bigger one for the longest, do you have any ideas on how to get him/her to let me pick her up? and will they get scared when i turn them over to sex them?

 

[Jennicat]

Put a hidey house in the cage and when they run into it stick your hand in there and snag one.

They will be scared, but it needs to be done!

 

[pickle_mob]

aww okay, if he/she bites me she wont latch on right? im just remembering my friend, she had a hamster bite her and it wouldnt let go.

 

[Jennicat]

Guinea pigs will very very rarely bite. I've rescued guinea pigs for 5 years and have handled over 500 of them and I've only been bitten once and it was when I stuck my hand in the middle of a fight.

They have occasionally nibbled me, but as a general rule they don't tend to bite in defense like a hamster or a rat.

 

[pickle_mob]

okay thank you =] the guinea pig in question has already nibbled me but i think it was a nice to meet you kinda nibble.

 

[tiger]

Do you find that the pig that purrs does it while walking, or while being mounted? There is a term, rumblestrutting, that is commonly used to describe a guinea pig that is trying to display dominance over the other. It's not necessarily harmful unless fighting ensues.

Sorry, I know you two have had a dialogue going but I just thought I'd add in my $0.02

 

[pickle_mob]

it does whenever the other is close by, she will walk up to the other purr and shake her butt and then try to mount the other after smelling the tail end. but the other just runs away. but they stopped doing this about 2 days ago, so im not really sure what it was. i was able to scoop the one i suspect is a male and it looks female but im still not sure