Should I Breed My Guinea Pig?

If you are considering guinea breeding then you are in for a wild ride. The breeding process itself is pretty easy to accomplish. Rearing them is also fairly easy and an interesting thing to do. Having pups around can be fun for you and just as in with any animal babies (including humans), it can also be frustrating at time.

The most important thing you must consider before deciding to breed a guinea pig is whether or not you will have a suitable home for the pups once all is said and done. If you can't answer this with a definitive, "yes I know where the pups are going," then you shouldn't do any guinea breeding.

Once you have this figured out, here are a few steps that will help you through the process:

1. While sows (female guinea pigs) can breed as young as 5 weeks old, make sure she is at least 3 months old before you attempt to breed her. At the same time, keep in mind that once a female reaches 6 months old, the pelvic bones fuse together and while she can still get pregnant, she can no longer birth the pups. So, breeding a sow with a boar at 3 - 4 months of age is the window you want. 
2. You will want to have the ability to keep the sow and the boar together for at least a couple of weeks once you decide to breed. You will most likely not see the breeding taking place, so there is no way to know for sure whether it has happened or not. However, one thing you can do is pay attention to the sow. When she is in that time of the cycle, her spine will curve. This is a natural process that allows the hind-end to elevate, making breeding easier. 
3. If guinea breeding has been successful, gestation will last for approximately 68 days and you will notice your sow getting bigger all the time. A litter can consist of anywhere between 1 and 6 pups, with the normal litter having only 2 or 3. At birth, the pups will be covered with fur and will be mobile and running around the cage within a couple of hours. Allow the mother and pups to bond and make sure they are feeding.

If you keep this guinea pig breeding information in mind then you will enjoy your new pups and be very excited to be providing them with wonderful homes. Keep in mind that as with most things in life, you must be patient through this entire process and be ready to get frustrated at times and to have fun at others.