Guinea pigs are great pets no matter the age. But most people prefer to buy/adopt the guinea pig as a baby. It’s quite natural to think that baby will adapt easier to a new environment, cage mates, and you, of course.
The guinea pig should be a minimum of 6 weeks old when you buy it. Guinea pigs are fully weaned at this age, they have learned all necessary skills for independent living, they have stopped nursing so they are ready and mature enough to leave the nest.
Do you know actually when is the right moment to separate babies from a guinea pig mother? Do boys and girls are separated from their mother at the same time? What if the seller in the pet shop cannot tell you exact age, how to tell if the guinea pig is young and not an adult? As you need a buy a pair of guinea pigs at least, how to tell if they are boys or girls as it might happen the pet shop seller doesn’t know. their genders. Keep reading to find out.
Table of Contents
When Are Guinea Pigs Ready To Be Separated From Their Mother?
Guinea pig babies need mom’s milk for at least the first two weeks of their lives. The optimum nursing time is 3 weeks though.
Male guinea pig babies gain sexual maturity early so they should be separated from their mother at the age of 3 weeks as if not, they can start with mating behavior.
Believe it or not, in some cases, the son may get his own mother pregnant. That’s why it’s recommended to remove boys from the mother’s cage when they are 3 weeks old.
Girls can stay with their mom a little bit longer, another week, or two. Remember when you separate boys from the mother, they need to be separated from the sisters as well.
Some people are worried about mother-kids separation and weaning process but the thing is that guinea pig mom will wean the babies herself at just about 3 weeks or so. If they try to approach seeking milk, she will run away or do something else to get them off.
When you remove the boys, it’s important not to be close to their mother ( cages next to each other) as they will get over the separation faster if there is a larger physical distance between them.
How To Know If The Guinea Pig You Are Buying is Young or Not?
Unfortunately, pet shops are notorious for lack of knowledge and information about the animals they sell. Pet shops normally sell a big number of different pets and their sellers usually know only basic stuff about them.
Most pet shops don’t really care about gender ( or sellers don’t know how to recognize which guinea pig is a boy and which is a girl) so they put them all in mixed cages.
It might happen that you go home with a cute guinea pig girl that is already pregnant but you still don’t know that. Or you buy two guinea pig girls and in reality, you end up with a girl-boy couple which will become parents soon.
Another issue is age. It might happen that nobody can tell you the exact age of the guinea pig you want to buy so it’s better to learn:
How to recognize young/old guinea pig
Body – the average weight of young 3 months old guinea pigs should be around 18 ounces ( around 1 pound) and between 6 and 8 inches long. By the time they turn one, they will weigh between 24-42 ounces ( 1,5 – 2,5 pounds) and be 10-12 inches long.
Testicles in males will be visible at the age of 6 weeks. So at the moment, you buy your guinea pig, you should be able to spot who is a boy and who is a girl.
Girls do have genital areas in ”Y” shape and it’s pretty flat. Boys do have tiny penis which may not be visible unless you press very gently that sensitive area and encourage a penis to pop out.
Nails – young guinea pigs have sharp, pointy almost transparent nails while adult guinea pigs have thicker and rounder nails that become yellowish in color.
Teeth – guinea pig babies do have short but completely developed teeth that are white in color. As they grow up the teeth become yellow and stay yellow for the rest of their lives.
What Else You Need To Think Of When Buying A Guinea Pig?
If you want to buy a guinea pig baby, now you know at what age it should be when you get it.
You have also seen the basic difference between males and females and how to recognize them and avoid any complications such as unintended pregnancy. But what are other things you have to think of when buying a guinea pig?
Long-term commitment – unlike other rodents, guinea pigs have a fairly long lifespan, as they usually live 5-8 years.
Where to buy a guinea pig – pet shops are the most convenient places for this purchase + you can find almost everything you need for a guinea pig there.
But ( there is a great but ) workers in pet shops usually cannot give you much info and advice on guinea pig’s care, nutrition, behavior, etc. The cages, toys, and other things that are sold for guinea pigs in pet shops in most cases are not appropriate or they are a real rip off.
Another place to consider is the local guinea pig rescue. Here you will find enthusiasts who know a lot about guinea pigs and will not send you home with mixed-sex guinea pig pair nor you will end up with a pregnant sow. Rescues have guinea pigs of all ages so in case you would like to take an adult instead of a baby, you can do it.
Rescues also have already bonded pairs so if you are buying a pair of guinea pigs, you can get those that are already familiar with each other.
Even though you are buying only one guinea pig as you have another one at home and you would like to buy him a cage mate, people at the rescue center can help you out as they really pay special attention to the personalities and characters of their guinea pigs and they know them all very well.
The major difference between pet shops and rescue centers is that the primary concern of pet shops is a profit and the primary concern of the rescue centers is the welfare of their guinea pigs.
Think about the breed – you can have either a short-haired or long-haired- guinea pig. Note that you will have more work in the case of a long-haired guinea pig in terms of grooming. If you are taking a guinea pig from a rescue you might end up with a crossbreed guinea pig.
Decide whether you get girls of boys – boys are more territorial so in case you have two boys, the fight may occur on regular basis. It’s not uncommon to keep to male guinea pigs and even they can live in harmony. That is why it’s better to take already bonded boys from a rescue.
Girls are a different story, they are not fighting so often but the best is to keep three bonded girls. Of course, a pair of matching females is also a good combination. Mixed-sex pair you can keep, but make sure the male is neutered.
Is the guinea pig you want to buy a healthy one – you should think about this one, especially if you buy the guinea pig in the pet shop. Ask the seller to hold the guinea pig, search for any bites, scratches, bald patches.
The coat should be nice and shiny, the eyes should be bright, with no crusts. The nose should be dry without any discharge. Look at the nails, they shouldn’t be too long, check the footpads ( should be nice without abrasions).
Look how the guinea pig is moving, is it normal or you think that he/she is experiencing some difficulties. The guinea pig’s breathing should be smooth and steady.
Conclusion
If you prefer to have a baby guinea pig, make sure he /she is at least 6 weeks old when you get it. Until that time, no matter the gender, the young guinea pig is fully weaned and mature for independent life.
It’s very clear when you read it but when you come to the pet shop you might be facing the worker who doesn’t know the age of the guinea pig you want to buy. Then you have to know how to recognize if potentially your guinea pig is a young one( baby ) or an adult.
Another very important characteristic is to learn how to spot if the guinea pig you want to buy is a boy or a girl.
