Often when we adopt a guinea pig, we wonder how old it is. When they are pups, it is normal to estimate their age based on size and weight. However, when they reach their adult weight and stop growing, calculating the approximate age of our little companion can become a complicated task.
If you're wondering how to tell how old my guinea pig is, keep reading this article on our site to find out how old a guinea pig is baby, adult and how long it takes to grow a guinea pig.
How to know the age of a baby guinea pig?
The first thing you should know is that the gestation of guinea pigs is relatively long, specifically between 58 and 75 days. The fact that gestation is longer than in other rodents (such as hamsters, mice or rats) means that the young are born highly developed, with hair, eyes and ears open and the final teeth erupted. In short, they have the same characteristics as an adult specimen, but in a reduced size. Therefore, the main parameters that we can measure to estimate the age of our guinea pig are size and weight
To measure the size of your guinea pig, place it on a flat surface and place a tape measure next to it, parallel to its body. You should take the measurement from the tip of his nose to the back. If your guinea pig moves too much and makes it difficult for you to take an exact measurement, don't worry, a rough idea will suffice. To weigh it you can use a kitchen scale and place a container on top to put your guinea pig in and prevent it from moving excessively during weighing. Do not forget to tare the scale before placing your guinea pig on it, otherwise you will be overestimating its weight.
Below, we provide you with a guide to know how to calculate the age of a guinea pig based on its size and weight:
Size: Unlike what happens with weight, the measurements of male and female guinea pigs are similar throughout their lives, so you can take these measurements as a reference regardless of gender.
- At birth they usually measure around 8-10 cm
- At weaning, which usually occurs at two or three weeks of age, they reach 13-15cm
- At 8 weeks measure between 15-18 cm
- At 18 weeks (4 and a half months) they measure between 18-23 cm
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At 14 months, the age at which they approximately stop growing, they reach a size of 23-27 cm
Weight: is similar in females and males up to 15 months of age. From then on, males will weigh significantly more than females (about 20-25% more).
- Weight at birth usually ranges between 70 and 120 grams
- At weaning, at two or three weeks of age, they reach 150-200 grams
- Between 4 - 8 weeks of life weigh between 200-400 grams
- At 18 weeks (4 and a half months) they weigh between 600-900 grams
- At 15 months there are already differences between females and males, so that, at this age,females weigh between 700-900 grams and malesthey weigh between 900-1200 grams This will be the weight they should maintain for the rest of their lives, although it is important to keep in mind that guinea pigs females can double their weight during pregnancy.
How to know the age of an adult guinea pig?
Once guinea pigs stop growing and reach their adult weight at around 14-15 months of age, size and weight are no longer useful parameters for estimating their age. Therefore, determining the age of an adult can be an almost impossible task
The signs of aging can guide us as to whether our guinea pig is more or less old. In this sense, when we observe signs such as arthritis, cataracts or loss of shine in the hair, we can intuit that it is an individual of between 5 and 8 years of age However, we must bear in mind that the rate of aging may vary between individuals, especially depending on the care they have received throughout their lives.
So, if your guinea pig has reached adult weight but shows no signs of aging, it probably hasbetween 2 and 5 years old , while if you can see any signs of aging, it is probably between 5 and 8 years old. In any case, you must remember that the most important thing is that, regardless of the age of your guinea pig, you provide the best care for your guinea pig throughout its life.
How long does it take for a guinea pig to grow?
Guinea pigs are animals with a very fast growth As we have seen, they are born with about 8-10 cm in length and in just 8 weeks they double the size with which they were born. During these first weeks of life they gain up to 50 grams a week. From this point on, growth slows down, although they continue to increase in weight and size progressively until they reach 14-15 months of age Thereafter, their growth ceases and they are considered adults.
Once they stop growing, it is necessary to ensure that their weight remains stable, since they are animals with a great tendency to obesity. For this reason, it is important to monitor its weight on a weekly basis and provide it with a balanced diet that combines feed and forage in an adequate proportion. Remember that an excess of feed can not only lead to overweight problems, but can also cause dysbiosis and dental pathologies.
How long does a guinea pig live? The life expectancy of guinea pigs ranges between 5 and 8 years of age, although occasional cases of much longer-lived animals have been documented.
