How to know if a guinea pig is male or female? Without a doubt, this is one of the first questions that arise when we decide to adopt to an animal like this, especially if we already live with a specimen and want to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Guinea pigs, also known as whose or guinea pigs, reach sexual maturity very quickly and are immediately receptive to mating, so a timely separation is more than convenient. In this sense, it is also worth taking into account the option of sterilizing the animal.
Keep reading and discover in this article on our site the main differences between male and female guinea pigs to learn how to identify the sex of the yours.
At what age can you tell if a guinea pig is male or female?
Distinguishing a male guinea pig from a female is not a task that can be done as soon as the animal is born due to the small size of its body, so it is essential to wait some time before proceeding to examine its genitalia. In general, After two weeks of life, which is when weaning also usually occurs, we can already see differences between the sexes with the naked eye. However, being still very small, it should be noted that an erroneous conclusion is usually common when one is not an expert, since not all animals develop equally or at the same time. Even the people who are dedicated to its care and upbringing can make mistakes when making an early identification, so if you have just adopted a baby guinea pig and you are not sure of its sex, the best thing to do is go See a vet for this, especially if you already live with an adult female guinea pig and want to avoid a possible pregnancy.
When do they reach sexual maturity?
Females usually reach sexual maturity between three and five weeks of age, while males may take one or two more weeks, being the common average between the four and the six weeks after birth. However, the fact that they have reached sexual maturity and, therefore, their genitalia are developed, does not mean that it is advisable to reproduce them at this time. Experts recommend waiting until males are around two months old and females five months old to breed.
How to hold a guinea pig correctly?
To proceed to identify whether a guinea pig is male or female, we must pick it up very carefully and place it on its back, always ensuring that it is comfortable, relaxed and safe. We will never force the animal to be in an uncomfortable position for it, since we would generate a state of stress and cause it to relate our presence to negative situations and stimuli. Thus, the first thing we have to learn is to deal with our new partner and to catch him correctly. To do this, the ideal is to get the animal used to contact from the first moment, letting it smell our hands, lean on them and even climb on top. During the first encounters, we will not try to lift the animal or pressure it, we will simply limit ourselves to gain its trust.
During the process, we will associate our presence and human contact with positive stimuli, such as your favorite foodLikewise, as the animal gets used to it, we can begin to caress it, lightly pick it up by resting a hand on its posterior region and, little by little, lift it with our hands, maintaining its safe position. Once we have gained their trust and the guinea pig feels completely safe in our hands and arms, how do we put it on its back to examine the genitals?
To observe the intimate area of the animal we will not turn it completely over, leaving its back resting on our lap, but we will adopt a rather vertical posture with a diagonal tendency. In this way, perhaps the most appropriate thing will be to have the help of another person to see carefully if the guinea pig is male or female. On the other hand, we will never take the guinea pig by the neck or the armpits. So, you may ask, how do we put up with it? With one hand, we will take the rear region, while with the other we will hold the upper part, placing the front legs inside the hand, and not outside.
How do I know if my guinea pig is male?
If you haven't been able to find anyone to help you identify whether your guinea pig is male or female, follow the instructions above to pick up the animal, but place it in front of you so that it is easier for you to see it. If you notice that lifting him gets nervous, it is best that you be the one to get up to his height, placing him on the sofa for example. Once you have found the right position for both of you, you should proceed to examine their genitals.
All guinea pigs, both male and female, have "Y" shaped breasts and genitals However, males tend to to have like a dot above, or little bump, showing something more like an "i". This point is nothing other than the penis, and to be completely sure that it is, we can press lightly with the thumb on the reproductive system. By doing so, the penis tends to come out easily to show itself clearly.
From approximately two months of age, the testicles can also be seen, a fact that further evidences their gender.
How do I know if my guinea pig is female?
Females, unlike males, only show a "Y" on their genitalia In this way, when performing the exercise previous pressure test, we see how no change develops in its reproductive system, thus confirming that it is a female guinea pig.
As we said in the previous section, both sexes have breasts, so this is not a differentiating feature or characteristic of females. Therefore, if you observe them, you should not assume that your guinea pig is a female.
When to separate a male from a female guinea pig?
To avoid unwanted pregnancies, since guinea pigs are very precocious and premature animals, it is best to separate them once they are weaned, that is, from the two or three weeks old This is so because some specimens tend to develop before the months indicated above and, therefore, to be receptive for reproduction.
Now that you know how to tell the difference between a male guinea pig and a female guinea pig and when to separate them, don't forget to consult all our articles about guinea pigs to offer your little friend the best care! Some of them are:
- Basic care of a guinea pig
- Guinea pig feeding according to its age
