How often do guinea pigs go into heat and what are the signs?

It is typical for female pigs to be very grouchy when they are in heat, and because pigs go into every 21 days, this will be a behavior you have to deal with frequently. Penelope will get worse as she gets bigger, and you may see behaviors such as chasing people or other animals in the home, humping inanimate object, excessive rooting, snapping, biting, and charging. There's not much you can do to make Penelope comfortable, as the hormonal behaviors often overtake any training you do with her. The best solution is to have her spayed as soon as possible.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. Poor Pinky. You can see a swollen vulva when in heat, but she is still quite young. Typically guinea pigs do not become sexually mature until they are two months of age, and she is still younger than that. That makes me wonder if there is something else going on with her, and the lethargy also points to a possible illness. If her vulva is swollen, she could have an infection like a UTI. I'd take her into the vet first thing tomorrow for a health check. I hope this helps!

I didn't see that you mentioned how old Lilypad is, but this could be a sign of a medical problem. Cystic ovaries are very common in guinea pigs, and their presence can result in behavior changes. Additionally, other medical problems, such as urinary issues, can also result in urine spraying/urinating more frequently than normal. I would recommend having Lilypad examined by a veterinarian. They can perform a thorough examination, and may recommend radiographs (x-rays) or a ultrasound depending on what is found. From there, they can make recommendations for treatments. I hope that gives you a place to start, and I hope that your sweet guinea pig feels better soon!

Well, guinea pigs gestation period is about 65 days, and of course she has to have some contact with a male. In the past, I have been able to tell if they are pregnant by palpation. Also, if you gingerly placer your hands on either side of her belly you may be able to feel moving piglets. If she is an adult and has never had a litter please take her to see a veterinarian. Female guinea pigs can have a very tough tough me delivering if their pelvis has matured completely. Good luck to you and Rosey.

If they have been together for a month, it certainly is possible that Candy is pregnant. The good news is that it's better for guinea pigs to get pregnant when they are young like five or six months of age; in fact, if you plan to mate guinea pigs, it should be done before the female is eight months of age. This is because that is the time when their pubic symphysis is open to allow normal delivery of the guinea pig pups. After eight months of age, it fuses and they should not be mated at that time. Candy and the male will have to be separated when she gives birth to the pups, as the male should not be in the cage with them all. You will also have to separate any male guinea pig pups from the mother by three weeks of age because this is when they reach sexual maturity. They will mate with their mother. In addition, the father guinea pig should not be around the female guinea pig pups because they reach sexual maturity at four weeks of age, and he will mate with them. I would start saving money to get a new cage for the male so you can move him as soon as possible, and save money to get him neutered. If Candy is pregnant, you will need to have cages for the pups as well once they are old enough to be separated from their mother so they don't mate with their parents or each other. I would take Candy into the vet to confirm if she is pregnant or not. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Thanks for reaching out about Frida. Guinea pigs are induced ovulators and therefore have prolonged ovulations. But, incidence of ovarian and uterine disease is relatively low, compared to other rodents. Spaying guinea pigs is possible but not recommended unless needed. Ovarian cysts are the most common reproductive disease in guinea pigs, unusually manifest as hair loss and possible bleeding from the vulva. At that time they can be spayed. Good luck.

Thanks for your questions about your guinea pigs. The behavior you are describing sounds like breeding behavior. You are correct in that there is a lot of overlap between annoyance and breeding sounds. With them being so young, that can contribute to the confusion. They don’t quite know what they are doing either. I saw that you don’t necessarily want babies - the ages that your guinea pigs are now may lead to babies in the next couple of months. They are sexually mature by 4 months. You are correct that sometimes females will have difficult births - this most often happens when they are older than 6 months when they are bred and it is due to their pelvic bones becoming fused and inflexible. I hope that helps to answer your questions, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.