While the average litter includes 3 or 4 babies as many as 13 babies is not unheard of especially with domesticated guinea pigs. Though pups nurse for nutrition they can also eat solid food as soon as they are born.
Temperatures above 26C can cause heat stroke.
How long can a guinea pig live up to. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is more precise. They say guinea pig life span is five to six years but some may live longer This variance can be due to the wide range of genetic and environmental circumstances that individual guinea pigs face. The average guinea pig lifespan is between five to eight years though particularly pampered and healthy animals can reach ten years or more.
This is much longer than other small mammal pets like. Most guinea pigs will live between 4-8 years. However this depends on quite a few factors and circumstances.
Illness can shorten that lifespan considerably but timely and proper care can address most health issues. A guinea pigs lifestyle will also affect how long it lives. Guinea pigs live an average of five to seven years.
This lifespan is longer than many other small pets such as hamsters gerbils mice or rats all of whom only live up to a few years. If your life is in transition a guinea pig may be more portable than a dog or a cat. Guinea pigs can live five to seven years and can become bored and depressed without adequate stimulation.
Imagine spending your whole life in a walk-in closet. Protecting from draughtstemperature extremes. Theyre sensitive to temperature changes.
Temperatures above 26C can cause heat stroke. Below 15C can cause them to become chilled. Outdoor accommodation sheltered from direct sunprevailing wind direction.
In temperatures below 15C they should be housed indoors. Otherwise they need sufficient bedding throughout the whole enclosure to. Guinea pigs dont usually have one long sleep at night but they still need to take naps throughout the day and night.
Theyll need to be able to choose when to go to bed and when to be active. Their exercise or run area should be least 2m x 1m but again the bigger the better. Ideally this should be a grassy area without too much mud and no standing water.
You may need to move their run or exercise area. The guinea pig gestation period is 59 to 72 days. The litter size ranges from 1 to 8 pups but a litter of 2 to 4 is more common.
A female can give birth to up to 5 litters per year. When you pair up a young guinea pig with any other guinea pig young or old there is a chance that as the younger guinea pig goes through its adolescent period 3-5 months they will challenge the other guinea pig for top guinea pig position. This can lead to some fighting.
Most of the time they figure it out for themselves. Occasionally the fighting is extreme and they must be permanently separated. Again remember this can happen with ANY guinea pig.
Divide into hour or half hour play periods that work with your scheduling totaling two hours a day. If you live with family roommates or a significant other you can try asking them to spend time. Guinea pigs can live up to 14 years in human care but live an average of 8 years.
Female guinea pigs that reproduce have shortened lifespans and tend to live approximately 35 years. This shortened lifespan is caused by the stiffening of a joint called the symphysis which is located between the guinea pigs two pelvic bones. Pregnancy causes this stiffening and results in an inability to.
Three boars regardless of whether theyre related although they often start off fine one guinea pig is likely to be badly bullied A boar with a male piglet below 20 weeks. Although the mix may work at first when the piglet matures it will compete for dominancy resulting in. Guinea pigs living indoors can see humans as important companions.
If your guinea pig has to be kept alone you must provide companionship by interacting with them daily. Guinea pigs can develop abnormal behaviour and may suffer if left without company and nothing to do for long periods. Places to escape from companions if they want to.
Provide enough resources eg. Shelterfoodwaterhiding places for all guinea pigs at all times. Guinea pigs are naturally sociable preferring other guinea.
While the average litter includes 3 or 4 babies as many as 13 babies is not unheard of especially with domesticated guinea pigs. Though pups nurse for nutrition they can also eat solid food as soon as they are born. At three weeks the babies are weaned and they are fully mature in two to three months.
Guinea pigs can live for up to ten years. Behaviour In the wild guinea pigs live in large social groups. It is unkind to keep one guinea pig on its own.
However two adult guinea pigs that dont know each other may fight. It is best to choose two young litter mates of the same sex. We do not recommend that guinea pigs and rabbits be housed together.
Handling Approach the guinea pig from the. These are very common in unneutered female guinea pigs with one study finding them present in over 75 of female guinea pigs between the age of 15 and 5. The most important part of treatment is to prevent the little pests from coming back.
Regardless of whether they are showing symptoms all guinea pigs in the household should be treated. Parasites can lay dormant for a long time. A guinea pig may have picked them up some time ago but wont show symptoms until she is weakened in some way.
Very young or old guinea pigs and those that are sick or pregnant will. And can a guinea pig live alone. There have been many stories of owners having mixed unneutered genders and ending up with so many guinea pigs they simply cant cope.
Always make sure you get your guinea pigs correctly sexed and dont be afraid to ask for a second opinion to make sure. Pet shops regularly get this wrong resulting in numerous baby guinea pigs being brought into rescue. Guinea pigs are sociable pocket pets are easily tamed and can live for up to ten years.
Their friendly nature makes them fantastic pets. Theyre also very intelligent. Guinea pigs are happiest when kept with other guinea pigs.
However if you do keep males and females together make sure both animals are the same sex or at least one gender has been desexed.