Breeding Guinea Pigs

Most people choose not to breed simply because they don’t have the room for the extra piggies. Others realize that they don’t have the time, or money, to keep the little puppies.

Make sure there aren’t too many guinea pig breeders in your area! If there are too many, there’s going a lot of competition, and you’re not going to be able to sell your guinea pigs as well.

You need to be sure that you have enough knowledge to talk clearly about guinea pigs with the potential buyers, and explain exactly what they need to do with their guinea pigs. You also should have a list to give them on what their guinea pig can and cannot eat, because no one likes their guinea pigs to be poisoned!

Hundreds, if not thousands, of guinea pigs die each year because their owners are unable to take care of them, or let them breed excessively.  It’s good to have a family or families in mind that will want your puppies before you breed your guinea pigs, because then you know they’re going to a good, solid home.

The Mating

The female should be four to six months old when she first gives birth.

As nature intended, you’re going to want to give your guinea pigs plenty of space. The female cycle is about 16 days, but the female will only be able to mate between 8-24 hours of that.

When the male is aroused, he’s going to lower his head and walk towards the female. His steps won’t be random - this is a deliberate act to entice his love interest.

The rumbling sound they make is very distinct, so don’t be nervous if you’ve never heard it before. His bottom will even wag side-to-side several times.

The males can sometimes even do a mating ‘dance’, where they will put their front legs on anything that’s available and move to attract his female. This can include side to side waving, wiggling, and waggling.

While this is very humorous to watch, remember that this mating ritual has been intact for hundreds of years, and it has evolved to be the best the species can bring. That being said, it’s polite to leave the room if you’re going to laugh!

If the female is interested, she’s going to start squeaking with anxiety and excitement, and these squeaks are going to be louder the closer the male guinea pig is to her.

If she isn’t interested - either she’s not in heat, or just not the right time during her cycle - she’s going to snap and bite him, and even run away. If the male is extremely persistent, she may urinate on his face to get the message through.

If a female is ready when the male isn’t aroused, she may walk towards him with the same deliberate steps that he used on her, head down and butt up in the air slightly.

Sometimes, a woman will even back into the male as a sign that she wants him to mount her. This isn’t at all unusual, so don’t be frightened if you see something you’re just not sure about. They know what they’re doing.

Successfully, the male can mate with up to ten women in one time period, but that seems excessive - do you really want to impregnate that many females?