baby guinea pig age question

User avatar
swirlysf
Supporting my GP Habit

Post   » Sat Jul 23, 2011 6:39 am


Aww, he's adorable. I'm sorry that you had an awful time, but congratulations on the adorable addition.

User avatar
CavyHouse
Supporter in '11

Post   » Sat Jul 23, 2011 11:32 am


For our rescue pups, they usually reach 250 grams by 3 weeks of age - even our recent runt.

User avatar
onetwo

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:37 am


Raichu has been growing and doing great. Unfortionately I am starting to believe that Raichu is a girl not a boy and is pregnant.

Image

The newbie Raichu and my other 3 boys lived together shortly (only a few days) before all hell broke loose and Twinky and Tweet savagely ripped each other open. Tweet was injured worse and went to see the vet for an absess and several open wounds. Twinky only had superficial wounds that did not need treatment. I took Twinky out of the mix but Tweet kept picking on Sweet laid back Gus Gus.

So I took out Tweety leaving Raichu and Gus together. So I had 3 cages side by side for the last month+. Took Raichu out today to cuddle and do a once over (been busy the last 2 weeks with oldest child going to kindergarden) and I felt bulges on either side of the belly (harder than bloat but softer than a mass kind of like a hard boiled egg, still a bit squishy but I didn't want to squish too hard or poke around too much). I searched again for a penis (Raichu should be about 11-12 weeks old) and still found the little external flap of skin which I thought was a penis as it has a pee hole on the end but nothing popped out nor do I feel any testicles. Looks like there might be a 2nd opening next to the anus when I really stretch the flap of skin up and the anus down. I hope that makes sense. I don't know I am so confused.

Well I took Raichu out and separated from Gus Gus. I figured if Raichu got pregs (if preg) before I got her (which is possible because Raichu was in the same tiny cage with "male" sibling at the shelter) she could have babies as early as the last week in Sept. If she got pregs by my boys then it will be 2-3rd week in Oct.

I am so upset and frustrated. I didn't intend on this happening and everyone I talked to here, GPC, vet and shelter all said Raichu was a boy. Raichu has a very prounounced flap of skin that sticks out that really looks like a penis. Not quite the same size as the adult males but definately the same shape.

Image

Image

Image

It was very hard to get pics as Raichu is a BITER! She will bite so hard the first time it bleeds and is very deep. She does NOT like being handled so its very hard to tame her and check her...

Raichu currently weighs about 650g. I don't have a digital scale or anything fancy (cannot find one in my area) so I can't tell any daily/weekly differences in weight. I can guess at incraments of 25 grams at least. So can't tell by weight especially since Raichu is/was so little when I adopted. Believed to be 3-5 weeks old when we adopted her 2nd week in July.

So now Raichu is separate and I reintroduced the other 3. They really seemed to have missed eachother. Gus Gus is popcorning all over the place which I have never seen. They might still fight so I am going to keep my ears open. Twinky and Tweet have always had dominance issues. But with Raichu out of the equation but still next to the cage I am not too sure. Haven't made any longterm plans for Raichu either yet. My friend just lost her 3rd guinea pig a week ago so she is not ready to take in anymore females. But we'll see... First thing first. Is Raichu a male or female if female is she pregnant???

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 12:46 am


Run your finger very gently from side to side over Raichu's abdomen, over a range of about an inch or two, just north of his/her privates. Don't press too hard but you can push a little.

If you feel a ridge that would begin just above his/her privates and continue along the midline of the body for about 5/8 of an inch, then he's a boy. That little ridge (it'll feel like bone or a piece of cartilage, but will exactly follow the midline of his body) is the bone of his penis. That's where it is, inside the sheath, when, um, not in use. If you find it, then press on it gently and you should be able to get it to pop out (or at least the sheath/prepuce will).

If you feel no ridge, no bone, absolutely no nothing except skin and soft belly fur just above the privates (toward the head), then she is a girl.

This is the only sexing method I'm comfortable with. Dots and i's and y's and even testicles, unless they're very, uh, prominent, I just don't trust. Using the ridge method, however, there's only been a couple I was unsure of.

User avatar
onetwo

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:04 am


There is a tiny little lump about the size of a bb pellet just above the bump in the pic. I know about the ridge thing as I have boys and have extracted their penis' before for inspection and cleanings. But this bump doesn't quite feel like a penis either as it is not cyndrical but round. This guinea pig just has me SO puzzled...

Josephine
Little Jo Wheek

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:22 am


That's a sow. I would have had the board members sex her. Please keep her separate.

dmppiggie

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:49 am


Looks like a girl to me. I see the "y" and even my girls have a little "flap" there. Of course, I have no experience with males.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 11:09 am


Definitely sow. www.guinealynx.info/.html

You will see the same thing on that page.

User avatar
onetwo

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:13 pm


I did have a sexing thread up about her and everyone said it was a male. I have read all the sexing info many many many times. Is it common for the little flap of skin to have a pee hole at the end of it like a penis? No other female that I have sexed has had that... Its actually much longer than it looks in the picture Raichu was just struggling a lot and bites HARD so it was hard to get a good pic. Plus my camera sucks close up. When pushed really hard into and up the flap pops up more than 1/4 of an inch. In real life it doesn't look like the females on the sexing page...

Well Raichu has been with a male since we got her in early July. So if it is a female (still completely confused what sex it is) then chances are she is pregnant. Very frustrating because the shelter and my vet and people on GPC and I all thought it was a male...

Josephine
Little Jo Wheek

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:44 pm


Where the heck was that thread?

There is no doubt that is a sow. The urogenital areas are quite differently spaced. Sows' urethral openings are pretty close to the anus. And yes, they often have developed "flaps."

Josephine
Little Jo Wheek

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:51 pm


I couldn't find a sexing thread on here. If some kids on another less knowledgeable forum said it was a male, then they were sadly mistaken.

Your shelter and vet are also mistaken and they should be notified they made a possibly tragic mistake if you have a problem pregnancy on your hands. I know NONE of the vets I have EVER worked with in 15 years can properly sex a young cavy. TRULY! They are all cat and dog (and horse) vets.

User avatar
onetwo

Post   » Wed Sep 14, 2011 3:54 pm


So its normal for females to have a hole at the end of the little pointy flap? That was why I thought it was a boy because she had this purtrusion with a hole at the end and not an internal urithra like we do with a labia...

Post Reply