Determining the sex of a guinea pig: what is the difference between males and females

Among the many pets, guinea pigs are especially popular. These are incredibly cute and beautiful animals that can win the hearts of both adults and children. Determining the gender of a guinea pig on your own is quite difficult due to its miniature size. But despite this, it is still possible to find out who is a boy or a girl.

There are several ways to find out who exactly was given to you: a boy or a girl. They are all quite simple, but require patience and care.

Shape of the genital organ

If the first method did not give the desired result, then you can use the next one. To do this, you need to study what the animal’s genital opening looks like. To find out, you need to lightly press with your fingers on both sides of the hole. For girls, it has the shape of the English letter “Y”. In boys, a point with the penis will be visible, which is located above the skin itself. Those who breed these wonderful animals distinguish the sex of guinea pigs by the presence of small tubercles between the anus and the genitals. This is due to the fact that the male's testicles are located under the skin.

How to examine a guinea pig

Determining sex requires examining the pet's genitals. Disposable medical gloves will be required for the examination. Each individual will need a new pair of gloves, as there may be harmful bacteria on the genitals that will transfer to a healthy individual if the same gloves are used for everyone being examined.

The little pig is first picked up and calmed down. Then they put it on the back. Holding the pet's chest with one hand, with the other hand they push the skin in the subperitoneal area.

The inspection procedure is carried out carefully and quickly. The pet will not like manipulation, so you should not hold the baby for a long time.

After examining the pet, he is returned to the house, treated to something tasty and left alone.

It is better to postpone the procedure if the animal is nervous. It is recommended to periodically play with him and just stroke him. When the animal begins to trust the owner, then the gender of the animal is determined.

By behavior

This will require monitoring your pet for three to 14 days, especially if it is a baby. A healthy female will behave calmly and balanced. Girls are more friendly with each other than boys. Adult males are capable of making peculiar sounds that are similar to rumbling. They constantly make cages regardless of who lives with them, whether it is a boy or a girl. In females, such behavior can only be observed during sexual activity. It lasts for 24 hours every two weeks.

Also, special attention should be paid to the size of the animal. For those who want to buy a boy, they need to opt for large-sized animals. Adult males can grow up to 1.5 kilograms. They are longer and more massive. As for the female, it is very rare for her to weigh more than 1.2 kg.

Before you begin examining the animal, you should remember that this cannot be done if the baby is under three months old. If you break this rule, the female may refuse to feed her child, which is fraught with serious consequences.

Also, newly born babies experience severe stress if their mother is not near them. Because of this, it will not be possible to conduct a quality inspection.

For those who are still unable to distinguish a female from a male, it is better to contact a veterinary clinic. Specialists will quickly and without causing harm tell you who you have purchased and give you advice on how to care for the animal.

Who is better to choose, a boy or a girl?

Inexperienced future guinea pig owners may believe that there is no difference when choosing the sex of a pet, especially when purchasing one individual. Although there are advantages and disadvantages for both males and females.

The table describes the distinctive features of rodents of both sexes, which will help you make the right choice.

The presence of an unpleasant odor in a guinea pig's home depends on the care of the owners and the frequency of cleaning the flooring.

When purchasing two pigs, it is better to give preference to same-sex individuals. For those who want to breed, you need to take a male and a female, but they should be kept in separate cages, with the exception of the mating period.

Acquaintance

Before moving directly to mating animals, it is necessary to introduce them. 6-7 days before the expected start of estrus, it is recommended to place the female and male cages side by side. This way they can take a closer look and smell each other. After another couple of days, you can organize several meetings on neutral territory (for example, in a separate cage).

The absence of aggression, especially on the part of the female, and the manifestation of mutual interest signals the rodents' readiness to create a pair. From this moment, you can begin to sit down a potential couple. This must be done in accordance with the following rules:

1. For boarding, you need to purchase a new spacious cage without stairs or floors. As a last resort, you can place the female with the male.
2. Before settling pigs in one territory, they should be bathed in order to neutralize the unfamiliar aroma of their neighbor.
3. Before planting, you need to rub the future parents with hay with the smell of their partner. This will help them find a common language faster.
4. The floor of the cage should be covered with enough hay and treats to prevent the pigs from having food conflicts. In addition, eating food together helps the rodents get closer together.
5. On the first day of cohabitation, the owner should always be near the cage so that in case of a conflict, he can quickly seat the animals.
6. It is recommended to seat the partners 1-2 days before the heat. This measure will increase the quality of the male’s sperm.

Important! If you cannot breed guinea pigs or crossing does not bring results for more than 6 months, you should think about selecting other partners for the animals.

Some guinea pig owners prefer not to waste time on preliminary introductions to their pets, and introduce their pets only on the day of the planned crossing. This is not recommended, since unprepared animals often get into bloody fights with a stranger.

Nicknames for different breeds

You can call it a guinea pig, based on the characteristics of the breed.

Rodents can be long-haired, short-haired, hairless, plain, multi-colored, curly. By taking a closer look at a specific breed and becoming familiar with its characteristics, you can choose a beautiful and suitable name.

The proposed nicknames for guinea pigs of different breeds will tell you on what principle to select them.

English selfies

These are rodents with a uniform coat color and dark or red eyes. The females of this breed are very good and friendly mothers, capable of raising cubs together. Suitable names for affectionate animals:

Elegant male selfies can be called by the following names:

Abyssinians

Such guinea pigs are also called rosette guinea pigs, due to their characteristic fur, which forms symmetrically located “roses”. Friendly and voracious animals that love to sit in the arms of their owner have such beautiful names as:

Alpaca

Alpaca pigs have extremely thick, long, curly fur. There are “rosettes” on the muzzle and back of the body.

Alpacas are trusting. Calm in character, they usually go into the hands of even strangers. Alpacas will have the following nicknames:

Peruvians

Peruvian guinea pigs have long fur that falls over their eyes. The color can be varied, very beautiful silvery animals. These pets trust only their owners. The names chosen for Peruvian guinea pigs are as “complex” as they are:

Coronets

Very beautiful animals of various colors, with the fur on their heads “folded” into a crown. They have sonorous, “bright” nicknames:

• Amadeus;
• Vincent;
• Darling;
• Arboretum;
• Lord;
• Andromeda;
• Athena;
• Raffaello;
• Josephine;
• Cleopatra;
• The Snow Queen;
• Gioconda;
• Lionella;
• Violet;
• Margarita.

Curly Texels

These are cute pigs that need a lot of brushing and petting. They are friendly to people and evoke a lot of positive emotions in children. It begs to be called by the following nicknames:

Beautiful nicknames

Cute guinea pigs have beautiful names - euphonious, sonorous and memorable. It is not difficult to accustom an animal to such a nickname - just repeat it, calling your pet to eat, playing with it.

Guinea pig boy Venya:

For boys

Beautiful nicknames for boy guinea pigs in alphabetical order:

• Amadeus, Al Capone, Apricot, Aspirin, Auchan, Antona, Alfred, Archie, Peanut, Afonya, Asher.
• Bandit, Balzac, Brunei, Burton, Bow, Buffy, Hippopotamus, Imp, Biscuit, Bonya, Bacon, Boss, Bruce, Bosun.
• Voucher, Cornflower, Venya, Valet, VIP, Vinny, Vitas, Vermouth.
• Gaidar, Gavroche, Gagarin, Harry, Grisha, Henry, Huck, Pea, Griffin, Gosha, Grizzly, Count.
• Darling, Dumbo, Daffy, Jedi, Disney, Gin, Jackie, Duchess, Associate Professor, Don, Dzhigit, Dior, Danone.
• Zhora, Joseph, Zhuchok, Georges, Jaco.
• Zorro, Zidane, Bunny, Zyazya, Zephyr, Zenit, Zverek, Siegfried.
• Indigo, Raisin, Iris, York, Irvine, Easy.
• Casper, Coconut, Cashew, Kenny, Colt, Kefirchik, Ken, Kesha, Korzhik, Krosh, Kuzya, Cracker, Kusya.
• Lelik, Lapik, Levushka, Lenya, Fox, Lick, Loki, Lemur, Luntik, Louis, Luke, Leva, Lapis, Lucifer.
• Baby, Maksik, Mitrofan, Mika, Marmalade, Marquis, Martin, Mars, Morsik, Mikola, Martos, Mishutka, Mister, Mishanya, Motya, Mazurik, Morpheus, Muscat.
• Nafanya, Nicolas, Nike, Nosik, Norton, Nikki.
• Onyx, Ocean, Olezhka, Oreshek, Audrey, Othello, Oscar, Ostap.
• Pafnuty, Pooh, Peach, Pascal, Dumpling, Pepper, Petya, Pif, Pie, Porsche, Donut, Pudding, Pedro, Piglet.
• Rimbaud, Ramses, Turkish Delight, Richie, Roger, Ryzhik, Rocker.
• Sema, Sid, Salvador, Snowball, Sirius, Stesha, Styopa, Suslik, Spice, Solomon.
• Twix, Teddy, Tyson, Tiger Cub, Timon, Timoshka, Tisha, Tilly, Toy, Thomas, Tonic, Tutti, Teffi, Toptyzhka.
• Ustik, Urfin, Vinegar, Coal, Ushastik.
• Filimon, Fedya, Fenya, Flashka, Owl, Forest, Fin, Hazelnut, Fruktik, Freddy, Funtik.
• Ponytail, Ripple, Hammer, Piggy, Hank, Hugo.
• Cheese, Charlie, Chucky, Chopik, Chirik, Chizhik.
• Shurik, Shunya, Shoko, Chocolate, Shrek, Shustrik, Shanti, Schneider.
• Elvis, Edgar, Edik.
• Jupiter, Yucca, Eustace, Eugene.

Teffi himself:

For girls

Now - beautiful names for girl guinea pigs:

• Adele, Agatha, Alisa, Agusha, Arishka, Arabica, Anfisa, Asya, Ariel, Aria, Amanda, Aisha.
• Barbie, Barasha, Berta, Blanca, Bella, Beatrice, Businka, Baby, Bianka, Basya, Blackie, Bun, Beauty.
• Waffle, Varya, Viola, Wispa, Cherry, Venus, Veta, Vivi, Vorsinka.
• Glasha, Gzhel, Glafira, Goldie, Grusha, Gulya, Gretta, Gloria, Guinea.
• Ginger, Daisy, Dasha, Dolly, Dorothy, Diana, Dinya, Docha, Duchess, Di, Julia, Gina.
• Eshka, Blackberry, Herringbone, Fidget, Euphrosyne.
• Zhulya, Zhuka, Pearl, Honeysuckle, Josephine, Zhadi, Jeannette.
• Zimushka, Fun, Riddle, Zlata, Zizi, Zolota, Zyama, Zita.
• Willow, Toffee, Ilona, ​​Ingrid, Easy, Isis, Isolde.
• Karina, Caramelka, Carmelita, Kiki, Cleopatra, Kesha, Quinta, Klepa, Coco, Knopa, Kima, Christy, Cora, Carrie, Kudryasha, Krosha, Ksyusha.
• Lady, Sweetheart, Laska, Lelya, Larisa, Fox, Lola, Lyalya, Lusha, Luna, Lucy, Lulu, Lily.
• Makaronka, Maya, Marusya, Macarena, Baby, Masyanya, Marfusha, Matilda, Matryoshka, Mila, Mika, Mia, Molly, Michelle, Monica, Motya, Carrot, Mint, Merry.
• Nochka, Nancy, Nyusha, Nyura, Noel, Nessie, Nika.
• Omega, Olive, Ollie, Osya, Ophelia.
• Pashuta, Pikachu, Princess, Panda, Panochka, Bun, Foam, Polina, Button, Pusya, Precious, Poofy, Bee, Donut, Pappy, Fifteen, Peggy.
• Radish, Rapunzel, Rada, Rose, Rosette, Renata, Tails, Ryusha.
• Sweety, Sunny, Suzanna, Cecile, Simba, Beetroot, Smetanka, Sweets, Currant, Simona, Solnyshka, Snezhana, Sonya, Sofochka, Stesha, Stasya.
• Tattoo, Pumpkin, Tasya, Tusya, Tom, Tiksi, Tootsie, Tigrunya.
• Utya, Umka, Ulfa.
• Frutti, Bean, Phoebe, Fifa, Frosya, Fekla, Filya, Fiona, Phoebe, Foxy, Chip.
• Holly, Havrosha, Chloe, Helga, Hilda, Hannah, Hippie, Chruma, Happy.
• Chupa, Cheburashka, Chara, Blueberry, Cherry.
• Chanel, Sherry, Charlize, Cher, Shanti, Shonna, Shusha.
• Erica, Ellie, Era, Eleanor, Eureka.
• Yusya, Yula, Yulyasha, Yukka, Yumi.
• Yasya, Yagodka, Yuppie, Java, Yanga.

Matching

The success of crossing guinea pigs depends on the correct selection of a pair. Only healthy animals of the same age, with normal body weight (at least 700 g) and no defects in appearance are allowed to reproduce. You also need to pay attention to your teeth. If parents have dental problems, their offspring will inherit them. You will need to refuse breeding in the following cases:

• pets show unreasonable aggression;
• potential partners are severely emaciated or, conversely, suffer from obesity;
• animals are weakened by a recent illness;
• pets have signs of pain: dull fur, poor appetite, lethargy, drowsiness.

Also, roan guinea pigs or Dalmatians are not suitable for crossing. Animals of these colors often produce non-viable offspring. Babies may be born deaf, blind (or without eyes at all), with crooked, brittle teeth. Typically, such individuals live no longer than a few weeks.

Method three

The method is based on determining the shape of feces. The option is quite dubious, requiring a very careful consideration of the litter of each individual pig, which, moreover, does not guarantee a 100% result.

But, if the “belief” exists and has a scientific basis, then it’s worth listening to it.

The fact is that the different structure of the anal pocket also affects the shape of bowel movements:

• In females, feces are oval, regular, oblong in shape without a groove.
• Males leave behind crescent-shaped granules with a groove in the middle.

This feature can be used to determine the sex of pigs of different ages. But before relying on it, you should make sure that the rodents are absolutely healthy and do not have problems with the digestive tract.

Features of feeding

It is known that guinea pigs are domesticated rodents that feed on dry grass. The basis of their diet is hay. In addition, animals eat grain feed:

• oats;
• corn;
• barley;
• wheat;
• sunflower seeds.

It is beneficial for animals to eat vegetables and fruits, as well as fresh herbs. These are valuable sources of vitamins and microelements. In winter, rodents are given grass pellets or grain sprouts. The diet must include branches of fruit trees.

Guinea pigs should not be offered food of animal origin, as well as potatoes, red beets, and citrus fruits. Confectionery and bakery products are strictly prohibited.

Genes responsible for color

Knowing the characteristics of the genes responsible for coat color, breeders can easily obtain offspring of guinea pigs of the desired color. The main genes that determine the color of future babies have the following designations:

• A - agouti;
• B – brown;
• C – color intensity;
• E – black and red colors;
• P – pink eyes and weak pigmentation;
• S – white.

The listed genes give rise to many mutations, the main types of which are presented in the table:

If the origin of guinea pigs is not known for certain, then the result of their crossing cannot be predicted. Since there is no reliable data on their genotype. For example, after mating black rodents, white, tortoiseshell, or red babies may appear.

Team training

After taming, they begin to train guinea pigs

It is important to remember that you should not shout at your pet or use force against it.

You should not try to master all the tricks in one training session. It is better to start with simple commands, and after successfully mastering them, move on to more complex options.

The tasty reward should be removed gradually and only after the command has been fully mastered.

Stand

The simplest command for any animal. To teach this command to a guinea pig, you need to place the animal on a flat, hard surface. A treat is held over the pet's head. The animal reaches for the treat, at which time the owner calmly says “stop.” The animal can reach the treat by standing on its hind legs. When this happens, the animal is praised and treated. The command must be repeated several times and the pet must be treated. These actions need to be repeated until the animal understands what is required of it. After mastering the command, it is repeated periodically so that the pet does not forget.

To me

This team will need about two weeks to train. To begin with, the rodent is placed on a flat surface a meter from the owner. Then the owner shows the pig a treat and calls him by name in a calm voice. As soon as the animal approaches, you need to pet it and treat it with a treat. It is better to do classes every day. After mastering the command, the distance between the student and the teacher is increased.

U-turn

To execute this command, you need to bring the treat over your pet's head. When the pig becomes interested in the treat, you need to slowly begin to describe a circle above the animal’s head. It is better to move your hand clockwise, while repeating the command “circle” or “turn around”. You should not immediately make a circle if the animal quickly loses interest in the treat. You can first make turns of 45 degrees, then 90 and until the turn is complete. You need to train every day so that the animal does not forget the learned elements.

Kiss

It doesn't take much effort or training to execute this command. All you need to do is hold a piece of the animal’s favorite treat with your lips. Then you need to bring the pig to the owner's head. As soon as the pet smells the tasty treat, it will reach out to its owner’s lips and take a piece.

Give me your paw

This command is more difficult to execute than the previous ones. To do this, you need to put the pig on the sofa. The owner himself is located in front of the rodent on the floor. He extends his left hand, palm up, towards the animal, and with his right hand he lures the animal with a treat. When the animal begins to move towards the person, the owner gives the command “give me your paw.” And as soon as the student’s paw is in his hand, the animal is praised and treated to something tasty.

It is important to be careful so that the animal does not fall on the floor

Achieving results in executing this command requires regular training.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ISSpf2A6Ewk

Roll the ball

This command is also based on the guinea pig's natural desire to eat. To execute the command you need a ping pong ball or other small light ball, a strip of carrot or celery. Place the treat under the ball and wait for the pet to become interested in it. And then you can give the command “Push.” To get the treat, the pig will have to push the ball with its muzzle. This team needs to be trained regularly to achieve results. After a few sessions, the bait is removed from under the ball.

Jump through the ring

This command will require a ring and a treat. You can make the ring yourself from wire or use a tennis racket after removing the fishing line.

First, the ring is placed edge-on on the floor. A pig is placed on one side of the ring, and a treat on the other. Having noticed the treat, the pet will go to it through the ring. At the same time, the owner gives the command “ring”. If your pet doesn’t see the treat, you need to move it closer.

As soon as the pig gets through the ring, he should be praised and allowed to treat himself. Over time, the ring is raised. The final lifting height of the ring is considered to be a distance of 3 cm.

Trained guinea pigs are not exotic, but a completely normal phenomenon. Each owner can teach the animal to follow commands in order to develop it and entertain it. And the owner will also have a pleasant time with his pet.