About Jenny Atkins Expertise If your guinea pig has stopped eating, is having fits, looks puffed up or listless, is bleeding, has lost weight suddenly or is squeaking in pain then please, do not delay in taking him/her to a vet. Preferably a specialist small animal or exotic pet vet, but don't worry if you can't find one.
If you suspect your guinea pig is pregnant, has mites, is losing hair or you have a question about diet, cages, toys, exercise etc then look at my past answers before you ask your question, as it may save you time.
Otherwise, go ahead and ask me a question! My areas of expertise are in how to choose your guinea pigs, where to get them from and what you need before you bring your new pets home. I can also help with general care and dietary questions, with treating common illnesses (especially skin complaints), pregnancy and baby guinea pigs (though I do not approve of purposeful 'at home' breeding), and how to introduce two males.
I'd recommend The Really Useful Guinea Pig Guide by Myra Mahoney and Piggy Potions by Peter Gurney to all guinea pig owners - these books will tell you everything you need to know to ensure your guinea pigs have happy and healthy lives. I practically memorised these before I was allowed my first guinea pigs as a teenager!
Experience I absolutely love guinea pigs, and I think they make brilliant pets for the right owners. They are incredibly sociable animals and should always be kept in pairs, or a larger group (females only). If you spend lots of time with your guinea pigs, they will become very tame and friendly little creatures. I am very much a pet owner, and provide answers based on my personal experiences with my pet piggies, and what I've learned from books along the way. I'm not a breeder or a vet, so I can't answer questions about breeding, breeds or complicated illnesses. I have kept both boars and sows, and have had my share of unexpected newborns in the early days. I've had a total of 11 guinea pigs over the years - all adorable in their own way - including my current two boars (Almeida and Simba) whose cage has pride of place in my living room. When you have guinea pigs you learn something new about them every day!
Education/Credentials 2:1 Honours Degree in Creative Arts with English
Question hi there,
I've just found out that my two girl guinea pigs are now a boy and a girl, the girl can been confirmed as pregnant and probably due to have her babies in the next few weeks. I've split them up as recommended by vet but not sure what to do for best now. The petshop who sold them to me are being supportive and are happy to pay for the male to be neuted,or rehouse him so we can keep a female baby. My worry is after a long separation will it be difficult to reintroduce the male and female who got along well, and the same if i kept a baby pig would the difference in ages be a problem. thanks wendy
Answer Hi Wendy,
Congratulations on the imminent litter: although unexpected, they will be adorable. Sadly petshops often mis-sex guinea pigs so this is a common occurance.
The male and female should get along just fine when reintroduced - but he will never happily live with another male after being mated, so I would recommend having him neutered so you can keep him with your female rather than being rehomed as it is unlikely to go well. Or try asking the pet shop to supply a second cage so you can keep him separately, and still keep a female baby as it will be very hard to part with all the babies! Keeping a mother and daughter will be no problem, or indeed a mother and son if the son is neutered.
