How to determine the gender of a guinea pig at home (photo) – learning to distinguish girls from boys

Inexperienced owners of furry rodents often wonder how to determine the sex of a guinea pig at home.

After all, the sexual characteristics of these animals are so difficult to distinguish that pet store salesmen or qualified veterinarians sometimes cannot cope with such a task. What are the ways to determine the sex of a cute marine pet, and what character traits are inherent in females and males of guinea pigs?

How to inspect a guinea pig

These shy animals are not too fond of being picked up and held in one position by force. Therefore, the owner should examine the pet quickly and without sudden movements.

Rules for examining a guinea pig:

1. Before the procedure, you must wear medical gloves, and you need to examine another pet in new clean gloves. The fact is that harmful microbes can be present on the genitals of animals. And in order not to get sick from the animal and not to transfer it to another rodent, you should follow the rules of hygiene.
2. To examine the genitals of a guinea pig, it is advisable to put the pet on the palm of your hand with your stomach up, gently but firmly holding it in the chest area.
3. When the animal is fixed in this position, the owner should carefully examine his genitals, slightly spreading the skin under the abdomen with his fingers.
4. After the end of the procedure, the pig is returned back to the cage and treated to a favorite treat.

Important: if the animal is frightened by something and begins to break out of the hands of the owner, it is advisable to postpone the examination for another time, when the rodent is in a calm state.

Distinctive sexual characteristics of adult guinea pigs

Distinguishing a male from a female when the animals reach sexual maturity is not so difficult if you know the structure of their genitals. There are three ways to find out the gender of a guinea pig:

• inspect the intimate area of ​​​​the body of pets;
• to study the size of the mammary glands of rodents;
• by examining their anus.

Method one: by the genitals

In females, the genital organ is small, slightly swollen, with a genital gap resembling the Latin letter Y, which narrows towards the tail area.

The genitals of the males are an oval area with a protruding point in the upper part. The dot is the animal’s penis and can be felt with a finger if you press lightly on the animal’s genitals.

In males, you can also feel the scrotum with testicles, which is located between the anus and the genitals and looks like a small convex sac. In females, of course, there is no such bulge.

Method two: through the anus

You can also recognize the sex of a small pet by the size of the fecal pocket. Males mark their territory by spewing an odorous enzyme from their anal gland, so males have a well-developed anus that is brown or gray in color.

Females do not make marks, and their anus is a small atrophied organ, which is quite difficult to see.

If the owner managed to find a large anal sac in the animal, he can be sure that he has a boy in front of him.

Method three: on the nipples

Guinea pigs of both sexes have mammary glands, but they differ in color and size. To determine who is in front of you – a boy or a girl by the appearance of the nipples, the pets are placed on their backs and the hair is parted on the tummy or they gently feel this area with their fingertips.

Boys have small, brownish-pink nipples that look like tiny bumps and are almost indistinguishable to the touch.

Females have large bright pink mammary glands that are easy to see or feel when stroking the rodent’s tummy.

Determination of the sex of guinea pigs by the shape of feces

You can also distinguish the sex of the animal by the appearance of its feces. Given the fact that the anus of females and males differ in size and structure, guinea pig litter has a different shape.

Male feces are elongated crescent-shaped granules with a groove in the middle, which makes them look like coffee beans. In females, the feces are smaller, regular oval in shape and without a groove.

But to determine a male or female using this method, it will only work if several pets live in the cage. But even then, this method cannot be called reliable, because if the guinea pigs are kept together, it will be difficult for the owner to determine whose feces he is studying. And in order to find out the sex of a small rodent using this method, it is advisable to seat the animals in different cages for a while.

Important: before relying on this method, you need to make sure that the animals are completely healthy and do not suffer from diseases of the digestive system that can affect the shape of their feces.

How to determine the sex of a small guinea pig

Unlike adults, determining the sex of a newborn guinea pig baby is quite simple. To do this, you just need to carefully examine the genitals of the cub.

In the intimate zone of the boy, a tubercle from the penis drawn inward is clearly visible. In girls, a triangle can be seen on the genitals. In addition, there are more skin folds on the genitals of a male baby than in newborn females.

You can also determine a boy or a girl by observing the development of the cubs. Up to a week of age, babies of both sexes develop in the same way, but after the first week of life, boys grow and gain weight much faster than girls.

Important: if there is no urgent need to determine the sex of the cub, then it is not recommended to touch babies who are under three weeks old. Otherwise, the female, smelling the smell of human hands from the cub, may refuse to feed him.

Features of the appearance and behavior of female and male guinea pigs

You can also distinguish between a boy and a girl of guinea pigs by external data or by observing the behavior of pets for some time:

• adult males are larger and heavier than females, and their weight can reach 1,5 kilograms;
• girls are smaller and have a more graceful physique. Females weigh from 1 to 1,2 kilograms;
• you can determine a boy or a girl by the size of the head. The head of males is slightly more massive than that of females;
• due to the presence of an odorous gland in the anal sac, male feces have a sharper and more unpleasant odor than female feces;
• male guinea pigs behave more aggressively than females and tend to show a dominant position, which is especially noticeable if several individuals of different sexes live in the same cage;
• females are calmer and friendlier than males and show aggression only in exceptional cases, for example, protecting their cubs;
• when kept in the same cage, males constantly compete with each other for food, territory, and females. They can start noisy fuss and fights, however, without causing serious injury to the enemy;
• peace-loving and calm girls will get along well in one cage, will be friends with each other, share food and even sleep in the same house;
• unlike female representatives, who practically do not make any sounds, males are more talkative and show their emotions with a loud rumbling or displeased hooting;
• compared to the female, the male guinea pig behaves more actively, exploring the surrounding territory with interest. Girls most of the time sleep or relax in the house.

Becoming sexually mature at the age of one month, guinea pigs begin to multiply rapidly. And, if the owner does not plan to breed these animals, then it is not advisable to keep a male and a female in the same cage. It is better to purchase same-sex animals for living together so that the pets do not get bored, and they would have someone to talk to in the absence of the owner.

Video: how to determine the sex of a guinea pig