How to determine the sex of a guinea pig: a complete guide

“Help determine the sex of a guinea pig!” “Who is it: a boy or a girl?” “What gender is our guinea pig?”

This is the most common question from pig breeders.

Let’s figure out once and for all how to determine what gender your guinea pig is. There will be a lot of photos, be warned!

Well, for the right choice of name, of course. This time.

And two – so that it doesn’t turn out that the two beautiful females that you bought are actually a female and a male. And bam – soon replenishment!

To avoid such unpleasant surprises, it is better to learn how to determine the sex of guinea pigs on your own, without blindly trusting the “authoritative” statements of sellers in a pet store or on Avito (when you buy a pig in a nursery, such “misses” do not occur, as a rule).

Of course, it is often difficult to determine the sex with 100% accuracy, especially in small piglets. Sometimes even experienced veterinarians make mistakes when determining a male or female at such a young age. But this is an important point, especially if you have several guinea pigs and you are not going to breed them.

Guinea pigs become sexually mature at 6-8 weeks of age (some earlier), so if the guinea pigs are not seated, they will begin to mate and breed. This is why it is so important to separate males from females about three to four weeks after birth.

So there is SIX FACTORS, which will help determine whether a female or a male is in front of you:

1. The shape of the genitals.
2. Distance between anus and genitals.
3. Presence of an anal sac
4. Guinea pig weight
5. Nipple size
6. Behavioral features

While there are usually no problems with sex determination in adult animals, it can be difficult to calculate the sex of a newborn guinea pig. It is better to wait until the piglet is 2-3 weeks old, then it will be easier to say who is in front of you – a male or a female.

How to conduct an inspection?

• Wash your hands before and after the examination.
• For inspection, choose a low and stable device to insure the gilt from accidentally falling if she struggles. It can be a low stool, your knees (sitting on the floor) or, best of all, right on the floor. Use a soft towel to keep your guinea pig protected and comfortable.
• Hold the guinea pig gently but firmly. Guinea pigs are very shy animals, and they often break out of their hands when they are afraid. Turn the pig onto its back or into a sitting position so that the abdomen and genitals are facing you, and with one hand grasp the back of the guinea pig.

Approximately as shown in the picture. But the photo, by the way, is a male.

Pigs don’t like to lie on their back for a long time, so you don’t have much time to explore. If the pig gets out of hand, ask someone to help you hold it. That will be much more convenient. Or give the pig a treat. While she is busy chewing, you can have time to see a lot!

What not to do!

• Roughly treat an animal – squeeze, press, shake.
• For a long time to take away from the mother of newborn piglets. In rare cases, this can lead to a mother abandoning her cubs.
• Leave guinea pigs unattended on elevated surfaces. There is a risk of falling and injury.

Genital organs of females usually have a smooth swelling in the genital area. Gently spread the genital opening with your fingers. If the genital area has a Y- or V-shape (or the shape of a vertical gap), this is a female in front of you. Pictured below is an adult female.

And in the following photos – two-three-week-old females.

Genital organs of males have a genital opening in the form of a small round dot with a penis that protrudes above the level of the surrounding skin (unlike the female guinea pig’s vulva, which is flush with the skin). The foreskin is raised and rounded like a button or dome, and in the center is a pinhole (urethra).

If you press lightly above the genital opening, the penis will appear in males.

If you feel a “comb” above the genitals, this is a clear sign that this is a male.

If you also felt the testicles on both sides of the penis, then there is no doubt – the male.

In male guinea pigs, the scrotum is not a bulbous “pouch of testicles” located just above the penis, as is seen in most other male animals. In male pigs, they are too large to fit comfortably on the small patch of skin located between the anus and penis. Instead, they sit just under the skin next to the anus and penis (one testicle on each side). This lateral placement of the guinea pig’s testicles results in all of the male guinea pig’s genitals and anal area appearing to bulge outward, as shown in the photo below.

If you grasp one of the bulges on the side of the penis area, you can feel a hard, smooth testicle under the skin that moves freely back and forth under the skin (it is not fixed in the scrotum, as in dogs, cats and other animals). Guinea pigs can retract their testicles into their abdomen if they wish.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you can’t palpate the testicle in the scrotum, this does not mean that you have a female in front of you. Perhaps the male, frightened, pulled the testicles into the abdominal cavity, which makes it difficult to palpate them. Also, the process of palpation can be biased in young males (male cubs are often mistaken for females because the testicles are difficult to palpate). In this case, you need to wait until the animal relaxes or calms down.

Pictured below is an adult male.

This is a two to three week old male.

Determining sex from guinea pig genitalia is much easier if you have several guinea pigs to compare. Several guinea pigs can be planted side by side – significant differences in genital anatomy between the two sexes will be easily noticeable.

Genital sex determination is the most reliable method! All of the following are indirect methods that will not give a guarantee. They are supportive.

The anus in guinea pigs is a vertical opening of gray or brown color, it is located under the genitals.

In female guinea pigs, the distance between the vulva and anus is less (often the vulva is located directly above the anus). Male guinea pigs have more space between the penis and anus.

Look at the pictures of guinea pigs below.

The first guinea pig is a young male and the second guinea pig is a young female.

Male guinea pigs have a special fecal pocket next to the anus – there is a small hole between the testicles, called the “fecal pocket”. Inside the pocket there is a lubricant that is constantly released.

Males mark territory with this lubricant. They press their back against the floor, open the fecal pocket and wipe the floor around them.

Inside the pocket, on the sides of the anus, there are special glands with a secret. They can be seen only by turning the pocket inside out forcibly.

You can clearly see the fecal pocket in adult males. In newborns, this will be difficult.

Males are larger than females – this rule applies almost everywhere in nature.

Adult male guinea pigs weigh an average of about 1200-1300 grams, and females – 900-1000 grams. But there are exceptions.

In females, the nipples are usually much larger and more noticeable than in males. They are pinkish, well distinguishable on examination and easily palpable. In males, the nipples are usually grey-brown in color. They are almost invisible and harder to find.

Determining the sex of a guinea pig in this way requires a comparison between several animals.

Males, as a rule, are more active, inquisitive, sociable. Loneliness is not well tolerated. They like to play with the owner, are less timid, more talkative. When keeping two or more males together, be prepared for active games, showdown (usually without harm to each other).

Females are usually more shy, less active and inquisitive, but more affectionate. Two or more females get along well. Females are easier than males to accept “brand new ones”. Females tend to be less talkative than males.

We hope that now you have figured out what’s what, and you will no longer confuse a male with a female!

But if you suddenly have any doubts, write to us in the group on VKontakte, we will help – https://vk.com/svinki_py