Guinea Pig Reproduction Basics

Date: November 12, 2017

By: Christal Pollock, DVM, DABVP (Avian Practice)

Second Author:Nichole Arbona

Reviewed by: Brendan Carmel, BVSc, MVS MANZCVS (Unusual Pets) GDipComp and Mark Suckow, DVM, DACLAM

Keywords: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Categories: Guinea pig,  Mammals,  Rodent, 

Key Points

  • Intact female guinea pigs are “sows” and intact males are “boars”.
  • Mature boars have distinct scrotal pouches and large testes.
  • Male guinea pigs have several accessory sex glands, including large, paired seminal vesicles or vesicular glands, which can be mistaken for uterine horns.
  • Puberty occurs at approximately 2 months in females and between 2-3 months in males.
  • The pubic symphysis separates in the last days of pregnancy.
  • Separation of the pubic symphysis may be inadequate in sows bred after 7-8 months of age and dystocia can result in these individuals. Other potential causes of dystocia include obesity and large fetal size.
  • Sows often give birth to 2-4 large, precocial pups. Other rodent species generally have large litters.
  • Pregnancy toxemia is an important cause of perinatal mortality in guinea pigs. This condition is most often observed in primiparous, obese sows in late gestation. The prognosis is often guarded. Minimize the risk of pregnancy toxemia by encouraging exercise, preventing obesity, and minimizing stress in the pregnant sow.
  • Unilateral or bilateral ovarian cysts are very common, particularly in older sows.
  • Ovariohysterectomy or ovariectomy is recommended to prevent the development of ovarian cysts and other reproductive problems in non-breeding companion sows.

 The guinea pig is a popular companion animal and a common research model. Guinea pigs are useful in reproductive studies because they share many reproductive traits with human beings. This article reviews anatomy and physiology of the guinea pig reproductive tract and summarizes some clinically significant medical problems . . .

To continue you need to be a LafeberVet.com member. (Français), (Español)

Pour continuer, vous devez être un membre LafeberVet.com

Para continuar, debe ser miembro de LafeberVet.com

Already a LafeberVet Member?

Please Login

References


1. Adrian O, Brockmann I, Hohoff C, Sachser N. Paternal behaviour in wild guinea pigs: a comparative study in three closely related species with different social and mating systems. J Zool:265(1):97–105, 2005.

2. Atkinson PM. The effects of early experimental cryptorchidism and subsequent orchidopexy on the maturation of the guinea-pig testicle. Br J Surg 60(4):253-258, 1973.

3. Bean AD. Ovarian cysts in the guinea pig. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract 16(3):757-776, 2013.

4. Burns RP, Paul-Murphy J, Sicard GK. Granulosa cell tumor in a guinea pig. J Am Vet Med Assoc 218(5):726-728, 2001.

5. Clemons DJ, Seeman JL. The Laboratory Guinea Pig. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Taylor & Francis; 2011.

6. Cohn DWH, Tokumaru RS, Ades C. Female novelty and the courtship behavior of male guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Braz J Med Biol Res 37(6):847-851, 2004.

7. Donnelly TM, Brown CJ. Guinea pig and chinchilla care and husbandry. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract 7(2):351-373, 2004.

8. Gresham VC, Haines VL. Management, husbandry, and colony health. In: Suckow MA, Stevens KA, Wilson RP (eds). The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, and Other Rodents. Boston, MA: Academic Press; 2012: 611-612, 614.

9. Hargaden M, Singer L. Anatomy, physiology, and behavior. In: Suckow MA, Stevens KA, Wilson RP (eds). The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, and Other Rodents. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Academic Press; 2012: 576, 590-596, 599.

10. Hawkins MG, Bishop CR. Disease problems of guinea pigs. In: Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW (eds). Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 3rd ed. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders; 2012: 301-303.

11. Hennessy MB, Reed J, Wilson SE, Pitstick L. Sexual interactions of maturing male guinea pigs with their mothers, sisters, and unfamiliar adult females in the home cage. Dev Psychobiol 42(1):91–96, 2003.

12. Johnson J. Guinea pig medicine primer. Annu Conf Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference 2006.

13. Johnson-Delaney CA. Urogenital tract problems in small mammals. Annu Conf Wild West Veterinary Conference 2011.

14. Kharbush RJ, Renee VR, Howard S, Sladky KK. Surgical resection of a testicular seminoma in a guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). J Exotic Pet Med 26(1):53-56, 2017.

15. Kober M, Trillmich F, Naguib M. Vocal mother-offspring communication in guinea pigs: females adjust maternal responsiveness to litter size. Front Zool 5:13, 2008.

16. Kober M, Trillmich F, Naguib M. Vocal mother-pup communication in guinea pigs: effects of call familiarity and female reproductive state. Anim Behav 73(5):917-925, 2007.

17. Kondert L, Mayer J. Reproductive medicine in guinea pigs, chinchillas and degus. Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract 20(2):609-628, 2017.

18. Laik-Schandelmaier C, Klopfleisch R, Schöniger S, et al. Spontaneously arising tumours and tumour-like lesions of the cervix and uterus in 83 pet guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). J Comp Pathol 156(4):339-351, 2017.

19. Shomer NH, Holcombe H, Harkness JE. Biology and diseases of guinea pigs. In: Fox JG, Anderson LC, Otto GM, et al (eds). Laboratory Animal Medicine, 3rd ed. San Diego, CA: Academic Press Elsevier; 2015:252-253.

20. Mess A. The guinea pig placenta: model of placental growth dynamics. Placenta 28(8-9):812-815, 2007.

21. Minarikova A, Hauptman K, Jeklova E, et al. Diseases in pet guinea pigs: a retrospective study in 1000 animals. Vet Rec 177(8):200, 2015.

22. Percy DH, Barthold SW. Guinea pig. In: Barthold SW, Driffey SM, Percy DH (eds). Pathology of Laboratory Rodents and Rabbits (3rd ed). Ames, IA: Blackwell Publishing; 2007: 213-214, 216-251.

23. Quesenberry KE, Donnelly TM, Mans C. Biology, husbandry, and clinical techniques of guinea pigs and chinchillas. In: Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW (eds). Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 3rd ed. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders; 2012: 280-283.

24. Schuetzenhofer G, Goericke-Pesch S, Wehrend A. Effects of deslorelin implants on ovarian cysts in guinea pigs. Scweiz Arch Tierheilkd 153(9):416-417, 2011.

25. Sommerey CC, Köhler K, Reinacher M. Diseases of guinea pigs from the perspective of pathology. Tierärztl. Prax. 32:377, 2004.

26. Taylor DK, Lee VK. Guinea pigs as experimental models. In: Suckow MA, Stevens KA, Wilson RP (eds). The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, and Other Rodents. Boston, MA: Academic Press; 2012: 709.

27. Váquez B. Morphologic study of the prostate and vesicular glands of the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). International Journal of Morphology 28:1301-1307, 2010.

28. Veiga-Parga T, La Perle KM, Newman SJ. Spontaneous reproductive pathology in female guinea pigs. J Vet Diagn Invest 28(6):656-661, 2016.

29. Weir BJ. Reproductive characteristics of hystricomorph rodents. In: Rowlands JW, Weir BJ (eds). The Biology of Hystricomorph Rodents. London: Zoological Society of London; 1974: 265-301.

30. Williams BH. Non-infectious diseases. In: Suckow MA, Stevens KA, Wilson RP (eds). The Laboratory Rabbit, Guinea Pig, Hamster, and Other Rodents. Boston, MA: Academic Press; 2012: 693-695.

31. Harkness JE, Turner PV, VandeWoude S, Wheler CL. The guinea pig. In: Harkness JE, Turner PV, VandeWoude S, Wheler CL (eds). Harkness and Wagner’s Biology and Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents, 5th ed. Ames, IA: Wiley-Blackwell; 2010: 55.

32. Brower M. Practitioner’s guide to pocket pet and rabbit theriogenology. Theriogenology, 66(3): 618-623, 2006.

 

Further reading

Banks R. The guinea pig: Biology, care, identification, nomenclature, breeding, and genetics. Feb 17, 1989. USAMRIID Seminar Series. Accessed Oct 20, 2017. Available at http://netvet.wustl.edu/species/guinea/guinpig.txt.

Cooper G, Schiller AL. Anatomy of the Guinea Pig. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 1975.

Kaufmann P. Guinea pig. 2004. University of California San Diego Comparative Placentation. Accessed Oct 20, 2017. Available at http://placentation.ucsd.edu/guinea.htm.

Laik-Schandelmaier C, Marschang RE, Klopfleisch R, et al. Gynecological tumors in guinea pigs. Proc International Conference on Avian Herptelogical and Exotic Mammal Medicine 2017: 809-810.

Seidl DC, Hughes HC, Bertolet R, Lang CM. True pregnancy toxemia (preeclampsia) in the guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). Lab Anim Sci 29(4):472-478, 1979.

Turner AJ, Trudinger BJ. Ultrasound measurement of biparietal diameter and umbilical artery blood flow in the normal fetal guinea pig. Comp Med 50(4):379-384, 2000.

To cite this page:

Pollock C, Arbona N. Guinea pig reproduction basics. Nov 12, 2017. LafeberVet Web site. Available at https://lafeber.com/vet/guinea-pig-reproduction-basics/