Guinea pigs are one of the few mammal species that can be kept at home. They are easy to care for and do not require much attention. Guinea pigs are good-natured, calm animals that do not cause any disturbance or harm to their owners. Veterinarians advise buying them at the age of about five weeks, when the animals are able to start an independent life. When choosing a pair of guinea pigs, it is important to know their gender, so as not to get a whole cattery of these animals.
Instructions
Step 1
You can distinguish a boy and a girl of a guinea pig by external signs. Males, as a rule, are larger than females, have high withers and strong bones. The number of nipples in pigs is not an indicator of sex, as both boys and girls have them. By their appearance, it is easy to determine the sex of adults; there may be some difficulties with young guinea pigs, since sex differences are still poorly expressed in pups and young animals.
Step 2
If you need to distinguish a male from a female cub (more than three weeks old) or a juvenile guinea pig, the genitals of the animal should be examined. Turn the animal over on its back so that the legs are pointing up, hold it securely and firmly behind its back. Look at the place where the genitals are located, it has the shape of the letter Y. In females, the anus and genitals are located far enough from each other, in males there is a small distance between them. If you do not see the differences, compare a few more individuals with each other, find animals with obvious differences.
Step 3
Examine the anus of the guinea pig. To do this, take the animal by its front legs, turn it belly up. Grasp the pig's lower back with your right hand and press your thumb on the lower abdomen above the genitals. Press lightly, lightly, then you can increase the pressure a little. If this is a male, then a bulge will be felt under the thumb - the penis, which will stick out over time. Externally, it can be seen as a point at the apex of the Y-shaped gap. Females will feel a long slit up to the tail, also in the form of a Y, the leg of which is directed towards the tail. Guinea pig girls don't have any bulges.
Step 4
If you are still in doubt about the sex of the guinea pig, gently pull the skin on the genitals of the animal towards the abdomen. The female will have a visible part of the mucous membrane, the male will have a small genital organ. This will completely dispel your doubts and help confirm the sex of the animal.
