How old do Guinea Pigs have to be to have babies?

Question

I have now got a boy guinea pig (about 4-5 months old) and we are thinking of breeding him with my female guinea pig (about 1ish) i know there is an age difference but does that matter please help! xx

Answer 1

It is best to mate females for the first time at 4 to 6 months old.
If it is left until they are over 12 months they may have difficulty delivering the babies as the pelvic girdle cannot open wide enough after twelve months. If they are mated earlier the girdle stretches open to pass the babies and remains wider for the next pregnancy.
Males are fertile at about 10 weeks and can mate at any age after that.
I have have had mistakes where dad was left in with the litter and impregnated five week old females.
They have gone on to deliver normal babies but this is not recommended.

Answer 2

Girls are born with an unfused bone in the hips. If they have children before their 8th month, they're usually fine (barring any normal pregnancy complications). After this, the bone fuses, and the pelvic girdle cannot open wide enough for the babies. This causes a high risk of death to both the mother and the babies.

Either way, there are already a LOT of homeless piggies out there. Don't breed.

Answer 3

I have had 6 week old guinea pigs fall pregnant, Trust me they will breed fine.