How Many Baby Guinea Pigs Are in a Litter

How long do guinea pigs alive? Information technology'due south a natural question if you're considering bringing one of these small furry friends home.

Republic of guinea pig life bridge is influenced past factors similar genetics, diet, and environment. On average, they live from four to viii years.

Merely in that location are certainly things that nosotros can do every bit pet owners to help them live longer, happier lives. And of grade, with guinea pigs beingness then adorable and cuddly, that'south exactly what nosotros want!

Aging And The Average Lifespan Of A Guinea Pig

How long can you expect your guinea pig to live, under adept circumstances?

The UK animal welfare charity Blue Cross really hedges its bets: it puts the life expectancy of guinea pigs at iv to eight years.

The Imperial Guild for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is more than precise; they say guinea pig life bridge is five to six years "but some may live longer."

This variance can exist due to the broad range of genetic and environmental circumstances that private republic of guinea pigs face.

On the whole, they practise tend to be fairly brusque-lived, dissimilar larger pets. Merely compared to other smaller pet animals, similar pet rats, a lifespan of upward to eight years seems quite generous!

Wild Guinea Pig Lifespan

Guinea pigs originated in South America, where they were domesticated long ago. Originally, the start domesticated cavies were farmed as a food source.

However kept for the same reason in many areas, the guinea sus scrofa variant we are familiar with no longer exists in the wild. Nonetheless, some closely related cousins still survive in the grasslands of Due south America.

These wild guinea squealer relatives are quite common. However, guinea hog life bridge in the wild is typically much shorter than those in captivity, ranging from one to four years.

How Long Practise Republic of guinea Pigs Live As Pets?

On the other hand, guinea hog life span as a pet may be a completely dissimilar story.

Sources like the ones mentioned above point that they tin can alive anywhere from 4 to eight years on boilerplate.

Of course, that's a fairly broad range.

Several different factors tin can influence how long a guinea grunter lives, from nutrient, to genetics, to living conditions. We'll talk about those in more detail a little later on.

But on the whole, you can wait a domesticated beast to live longer than a wild animal. This is oftentimes merely because of regular food, vet check ups, and lack of predators.

Guinea Grunter Life Cycle

Guinea pigs have a gestation menstruum of virtually two months or a fiddling more than. When the babies are born, at that place may be only ane, or more than half-dozen or 7. The average size of a litter is 3 babies.

Newborn guinea pigs come complete with fur and upwardly to xx teeth at birth. Their eyes open up shortly later they are born.

At just three weeks, it's fourth dimension to separate the boys from the girls. The no-longer-babe female guinea pigs are at present sexually mature.

Somewhere betwixt nine months to a year, guinea pigs reach their final size and weight and become adults.

How To Tell If Your Guinea Pig Is Getting Old

Guinea pigs historic period at different rates, then it isn't always easy merely to go by their actual age. Here are some possible signs that your republic of guinea pig is entering the middle of his golden years.

He may lose weight, and go less energetic overall. There may also exist changes in musculus tone.

He may spend a lot more time sleeping than he used to.

And health bug may seem to be more mutual. As your guinea pig gets older, information technology's ever more than important to keep an middle on their wellness. The older they go, the harder it is for them to recover from health issues.

Factors Affecting Guinea Pig Life Expectancy

There are many factors which will influence the lifespan of a guinea pig.

The genes they inherit from their parents, the food they swallow, their lifestyle and luck will all play a function.

Some of these factors are across our command, but there are also lots of things nosotros can do to help our guinea pigs stay healthy for longer.

We'll talk about specific health issues and what we can practice to help a niggling guinea pig life span farther down. At present, let'southward take a look at some deciding factors.

Genetics And Guinea Sus scrofa Life Expectancy

Within all species, there is a genetic component to longevity.

Our genes command the aging process at the very minutest level inside our cells, and some of usa simply inherit better genes for longevity than others. The same applies to guinea pigs.

You lot can't test for these kinds of genes, though. Then the only clues volition be in their family tree, if you accept access to it. A guinea squealer whose parents and grandparents lived a long fourth dimension might also be blessed with innate longevity.

Not only tin can guinea pigs can inherit a full general propensity for longevity from their parents, they also inherit very specific genes which influence how long they live.

In fact, all guinea pigs seem to carry a very remarkable sequence of genes which contain the genetic code for Kurloff cells.

Kurloff cells are a specialized blazon of white blood cell which kill leukemic cells, and protect republic of guinea pigs from many spontaneous tumors.

Unfortunately, other genes can bring problems rather than protection. Since these genes are ordinarily associated with specific pedigrees, we'll expect at them in the adjacent section.

Pedigree And Guinea Pig Lifespan

There are many pedigrees of guinea squealer these days.

Republic of guinea pig pedigrees are created and maintained by breeding similar guinea pigs with like. So each full-blooded becomes information technology's own little sub-population of guinea pigs.

This automatically imposes a degree of inbreeding, and puts a limit on genetic variation between individuals within the pedigree.

A common side effect of inbreeding to protect a pedigree is an overall loss in quality and vigor, known every bit "inbreeding low."

The respective reward of outbreeding is chosen "hybrid vigor. Introducing more variation to a genepool boosts animals' health and longevity.

I tin't find an equivalent study in guinea pigs, only in 2013 Dr Dan O'Neill and colleagues at the Regal Veterinary College in the United Kingdom reported that mongrels live on boilerplate ane.2 years longer than purebred dogs.

And it'south likely that hybrid guinea pigs also live longer on average than pedigree guinea pigs.

Diet And The Life Expectancy Of Guinea Pigs

Is a republic of guinea hog's lifespan determined solely by its genes?

Definitely not! Their genes are only part of the story.

What they eat and how much they weigh can besides add guinea pig years or take them away.

Republic of guinea pigs need plenty of hay, fresh greens, and an advisable dry food.

Fruit and other treats are a fun manner to bond with your republic of guinea squealer and make certain they're getting plenty vitamin C, but information technology'south of import to find a salubrious rest.

Guinea pigs aren't typically overeaters, but if their diet has too much sugar in it they could go overweight. Carrying excess weight puts strain on their center and other organs, and can ultimately shrink their lifespan.

Other Factors For The Lifespan Of A Guinea Hog In Captivity

Guinea pigs are sociable animals. They're also pint-sized adventurers who similar mental stimulation.

Loneliness and boredom can exist very stressful for guinea pigs, and this is bad for their long term health in two means.

Firstly, colorlessness or loneliness often give rising to abnormal behaviors in guinea pigs. These abnormal behaviors may include chewing their fur or skin, which can make wounds that permit infection into the body.

Infections can be treated with antibiotics prescribed past your vet, but every infection also carries a risk of being fatal.

Stressed guinea pigs also produce more cortisol, the "fight or flight" hormone. Prolonged elevated levels of cortisol place a strain all of the body's functions, including the centre and the immune system.

Put merely, a bored or alone guinea sus scrofa'southward torso will wear out sooner.

Republic of guinea Pigs And Urinary Tract Issues

According to the VCA, guinea pigs are "very prone" to developing urinary stones.

Signs of these stones include anorexia and difficulty urinating, amongst others.

If y'all run across these signs, make sure to contact your vet right away. Your vet will cheque for urinary stones and a possible urinary tract infection.

If left untreated, this condition could become life-threatening.

Guinea Pigs And Hereditary Illnesses

Convenance within a confined gene pool can besides cause hereditary illnesses to become fixed, and even amplified in successive generations.

This has peculiarly been the case for roan and dalmatian guinea pigs.

The genes which code for roan and dalmatian coloring can also crusade blindness, dental problems, and abnormalities within the digestive system.

Republic of guinea pigs with these problems often dice prematurely when their digestive system fails.

Because of the way these genes are inherited, a responsible breeder can protect time to come pups by not breeding two roan guinea pigs or two dalmatian guinea pigs together.

Increasing Your Guinea Pig'southward Lifespan

So far we've largely looked at all the worrying information.

Now let's await at all the good news: the things we can do to help our guinea pigs live long and happy lives!

Here are the most of import steps you can have to give your guinea pig a long life:

• If you lot are ownership from a breeder, ask lots of questions well-nigh their family tree. Notice out how long their predecessors lived, and what their overall health was like.
• Unless yous plan to nowadays your republic of guinea pigs at shows, or brood them for profit, and then choosing a non-pedigree republic of guinea pig is likely to increase the amount of fourth dimension you take with them.
• Feed them an appropriate and balanced diet.
• Go along guinea pigs in pairs or herds, and brand sure they have access to a diverseness of enriching toys.
• Go them checked over by a vet one time a year, and seek treatment for health problems promptly in between check ups.

How Long Exercise Texel Guinea Pigs Live?

Texel guinea pigs are a relatively new breed, and equally such they are however being learned near.

Yet, the average lifespan for a Texel is known to be nigh the same as the average lifespan of a guinea pig of another breed, averaging from four to seven years, with eight at the outside.

Most breeds of republic of guinea sus scrofa take the same hardiness and generally decent health. Therefore, nigh of them can expect to have nigh the aforementioned lifespan.

How Long Practice Mixed Breed Guinea Pigs Live?

The exception, as mentioned previously in this article, may be a republic of guinea pig of mixed parentage.

With hybrid vigor proven in other species, it'south quite likely that a mixed-breed guinea pig life expectancy may be a little longer than others.

However, factors such as surround, nutrition, practise, and social requirements all still play a large part in republic of guinea pig life span.

Oldest Living Guinea Pig

And so where does it finish? How long can a actually lucky guinea pig go on living?

There are many anecdotes of exceptionally old guinea pigs.

The Guinness Book of World Records entry for the world'southward longest living guinea hog was a boar in England called Snowball. He reached an extremely stately fourteen years and ten months erstwhile.

More recently, but unverified, a boar in Australia called Sweetie was reported to exist seventeen years old when he passed away.

Guinea Pig Lifespan Summary

These days, if yous follow the virtually upward to date advice for looking after guinea pigs, you should expect them to exist at least a five or six year delivery.

There's always a chance that with practiced genetics, environs, and nutrition, you could end upward with a long-lived guinea pig yourself!

It'south important to make sure that your republic of guinea hog eats well and has access to toys. As they are social animals, it'southward best for them to take companions.

In the last couple of decades some important advice about keeping guinea pigs has changed.

The importance of hay in their diet is meliorate understood and promoted, and welfare experts no longer recommend keeping guinea pigs with rabbits.

Making these changes can literally add years to a guinea pig's life.

How Onetime Is Your Republic of guinea Hog?

Do you lot take a guinea pig? Permit u.s. know how old they are in the comments below!

References and Further Reading

• Bradford, A. 2015. Guinea Pig Facts, LiveScience
• Weir, B. 1974 "Notes on the Origin of the Domestic Guinea-Pig." The Biology of Hystricomorph Rodents. Academic Press. pp. 437–446.
• Blue Cross
• O'Neill, D., et al. 2013 "Longevity and mortality of owned dogs in England", The Veterinarian Journal.
• Richardson, V. 2000. Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs.
• The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• Woolliams, J. 2012. "The influence of genetics and inbreeding on disease", In Practice.

This article has been extensively revised and updated for 2019.

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Source: https://squeaksandnibbles.com/guinea-pig-lifespan/

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