Guinea pig how many toes

See our previous post on nail trimming for more on this. Also look out for spurs on the underside of the feet, usually the front ones. Some piggies will never get any, others may have them growing quite regularly.

Spurs that are large can be cut off VERY carefully with nail clippers to be on the safe side and avoid any potential knock on issues. In most cases the procedure is very simple and your pig will make a quick recovery. Whether or not your guinea pig keeps his extra toes, it is important to consider that polydactyly is a genetic condition. Some bloodlines of guinea pigs are more prone to the condition, but it can also occur due to inbreeding as recessive genes express themselves.

Poor breeding may also predispose your pig to other illnesses, so you should keep a close eye on the health of any polydactyl guinea pig in order to spot potential medical issues as early as possible. Milton Kazmeyer has worked in the insurance, financial and manufacturing fields and also served as a federal contractor. He began his writing career in and now works full-time as a writer and transcriptionist. His primary fields of expertise include computers, astronomy, alternative energy sources and the environment.

Guinea pigs can fart. Guinea Pigs do fart. This is due to the digestion process but can also be caused by the swallowing of air or trouble breaking down specific foodstuffs. If your Guinea Pig farts excessively or they appear to be bloated, this can indicate a more severe problem. Females can have estrous or fertile periods at any time of the year, but they are most common in the spring.

The estrous cycle length is 16 days. A female is fertile for about 6 to 11 hours, most often during night hours. Female guinea pigs begin a new estrous cycle shortly after giving birth. Guinea pigs are social creatures. They thrive off communicating and being around animals of their own species. That way, they can keep each other amused — plus, they can have cavy chats all day long!

Google Scholar. Select Format Select format. Permissions Icon Permissions. Article PDF first page preview. Issue Section:. You do not currently have access to this article. Download all slides. Sign in Don't already have an Oxford Academic account? You could not be signed in. Sign In Forgot password?