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Are all calico guinea pigs female?

Updated: 4/28/2022
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13y ago

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The majority of calico guinea pigs are female, any male guinea pig who is calico is a mutation. I'm not sure how well I can explain this, but basically there are color alleles (not sure if I spelled that right) on the X chromosome, so its a sex-linked trait. Because females have an extra X chromosome, One X chromosome needs to be shut down in every cell. If its not, it can cause serious problems, so the female body has safety mechanisms in place to assure its shut down and converted into a Bar-Body. Males only have one X and one Y chromosome, so they have the correct chromosome # and nothing needs to be shut down. So, back to the color allele on the X chromosome, Males receive 1 of those and Females receive 2. Now, If an organism, such as a human has the wrong chromosome # It can cause killer things like Cri du chats, or something less harmful like Down syndrome. Its not as serious with the sex chromosomes (ahh! Sorry about all of this back round info, its kinda hard to understand without knowing other stuff first) So, Lets say that one X chromosome contains the orange coat allele, and the other contains the black coat allele. There is a different allele on a different chromosome that provides base coat, lets say the phenotype is white. As the embryo is developing at random points the X chromosome is shut off. The X cells are shut off randomly, but in patches depending how far along development is. The sooner the X chromosome is shut off, the larger the patch will be. So if x chromosomes are shut off earlier, the guinea pig has smaller patches because the already shutoff cell don't replicate as much. The exact same things occurs in females of all species. Hopefully that's clear enough! Males shouldn't be calico because they only have one X chromosome, and the Y chromosome mostly contains stuff like "how to be male"

Sorry that this is so long! I hope its clear enough for you!

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Q: Are all calico guinea pigs female?
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You can put them together during mating season. That's all you can do.


Are male guinea pigs messier than females?

Yes, male guinea pigs are messier because of there gender. like all males they are messy. the female since they are feminine. try to put a male and a female guinea pig together the female will try to run.


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What is a better pet male or female guinea pig?

i personally think that if you are a female than a female guinea pig will bond with you better and if you are a male than a male guinea will bond easier i keep both males and females .. guinea pigs are great pets


Why can the male guinea pig not go with the female guinea pig?

Because the male and female guinea pig would breed constantly and you would have a major explosion in the population of guinea pigs within a few months. Also, male guinea pigs can be fairly territorial and have sometimes been known to eat the offspring if there isn't enough room in the cage for all of them.

Related questions

How do male guinea pigs act around female guinea pig?

You can put them together during mating season. That's all you can do.


Can all female guinea pigs have babies?

Most can if they are old enough


Are male guinea pigs messier than females?

Yes, male guinea pigs are messier because of there gender. like all males they are messy. the female since they are feminine. try to put a male and a female guinea pig together the female will try to run.


Why does your female guinea pig get restless?

it is not just the female guinea pig. all guinea pigs need exersise but never ever get a running wheel for the guinea pig their backs are so sensitive.


Do all guinea pigs have babies?

No, not all, only those that are female, have mated and become pregnant.


What do wild guinea pigs look like?

Guinea pigs are cuddly rodents, and they are probably the only kind of rodent that doesn't have a tail. they can be of all different colors besides pink, purple and blue, and they have ears like a mouse. they have 4 paws, and some have black eyes and some have red eyes, it depends on if it's albino or not. they have 4 teeth, 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom. they also have wiskers and cute little noses. full grown guinea pigs are about a foot long, and the largest guinea pig is the size of a football, and i must say, looks like one ;D


What is a better pet male or female guinea pig?

i personally think that if you are a female than a female guinea pig will bond with you better and if you are a male than a male guinea will bond easier i keep both males and females .. guinea pigs are great pets


Why can the male guinea pig not go with the female guinea pig?

Because the male and female guinea pig would breed constantly and you would have a major explosion in the population of guinea pigs within a few months. Also, male guinea pigs can be fairly territorial and have sometimes been known to eat the offspring if there isn't enough room in the cage for all of them.


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