Will guinea pigs mate at 6 years?

[VillyCazalet]

An experienced person I know has advised that they won't reproduce at this age - is this correct utter rubbish or somewhere in between?!

Missed a comma, hope you know what I mean!

Please don't risk it - pregnancy/giving birth is very dangerous for older sows.

The females find it almost impossible to give birth the first time if older. Please don't risk it :(

Thanks for your replies, yes I read about the problems if they haven't had a litter young, certainly wouldn't want to breed in any case.

I aquired this pair (had a thread, rescued from neighbour's) and they love spending supervised time together on the sofa! They don't do anything 'mate-y' !

I did read (I'm sure I didn't dream it) that they won't breed beyond 5yo.
And boars give up the urge to squabble after 5 yo (nice of them )

But YY, the risk to a sow is too high.

I beg to differ, Old Boy had romantic urges well into his 6th year Young Fatimus was very alluring. Regular readers will remember the time I found them doing the Conga under the dining room table

Poor Old Boy could only be trusted with the sows when they shared a teatime (see photo on my profile).

Fatimus and OB shared lap time together. He used to snuggle his face into her fur, but as soon as he got randy they were separated.

We were lucky or not to have not had a pregnancy. However a sow's pelvic fuses after a year old and if they haven't had a litter already, its high risk.

Thanks 70 - only one year to go until my lads stop bickering then

Aww bless, Old Boy got his ladies in his older years (like a Mills and Boon hero. they're always 37yo and rugged, the heroine is always 21 and chaste) so he had catching up to do

I do remember a thread about one of the pigs wriggling into an enclosure to cavort and the waiting with trepidation until it was a relief that nothing resulted [phew] piglet wise.

GP3 was a bumptious young boy, released from his batchelor lifestyle to life with his two girls...................... but they told him to go whistle , they've ""Been There, Done That, Have a Stall in Romford Market Selling the T-Shirts ""

Maybe younger boars wear themselves out?
My first boar fathered two litters but didn't make middle age .

Maybe boars get more mellow (but sows get more niggly? )

mine would still try. one of mine had a first litter at 4.5 (long story, rescue piggy). really not ideal but she and babies were fine. the pelvis doesnt fuse apparently, bit of an urban myth, but certainly it is harder for them to birth. certainly though you would not want a poor aged 6 pregnant sow!