We all know that the human gestation period (approximate time between the egg being fertilized and the birth of a baby) is 9 months, but did you ever wonder about the time it takes for our pets? Below there are a list of some of the most common pet gestation periods, how many babies (on average) and what the names of the babies are.
More Usual Pets
- Dogs ~ 63 days
- 3-10 puppies depending on the breed. Smaller breed dogs usually have small litters, and the bigger breeds have larger litters (have seen up to 16 Rottweilers in on litter years ago).
- Cats ~ 63 days
- 2-5 kittens
- Rabbits ~31 days
- 3-12 kits
- Hamsters ~ 22 days
- 12 pups
- Ferrets ~41 days
- 6-8 kits
- Guinea pigs ~ 70 days
- 2 pups
Fun Pets
- Cows ~ 280 days
- 1 calf
- Goats ~ 140 days
- 1-2 kids
- Elephants ~ 645 days (over two years!)
- 1 calf (thank goodness!)
- Skunks ~ 66 days
- 2-10 kits
- Squirrels ~ 35 days
- 5-6 kits
- Water Buffalo ~310 days
- 1 calf
- Llamas ~ 330 days
- 1 cria
- Porcupine ~210 days
- 1 porcupette (or baby)
- Opossum ~ 12 days (so short)
- 3-20 joeys (but unfortunately few survive)
Written by: Lisa Clifford RVT, Practice Manager
