Pregnant Guinea Pig

Niamh42

We got 2 young guinea pigs about 3 months ago, 3 people checked them to make sure I had gotten 2 females but of course now they have entered adolescence and it has become very clear that we have a male and female and more than likely the female is pregnant.

I need advice as I have found very little useful advice on the web (Mostly all I get is "don't let them get pregnant" which is obviously useless at this stage.

Will it be ok to let the male stay in the cage with her until she has the babies? I know he will have to go into a separate cage straight away afterwards.

How long do the babies need to stay with their mother?

At what age will I be able to sex them and would a normal vet be able to sex them better than I will? (I thought these 2 were female too until about 2 weeks ago)

Any and all advice would be most appreciated!

loveisdivine

You will get the very best info from this forum - http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forum.php

They dont support intentional breeding but they are exceptionally helpful in cases like your own. Heres some of the basic info, I would advise you register there and start a thread with your specific questions. You will get all the answers you need. Plus theres is tonnes of info and help for caring for piggies in general.

FEEDING: All pregnant sows shouldnt be overfed, however they should always have both unlimited hay and unlimited pellets to eat at all times. Please feed them alfalfa hay also. It is high in calcium and energy for pregnant and nursing mums and growing pups. They should also have half a cup of mixed veg a day to top up their vitamins. Please do not ever feed Parsley during pregnancy as it is likely to cause premature labour and miscarriage.

COMPANIONS: If you have bought two guinea pigs from a pet shop it is highly likely they have been missexed and you may have a mixed pair. Please ensure that you get both guinea pigs sexed correctly by an EXPERIENCED vet or post pictures of your little ones genitals on here we can help you. If a male is in with a pregnant female he must be removed asap, as females go into season straight after birth and will be mated again putting a lot of strain on their bodies and stressing her out. Males may also unintentionally trample the young. If you have two females together both may be pregnant, if this is so please seperate them also as one sow going into labour can trigger the other and cause miscarriage. If the other female is not pregnant she may stay with the pregnant sow so long as she is not bothered by her, she may even help with the birth.

HOUSING No pregnant guinea pigs should be housed outdoors, they are safer, warmer and you are able to keep a much better eye on them inside. The unpredictable and sometimes very harsh British weather is no place for a mother and her young. Please try to put her in a quiter part of the house if at all possible. Piggies can delay labour if they are stressed.

WHEN WILL SHE HAVE THEM? It is very difficult to tell for sure when a piggie is going to give birth. In the last 3/4 weeks of the pregnancy you may be able to feel or see movements of the babies inside. In the last week or so her pelvis will seperate, however some sows do not open up till hours before birth, so its impossible to know. Some sows reportidly go off their food a bit and sit in the corner of their homes in the day before labour but this is very vaige?

WILL I NEED TO HELP? The majoraty of piggies have a smooth labour and occationally will have the odd stillbirth (most likely in larger litters). Most piggies will give birth in the dead of night quietly while no one is looking. If you are nearby or awake and lucky enough to be there then please be ready incase she needs a hand. Make sure you have a number of a good piggie vets on hand to call for advice if need be. If you do not have a good piggie vet have a look on our health and illness section where there is a list of recommended vets, or post and ask. You will need to call or get her to a vet if you see any of the following things: straining or squeaking with no babies coming, any kind of vaginal discharge with no babies, excessive salivating, not eating or collapse.

THE PUPS The babies will be born with open eyes/ears, and will running around straight away. They will drink milk from mum for around 21 days after birth. They will begin to eat solid food within a few days of birth and soon learn how to pick up hay/pellets and use the water bottle. Babies must be sexed before 3 weeks so that any males can be seperated at 3 weeks. Boys can be fertile from this age and could easily inpregnant any females in the cage, so they MUST be seperated. Please also note that baby piggies can squeeze through C&C grids so you will need to put up extra high sides to ensure no escapes happen. If you cannot sex your babies please take them to a good vet or post pictures on here or ask for help. Pups should not be rehomed before 6 weeks of age or 400g in weight.