Supplement the mother guinea pig's diet with calcium. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. *Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. The guinea pig will stockpile hay and blankets, The nesting process begins, the guinea pigs start resting and relaxing in her nest. Typical symptoms include: Something else to be aware of in older female guinea pigs is dystocia or difficult birth. and factors such as age or relation are not something they worry about! When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. One example of this is the presence of too much blood in the birthing process. Etiology: Two forms have been identified, both of which most commonly occur in pregnant or lactating guinea pigs, but can also occur in non-gravid females as well as boars [1]: Fasting form: reduced carbohydrate intake results in systemic mobilization of fat stores. Female guinea pigs (or sows) have a pregnancy of 68 days (range 59-72 days) and an average estrous cycle length of 17 days (range 13-25 days). [5] Alfalfa hay is high in calories and calcium. So sorry to hear that Moo is not doing so well, if she she is gassy you could try baby gripe water and buscopan to help ease it as per peter guerneys advice but not sure how this would work with the injections the vet has been giving. I 1000% recommend home and roost, there hutches are very well made, the wood is thick and there super sturdy when together, I did have a few issues with a missing door and divider and also a few cracked parts however their customer service team are 5 and sorted everything for me the same day and sent new parts out Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The typical gestation period for this species is 59 to 70 days, so by the time guinea pigs start to show a larger abdomen they may be well into their pregnancy. Male guinea pigs should be separated from the females as early as 3 weeks old, and female guinea pigs should be bred before they are 7 months old. Feeding a mix of alfalfa-based diet during pregnancy and right after birth could help supplement the calcium need. Females can get pregnant from 6 weeks old. 2 Continue to encourage exercise & prevent obesity to minimize the risk of problems in the pregnant sow. Which Ones? We will talk about these and also a few other things you might need to know about guinea pig pregnancy. Baby guinea pigs are called pups. Overstress can also be a reason for phantom pregnancies. Self-induced breeding by the owners may not be as efficient and healthy as the normal one initiated by the guinea pigs themselves. Should I separate my pregnant guinea pig? Indeed, females should be bred within 3-8 months of their age. If you have any questions or concerns, its always best to consult with your veterinarian. So heres the thing. Dont let the family cat or dog (or any small children!) It also gets painful for us to decide by looking at their behavior because they have all symptoms which are there in pregnancy like mood swings, and overeating. It is also possible that you have to handle mood swings, elevated hunger, and unusual behaviors. green leafy vegetables. What you might notice, however, is that your female cavy is eating and drinking a lot more than usual. This refers to the time between your guinea pig becoming pregnant and its offspring being born. Congratulations to our Photo Competition Winner - @fur&feathers. At first, we thought we could detect 3 guinea pig babies. Changes in food unless instructed otherwise. Perhaps, the litter of size comprising 2-4 babies is more commonly seen. Avoid holding them from either sideway of the abdomen as it might cause miscarriage. You really should be a proud business because you always go above and beyond, thank you so much for your help. Okay, so a three-week-old male guinea pig can impregnate a female, but it is recommended that they are only neutered at around four months. Yes, guinea pigs will sometimes eat their babies. Jordin does not like to settle for the "easy answer" when it comes to living life with your pet. (Causes & What to Do), What Should Guinea Pig Poop Look Like? How to reduce stress in your guinea pigs? Enter search terms to find related veterinary topics, multimedia and more. 1. Before this age, your female guinea pig still has the ability to widen her pelvis right before birth. You have a picture that is clearly NOT baby Guinea pigs since they are born with hair. I cannot fault this company. By day 50, her body began to look like a pear. Do Guinea Pigs Hit Puberty? When they are born, they are born with hair, teeth, and the ability to walk around. A female guinea pig can fall pregnant immediately after giving birth. She will engage in this behavior for at least 20-30 days, and after this, a phantom pregnancy comes to an abrupt halt, and guinea pigs return to normal. Most resources stated that whatever you decide, it is best to make sure that your female is not being bullied and is getting enough to eat. The mother has a single pair of mammary glands from which the newborns will nurse until about 3 weeks of age. This means that males must be separated from females until the procedure can be done. Finally, it is important to try to keep the diet as consistent as possible for the duration of the pregnancy. Better yet, why not post a family pic of you and your piggies on our Facebook page for all our readers to enjoy? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sponge started to get bigger and bigger and gradually got agressive to her 2 sisters - we thought she was heavily pregnant and we all swore we could see babies moving. #1 I think it's called Phantom pregnancy. Can Guinea Pigs Have Phantom Pregnancies? While we provide information resources and canine education, the content here is not a substitute for veterinary guidance. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A typical guinea pig litter size of 2 4 is most common with a range of 1 to 8 pups. I wonder if my guinea pigs belly is curved from the top is she pregnant?? If your wish is to breed your guinea pig, the best time to breed is before your female turns 7 months old. So better not rush, and get your pet checked by a vet for certainty. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Breeding| Things to Consider before Breeding Guinea Pigs. Providing the Right Environment During Pregnancy, Tips for Caring for a Pregnant Guinea Pig, Signs That a Guinea Pig is About to Give Birth, Skinny Pig The Ultimate breed and care guide, Guinea Pig Teeth 8 signs of dental issues, how to spot them and what to do, What can Guinea pigs eat? They shouldnt be touched or held right after their birth. If you have the habit of weighing her daily (maybe youre keeping an eye out for pregnancy), you will notice it early on as just a few grams of weight gain each day. Although it is not possible in guinea pigs to stop false pregnancy, even if your guinea pigs leave alone, she can experience phantom pregnancies. Litter size varies. LittleFurryPets.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This is an overview of how to take care of pregnant guinea pigs and babies. Spaying/neutering is a surgical method to remove reproductive organs from a male or a female pig. Amazing service, thank you! Use the search! With one hand and without applying pressure, gently feel the sides of your sow. Apart from preventing pregnancy, it is also done to avoid uterine cancer and lump formation in females mammary glands, whereas to prevent testicle infection in males. I had a problem with the payment via Paypal, and the problem was resolved almost instantly via live chat. Ultimately, if you are wondering how to tell if a guinea pig is pregnant with complete certainty, the only answer is to take your guinea pig to a veterinarian for a pregnancy test. According to a guinea pig, there is no difference between phantom and genuine pregnancy. Pregnant guinea pigs may kick or bite other . But there is vast variation, depending on the age and sex of the hog and the time of year. products and they're lovely too. Though male spaying is more preferable than the female due to ease in surgery. Who expects an online order to arrive the following day (or early the day after that, my memory fails me)? The gestation period in guinea pigs could be anywhere between 59-72 days. A guinea pigs gestation period is around 3 months. You will want to make sure that you remove any males because your female can become pregnant again within hours of giving birth. Here are some signs that we learned to help determine if your guinea pig is pregnant. The problem is .. Also, the babies reach sexual maturity early too, so its possible for the dad to impregnate the female babies. (Normal & Abnormal Poop). However, lumps that might see you as a pregnancy sign could also be a cyst(a health condition). Circulatory form: compression of the aorta causes a . And most importantly, take appropriate care and heed to their needs and demands. Spaying at an early age can keep her hormones under control and reduces the chances of stress based ovulation. If there are piglets, you will be able to feel little lumps. A female is fertile for about 6 to 11 . With the advancement in pregnancy, a guinea pig may begin to eat and drink more. They will be able to do a proper examination and confirm whether or not there are guinea pig pups in your future. If you do feel lumps, it would be wise to take your guinea pig to the vet to check for pregnancy. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The link you have selected will take you to a third-party website. On a light note, neutering will also let you keep a population check on these little animals. Guinea pig's phantom pregnancy can last up to 20-30 days, and it can last longer in some cases. Will be think of you both, ring if you need to chat hun x. Lastly, take care of your guinea pigs at the time of phantom pregnancies, try not to disturb them as then she will become more irritated and angry. Great communication / customer service, fab. "Pre-pandemic in 2019, we averaged a little under 400 guinea pigs a year coming in throughout the year. Spaying is not a permanent solution to phantom pregnancies but has many health benefits for guinea pigs. A Guinea pig will start making the nest. Free next-day delivery and customer service is second to none. Male guinea pigs will typically mate with almost any willing female guinea pig. However, both males and females can mature and be fertile even earlier. No, spaying will not prevent phantom pregnancies. It is a psychological behavior that makes them believe that they are pregnant when they are not. Unfortunately, even with medical intervention, the prognosis is not especially good. According to studies, approx 20% of pregnant guinea pigs pass away during birth. Ever since finding out that our guinea pig is a girl and might be pregnant, we have learned all that we could about how to care for a pregnant guinea pig and her babies. Pregnancy is a fact of life, and if you own a female guinea pig, it is something you may have to deal with. If you give your piggy a varied diet of pellets, fruits and veggies, she may favor the vitamin C-rich ones while pregnant, as they need more of this nutrient during this time. So, when its time to give birth and your piggys pelvis cant get bigger, she and her babies can die from birth complications, unless a cesarean is performed. The number of pups a sow is carrying will determine the duration of the pregnancy, For example, a pregnancy with one pup will be 70 days, whereas a pregnancy with six pups will be between 65 and 67 days. These little critters can be one solid color, two colors, or tri-colored! Avoid interaction of the mother with the other male guinea pigs for weeks after delivery, because getting pregnant again in succession is not healthy for them. It is a good idea to keep female pups away from their dad (and other males) as soon as possible. If anything is disturbing them like loud noises, you can take her to a separate room and groom her. The estrous cycle length is 16 days. As they grow, the opening fuses and becomes a stiff bony bridge. Guinea pigs, on average, give 5-6 litter per year. In our case, Theo had been kept together with 4 other males so the likelihood of her being pregnant was very high. Please confirm that you are a health care professional. What is the best age to breed a female guinea pig? These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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