Pregnant Guinea Pig

[slipperandpjsmum]

My friend is having some problems in her life and felt she could not cope with her pets. I have taken her guinea pigs, however, one is pregnant and any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks.

Anyone?

Hi. Don't know how much help I can be but I used to have housepigs before I had DS, and I've had surprise pregancy (mistook a male for another female). Is the guinea pig in question over 6 months old?

I've twice managed to buy pregnant guineapigs from the pet shop. They're excellent mothers and don't need any ultrasounds/visits to doctors/midwife....! I can't remember how long the gestation was but from memory the baby was born with fur and able to run around - although that seems slightly unlikely now I think about it. OBV they demand breastfeed and do BLW.

The mum also should be allowed to eat her placenta which they chomp up raw...

The only consideration is what to do with any boy babies you get... I think they get sexually mature at six weeks and so you'll need to have them sexed and then keep them separately before then or they'll make their mum's and sisters pregnant before you can say 'incest'....

One of the babies that my guinea pigs had was a boy and we actually got him neutered. The poor vet had a hideous time as the window between asleep and dead from anesthetic for a guinea pig is very small... but Badger survived :)

I am not sure but don't think she is 6 months old, does that make a difference? Her tummy is very big. Should I be making preparations in the hutch? Extra straw etc? Will she just give birth in the sleeping area?? She is with another two who are both boys, as my friend thought the girl was. Should I leave them all in together? I already have guineas and I plan to get everyone sexed by a vet following the birth and ensure they are split into single sex hutches/runs. I am finding all this very stressful - can you tell!!

You have good advice here. I mentioned 6 months as I remember reading that by a certain age (6 months I think) their pelvic bones fuse if they haven't had a litter and makes it more difficult. My Honey was over that age and I was really worried about her, but the vet said that intervention (ie CS would be more dangerous than the birth). She had 3 babies. 2 died. They were big and they looked like they were squashed on the way out. A third survived and I kept her and had the dad neutered.

I separated the mum and dad for the birth and didn't put them back together til little Tufty was about a month old and the dad was neutered. Honey, the mum, just got on with it. Knitter is right- you don't need to much for them. I used to have a very good book by a man named Peter Gurney who lives in his London flat with 100 guinea pigs.

you should separate her from the boys as she can get pregant again straight after birth, poor love! she'll also want her own space towards the end. if you keep her hutch near the other two, she can still squeak and talk to them so she doesn't get lonely. she could do with alfalfa as well as normal hay (you can buy it as cubes at petsathome) as could the babies when born. the babies are totally cute - basically tiny versions of mature guinea pigs - they start eating hay very early on, a few days after birth I seem to remember. if you introduce the boy guinea pig(s) to the other males from a very early age, they will hopefully accept them and then they can live together so less hassle with more cages.

It's more like a year for the pelvic bones to fuse, I think. Not that you can really do anything about that now, anyhow!

I'm jealous...

Eeeek baby guineas!! You lucky thing!!

I didn't know about the 12 month thing for guinea pigs and was planning on having baby guinea pigs with our girl gp. She is 13 months old now so too late isn't it? We've just found her a boyfriend and were thinking about her having a date soon but then decided to wait till spring. DD will be gutted.

Why don't you get some rescue guinea pigs instead? The rescue home are full of gps that need a good home.