Sometimes, small particles of fecal matter or meconium appear in the discharge. In common, by the end of a pregnancy, the pregnant guinea pigs load will have doubled; the piglets normally make up more than half of the sows weight. Some guinea pigs have swirls of long hair while others have a coat of soft, short hair. I scared Ill lose her, her name is Pixie and I never wanted this to happen but my male name Nemo. One more way to detect guinea pig pregnancy is the smell of the pet. Moms may continue to spot for up to 4-5 days after delivery, although 1-2 is more normal. Common pregnancy complications include metabolic imbalance, difficult birthing, and postpartum issues like seizures. She can be on alfalfa-based pellets though (or another form of additional calcium). On the other hand, boars should be at least 34 months old before mating. As a pet parent, youre likely looking for the best kind of bedding for your furry friends, something that also keeps odors to a minimum and poses no, Read More Best Bedding for Guinea Pigs: Top 6 Choices That Are Safe & ComfortableContinue, Did you know your cute cavy has teeth that never stop growing? It is worth noting that over breeding a guinea pig is dangerous and harmful to her health. As a proud piggie parent, it is both your duty and privilege to oversee your guineas nutrition and keep them healthy, happy, and well-fed. After the widening, is birthing within 12-24 hours or 24-48 hours? Your email address will not be published. If you see your sow bleeding, more than a tablespoon, dripping blood, or many pieces of bloody bedding with no babies, you are best advised to get to a vet. Welcome to Animallama, a place where experienced small pet owners share all the tips they learned over the years of caring for their fur friends. Hi there! Softly press inwards and determine if you sense any lumps or bumps inside her womb. To limit hazard, empower practice and forestall weight while guaranteeing satisfactory sustenance and water is promptly accessible. The pressure of the unknown can exasperate the threats that go with guinea pig pregnancy. How many babies can a guinea pig have at one time? Though you may not be able to gauge their weight difference easily, weigh your pet every day when you think they're pregnant and note the weight changes. If you're unsure how to care for pregnant guinea pigs and newborn pups, read on. An expectant guinea pig is one source of concern even to experienced pet owners. Fruit is high in sugar and can contribute to diabetes. The pregnancy of the guinea pig will be shorter if there is a larger litter size. Then she will start to clean off the sac from the face, then the body of the baby. Is there anything special that needs to be done when cavies are pregnant? Guinea pigs usually give birth during the day. Therefore, feed them with enough fresh hay, commercialized pellets, and clean water. As a guinea pig lover myself, I created a list of cute and funny gifts for guinea pig lovers that will surely be appreciated by the receiving party. The true respect they deserve. Otherwise, you risk starting an entirely new pregnancy cycle! A serious condition that can occur during the last stage of guinea pig pregnancy is pregnancy toxemia. Shares. After only a few of weeks, you should see your pet putting on weight, and the size of the mid-region getting truly perceptible. 2. Female guinea pigs can come back into heat 15 hours after giving birth. If youre going to breed your sow, be certain she is young enough, because when they are older than around six months their hip bones grow too closely together to permit easy birthing. Most guinea pigs give birth in the daytime hours. Dilationwidening the opening of the cervix. It is possible to make out fetuses 12 weeks after conception. This is how I could tell.https://youtu.be/dj6tfzZu1cYemail: guinafilms1@gmail.comFaceb. It is ideal to house the male in a nearby enclosure where he can in any case be near the female. Is It Safe to Breed Cavies? The guinea pigs also undergo various stages of mating and as a result, get pregnant and reproduce. When a guinea pig is pregnant the pelvic canal stretches as a result of hormonal secretion. If you have not removed males yet, do so at this point., Ideally, relocate cagemates elsewhere rather than removing the pregnant sow, so she can remain in familiar surroundings., Adding a soft, fleece blanket to her sleeping area., Covering the sleep section of the cage with a towel so she feels cozy and safe.. A List of Safe, Healthy Chewables for your CaviesContinue, Are you searching for an awesome guinea-pig-themed gift? Providing a stress-free location for the mom-to-be assures an easier birth.. If you see the baby partway out, and the Mom is making no effort to help it, and you are SURE it is a baby, then you can gently try and help maneuver the baby out. Labor: . Nonetheless, if your little friend becomes pregnant, get ready to sufficiently support them throughout the process. 0. The person I got her from lied to me about her being with a male. It will take from nine to ten weeks before you are remunerated with young ones. If you were unaware of it before, guinea pigs mate early and often which means different genders should be separated when kept as pets. Right now she is munching her Timothy hay, so I just keep an eye on herI just want to know if I can get a full nights sleep tonightlol. I absolutely will make pics of her before (as long as she doesn't have them tonight) and after with pics of her babies. But usually, by the second day, they realize that no one else is tending to these little noisy creatures so they might as well do it. Female guinea pigs sexually mature as early as 2 months of age. Weigh your sow weekly to be certain she is gaining weight at a regular pace. Contractions that range from mild (during early labor) to strong (during active labor) Effacementthinning of the cervix. Getting a pet for yourself is a big responsibility in itself. The baby guinea pigs can be physically felt 2 to 4 weeks into pregnancy. Copyright 2023 - VIVO Pets. Apart from injuring your sow, they may attempt to mate or impregnate her soon after birth. I named her Janice. I even have an emergency vet lined up if needed. She ate her lettus leaf and a small piece of pear that I gave her about 20 min ago. Monitor a pregnant sow's behavior closely as delivery date approaches. They will lick and lick till you think she is trying to remove their fur. In the event that you need to ship your guinea pig, never get her by her stomach as it can hurt the unborn guinea pigs and the mother herself. Prior to pregnancy, the two lovebirds should mate. Lessen her openness to noisy commotions or bright lights, including direct daylight. Somewhere around week 5-6, the abdomen and hindquarters of the pregnant guinea pig will be markedly enlarged.. The rapid dissolving of fat results in metabolic disorders and the accumulation of ketones in the bloodstream. This is easily detectable by squeezing the teats. Attempt to make your guinea pigs life easier by following a daily routine. This is because the strain and pressure implicated puts at risk the life of a female guinea pig. Cheers, Adrian @ GuineaPigCare.com.au, Adrian, thank you so much for making this post. Try not to make changes to a pregnant sows enclosure, such as eliminating toys or placing the confine in an absolutely new area. The estrous cycle takes 21 days. Strong, frequent contractions. Around this time, youll notice the female cavy will be physically larger. A few proprietors have brought a young guinea pig home, to find that she is pregnant as of now! Thread starter GPonnett Start date Aug 25, 2010; GPonnett Well-known Member. Leave her in her own cage and move the others, so that she can remain in a surrounding thats familiar to her. The whole process from first contraction to last baby can be as short as 15 minutes, and up to 40 minutes depending on how many babies she has. This can occur from 2 weeks before until 2 weeks after the birth. Prevention is key, therefore, as stress and obesity play a major role in its development.. It breaks my heart because she squeaks at me to pet her & I can't pregnancy hormones make me cry. I have even felt them grinding their teeth. Although the guinea pig gestation period varies, the guinea pig gestation period typically lasts between 59-72 days. It will look like she is grabbing a poo to eat. One more thing. During this time, you must keep the boars away from the sows. NEVER try and pull anything out of the Mom. As she goes into labor she will release out a cry. They pace and build nests with straw or available materials. Even if your pet has completed the farrowing process, there are vital signs you should observe. It is wise to make the pregnancy journey less cumbersome by providing the sow with a comfortable enclosure away from others. A healthy guinea pig should have no problem going through labor. Those fertile periods can occur during any time of the year, but most frequently during spring. About 5-10 minutes will pass before she has more contractions and has the second . Duration of guinea pig pregnancy depends on the number of pups: the larger the litter the shorter the pregnancy. Pregnancy is very difficult for guinea pigs, with at least. A neutered male guinea pig can still impregnate a female. They interact with voices and gestures to show you everything they feel. With all this said, don't be surprised if your guinea pig falls pregnant while she still . Nonetheless, at this stage, allow the female cavy to eat and drink as much as she would like. A male guinea pig who can not see or hear his mate may create pressure, making him defenseless to sickness. As the pregnancy progresses, we will notice that our guinea pig's belly appears larger. As she goes into labor she will release out a cry. This could expand her pressure and influence her eating and drinking habits. Risk reduction includes preventing obesity in the mother guinea pig and providing adequate energy in the diet late in gestation. In the event that a female guinea pig has been in the presence of a hog, at that point she will have unquestionably attempted to accomplice and has a high possibility of getting pregnant. Copyright 2023 mypetguineapig.com. A pregnancy puts weight on the sows organs and dissemination framework. How can you tell if the sow has become pregnant? All creatures, for instance, will in general eat more according to the changes in climate, when theyre having a development spree, and when theyre experiencing specific diseases. Hmmm, wonder how many the hubby will let me keep. However, even without the mothers milk baby guinea pigs can survive feeding only on solid food. Joined Jun 13, 2010 Posts 178. . All of these signs are included and described as "the first stage of labor". When pregnant the pelvic area relaxes due to the hormonal changes. Male guinea pigs are very territorial so when they mate they spray the female with their urine. Before pregnancy, the two lovebirds must mate. You should be watchful of the sow, because you really wont notice any difference in her appearance for the first few weeks. After you dry it off, put it back down beside the Mom. If the female approves of the male, she will signal her acceptance to mate with loud squeaks. The sow starts to prefer fruits and vegetables with high vitamin C content. Keep a watchful eye on her eating habits. If there are male guinea pigs present at the time of birth, they will compete between themselves to mate with the mother and protect the newborn guinea pigs. The litter size ranges from 1 to 8 pups, but a litter of 2 to 4 is more common. I am a little glad that there are more because that means they will be smaller, but I don't want too many. Sometimes its the uterus lacking contractions; sometimes its a pup ending up stuck in the birth canal. Guinea pigs eat more when they're pregnant. During this time, it is normal for females to double their weight. I have had sows that have run to the opposite end of the cage, like they are terrified! You might notice an increase in vaginal discharge that's clear, pink or slightly bloody. The guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) displays many features of gestational physiology that makes it the most translationally relevant rodent species. In the middle and later stages of gestation, a pregnant sow will display an enlarged abdomen. Other potential complications are prolapse, retained placenta, uterine tears, etc. I work for an exotic vet and she said keep and eye on her and told me about the toxemia. Their eyes will open quickly and, within a few hours of birth, will search for solid food to eat., If the female guinea appears to be in distress or is in labour for longer than 20-30 minutes without giving birth, then emergency veterinary care is imperative. For an effective process, ensure that your pregnant sows consume fresh veggies and fruits hay each day. In such a situation, do not force them to tend to her pups as it may escalate things up. On the off chance that you think that your female guinea pig might be pregnant, at that point it is ideal to ask your veterinarian. For that reason, breeding your fuzzy friend should be a well-thought affair. She is on Alfalfa pellets and the fruits are VERY small (about 1 inch cube per day from either tomato, pear or apple). A visit to the vet will help determine if your cavy is pregnant. Avoid over-feeding her, however, because by the time she moves into the latter stages of pregnancy it will be difficult if shes carrying extra body fat. A female cavy uses a lot of her energy during this time, and thus requires a healthy, balanced diet that is appropriate for her during gestation.. Before going into labor some guinea pigs produce grunt sounds. Any apparent change of behavior in means of lethargy, anorexia, or depression can be a sign of sickness. I just wanted to know what signs they have so I can know if I can get a good nights sleep or not. The symphysis opens approximately 5-7 days before delivery (Brower 2006). Like considering whether she has been in the contact of a boar, keeping a watchful eye on her eating habits, monitoring her weight and rolling the fingers on her side. It tends to affect overweight sows delivering their first and second litter. The afterbirth will be a round flat bloody object ranging in size from a nickel to a quarter. Dogs, cats, rats mice and reptiles go off their feed a little, but I know guinea pigs usually don't. Each pup will have its own amniotic sac, and usually the mother removes it and eats it. Check out these most popular guinea pig products on the market: Last update on 2023-02-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. Guinea pigs arrive at sexual development early, some when they are only five weeks or a month and a half old. Their gestational period may last between 59 - 72 days. The age of the sow plays a huge row in making the decision. 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. 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