Ok so I left my guinea pig with a friend of my family when we went on vacation. He's had at least 6 guinea pigs and a few of them he bred. When he brought her back to us he said she may be pregnant just by the way her belly is forming more wide. He doesn't have any guinea pigs of his own now, but there is a possibility she was with male guinea pigs at the pet store. They were all in the same cage. And I noticed today that her nipples down there are starting to come out more than they ever were. I still don't understand how she could be, she's not even a year old yet...still a baby herself.
2006-07-20 13:38:59 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
Please, if nobody can give me a serious honest answer or tip please don't answer!
2006-07-20 13:40:03 · update #1
a good website is cavycompendium.com
toward the end of pregnancy she will rest and eat a lot. you should be able to tell if her size increases.
at some point you can feel the babies move inside her, but be gentle. lots of vitamin c and timothy hay.
guinea pigs can get pregnant at three months of age. BUT just in case you should seperate mom and male babies at three weeks.
don't use cedar bedding, it is very bad for pigs. pine bedding is better but still no the best.
from the sounds of she is pregnant though. find a vet who is experienced with guinea pigs or has at least some schooling on the medical care of exotic pets.
there is a book called the guinea pig adventures by karine jans that is very good when it comes to cavy care. you have to order online though...it is $25 though (yes, i realize it is a bit steep but there are plenty of books on guinea pigs that give inaccurate info).
babies are born with eyes open, fully furred, and will run around in less than 24hrs after birth. make sure there is a hiding place, some kind of hutch. a shoebox is perfect. cut an entrance for them...also a window if you would like.
you may hold babies as soon as they are born if you are main caregiver. the mom usually won't mind, but if she freaks put them back (i know...kimchee wouldn't let my mom hold babies, just me). mom won't hurt or disown babies if you touch them.
there is a risk factor though, mom may die giving birth. if that happens email me and give babies puppy formula.
good luck!
2006-07-20 13:54:16 · answer #1 · answered by JaSam 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Did the pet store tell you her exact age when you bought her?
Guinea pigs technically hit sexual maturity at about 3 weeks of age. That's when they can become pregnant, or start to feel the need to mate. People who breed pigs wait until the age of about 4 months - 1 year. After a year, they have already hit sexual maturity, and always will, but it becomes more dangerous if your looking to breed.
Pregnant sows (females) exhibit a grossly enlarged abdomen during the latter stages of pregnancy. It is not uncommon for their body weight to double during pregnancy. The time of delivery may be difficult to determine because of the relatively long gestation period and because pregnant sows do not build nests. However, the week before a sow is about to deliver a litter, a slowly widening separation of the pelvis develops just in front of the external genitalia. This separation reaches slightly more than 1 inch in the hours just before delivery.
I hope that helps. If you need more information let me know.
2006-07-20 20:45:00 · answer #2 · answered by Wants2know 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had a lot of guinea pigs and you'll notice that her sides will start bulging out. I had one guinea pig that was pregnant when I got it and it had just been around a male before I had bought it and she was a very young one too. Fortunately she had her babies and her and the babies were all healthy. Just keep an eye on her and you'll notice the sides of her stomach area just starting to bulge out that's the area that seems to be most noticeable on the guinea pigs when they get pregnant. Good luck.
2006-07-20 20:44:05 · answer #3 · answered by jljdc 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I came acorss this website and it had alot of good inforamtion I hope it helps you. Here is some of the information that it tells. It also shows pictures of the pregnant guinea so you can look to see if your is beginning to look like this one.
Signs of pregnancy include weight gain, the mother may start drinking more water, and you may be able to feel movement of the babies in the later stages (day 42).
2006-07-20 21:03:59 · answer #4 · answered by lynn_from_florence 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those nipples came out doesn't mean she's pregnant. I have a guinnea pig too. That means she's matured, and going to be a teenager soon. So don't worry. If her tummy is hard and getting big, that means she is pregnant.
And believe me, sometimes, they do get pregnant early. So why don't you try touching her tummy and see if she gets angry? If she doesn't, then she is not pregnant.
They protect their youngs.
2006-07-20 20:41:25 · answer #5 · answered by Scha 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Guinea Pigs should be mating when they are 5-7 weeks old...
Here are sites that have pictures of pregant guinea pigs (for you to compare:
http://www.diddly-di.fsnet.co.uk/breeding.htm
http://members.aol.com/bunrab/momtammy.html
http://www.pimms-pages.co.uk/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=7193&PN=1
http://images.google.com.au/images?hl=en&q=Pregnant%20Guinea%20Pig%20Pictures&btnG=Search&sa=N&tab=wi
Hope they help!!
2006-07-22 00:05:51 · answer #6 · answered by Fighting Dreamers 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well if she seems pregnant she must be because once they start having babies she will soon have another group coming! or go to the petstore or vet and ask or research.
2006-07-20 20:41:27 · answer #7 · answered by Lil' Mama 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Strange food cravings and morning sickness. Plus moodiness.
2006-07-20 20:40:13 · answer #8 · answered by dizbuster 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lift her towards the top of her cage, until she grabs on, and move your hand from underneath her...if she lets go, she's not pregnant, but if she holds on, she is...
2006-07-20 20:40:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
She's going to have babies. Ours had babies at 6 months old.
2006-07-20 20:40:25 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋