Right. Publisher: Pergamon. If you let your guard down after one litter being born, without watching the females interaction with un-neutered males, the mother who just delivered a litter could get knocked up once again! Male guinea pigs can impregnate a female at as young as 3 weeks old and a female guinea pig can become pregnant at as young as 4 weeks old, so don't be doubtful if your guinea pig is pregnant due to age. Right? Handbook of Rodent and Rabbit Medicine. The female doubles in weight and hence gets bigger in size too during pregnancy. Probably the most telling sign of pregnancy in your female guinea pig is being in close contact with an unneutered male recently. Left untreated, both the mother and the pups will die. It's important to remember you have The Exotic Animal Hospital of Orlando in your corner if you feel like your guinea pig is unwell at any point during her pregnancy. These pups may die within a few days of birth, or may live for several years. Use to remove results with certain terms Doing otherwise can cause pregnancy complications or miscarriage. The estrous cycle length is 16 days. Guinea Pig Vomit: Everything You Need To Know. When you are sure the birth is over, you can assist the sow in cleaning by removing any stained bedding. Make note of all the foods that you offer her, with the quantity and time. Female guinea pigs (sows) typically mature sexually at 2 months of age (55 to 70 days). But as blissful as it is for a mother to give birth to children, it is also stressful and painful.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'pocketpetcentral_com-box-4','ezslot_3',104,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-pocketpetcentral_com-box-4-0'); So, as your guinea pigs are part of your family, you should take care of them just as well as you would take care of a pregnant sister or wife or mother! As a general rule, the larger the litter, the shorter guinea pig gestation tends to be. ", Scary after reading all this. If you show negligence in ensuring that your guinea pig could handle the pregnancy, you are not only putting the mothers life at risk, but also that of the babies in the litter. They can begin breeding as young as two months in some cases. So you should. Diseases such as toxemia are caused easily in pregnant females. Individual pet owners should not attempt to breed guinea pigs, according to experts, for two very important reasons: We had no idea of when Theo would have become pregnant, so we just counted the days from when we brought her home. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. He was lonely, so my family decided to get a girl for him to. It is not very different from human pregnancy. The latter logic transcends the former. A female is fertile for about 6 to 11 . Things to RememberAbout Guinea Pig Pregnancy and Breeding, Terms and Conditions for Pocket pet central, Keeping them in the rooms of your home where loud noises cant be heard, Guinea pigs tend to get stressed when they do not have a pattern in their food, drinking, and outdoor timings. Fruits should usually be given sparingly to guinea pigs because the acid can give them mouth ulcers. Is she pregnant? If you feel something and you're not certain what it is, then consult your veterinarian. Moreover, neutering does not take immediate effect. Support wikiHow by I love animals! Alfalfa hay is great for pregnant, nursing and young guinea pigs but the calcium content is too high for normal guinea pigs as a build-up of calcium can cause bladder stones. But even if your locality has cold weather, it is still worth enough to take your guinea pig to the vet. The intercourse with an unneutered male guinea pig causes pregnancy in a female obviously. Excess vitamin C is passed in the urine so cant be over-dosed, but other vitamins can build up and create problems. If you have any concerns regarding your guinea pig's health or well-being, contact us today at 407-286 . Right? A local breeder may also be willing to help. Keeping a clean hutch will prevent a build-up of ammonia from urine. Just because they are the pups of a familiar guinea pig, this does not mean that they will be accepted immediately. So follow a routine. But that should be done only when you are present to monitor. Again, it could also be because of fat. You should be able to implement it. Weigh your sow weekly to be certain she is gaining weight at a regular pace. The minute you are sure your guinea pig is pregnant, make sure you get it to your vets attention. The more the number of baby guinea pigs, the shorter is the period of pregnancy. Not knowing how to care for your furry pal when shes pregnant makes the whole thing scary, while knowing all about it makes the news heartening. I grew up with everything from dogs and cats to rabbits and guinea pigs. By this time, your pet's pelvic bones will have widened enough to make way for the pups . To learn more about what to expect during the pregnancy, read on! The Merck Veterinary Manual was first published in 1955 as a service to the community. With cute little fingers, hair, and adorable teeth, open ears & eyes, they are just the apt definition of awesomeness! Since guinea pigs attain sexual maturity as early as 6 weeks in their life, even young guinea pigs are bound to get pregnant. Four read more . Selective feeding is where the guinea pig chooses the tastier bits of food over less tasty but often more nutritious foods. I enjoy learning about pets and to share what I learn with others. Is it OK to leave the non-pregnant girl with the pups? They interact to convey everything they feel, with distinct voices and physical gestures, irrespective of the nature of the emotion. For young guinea pigs, this may include supplementing her diet with Critical Care of a similar product. The gestation period in guinea pigs varies between 59 and 72 days. If pregnant, your guinea pig may have a single piglet or up to 3-4. Dystocia is a birth delivery problem where the unborn babies are not able to exit due because the mother is unable to dilate fully. The pups do not require a heat lamp or heating pad. But doctors these days make the surgery sound like the only choice so that they could fill their pockets. Giving her higher quality hay, more fruits & vegetables, essential nutrient pellets, abundant fresh water, are all things that should be done even when she is not pregnant. they were both female and have been living together. If you feel lumps under your fingers this is a sign the female is pregnant. At what age can you neuter your guinea pig? At birth the pups should weigh roughly 2 to 3 oz. Guinea pigs have a much shorter timeline of pregnancy than humans. Yeah, tests are very very important to take appropriate care of your pregnant guinea pig. In long-haired breeds, it gets even worse. The link you have selected will take you to a third-party website. But that does not mean a complete compromise of their hygiene. ", care of my guinea pig and I am so sure that she is healthy and will have my little baby friends soon! In addition, you may want to increase your guinea pig's fiber intake. Pups from small litters are usually bigger than pups from large litters. Laber-Laird & Flecknell. Female guinea pigs can become pregnant as early as two months of age. Grooming requires a lot of handling. Only a skilled and experienced veterinarian should attempt to manipulate the position of pups before they are born. The estrous cycle length is 16 days. One, it could be your baby guinea pigs. Use OR to account for alternate terms I would start looking up local guinea pig rescues so they can take some babies and help getting all the pigs fixed before she gets pregnant again (this can happen very fast after she gives birth). Never offer the same vegetable two days running. Then, the ultrasound probe is placed on skin and emits a high-frequency sound that is inaudible to human ears. Adults are no longer growing but still require macro-nutrients like fiber and protein, as well as micro-nutrients like the vitamins and minerals that are found in a timothy hay-based, uniform fortified food. A guinea pig's pregnancy lasts about 9 or 10 weeks. Spaying or neutering of pet guinea pigs can be done by a veterinarian experienced in dealing with small animals, but the surgery can be expensive and does carry risks. 2 Observe her eating habits. Starting from how to know if your guinea pig is pregnant, to how to care for a pregnant guinea pig, to all characteristics of the gestation period, to the birth of the litter, I will lead you through every little detail of guinea pig pregnancy in the upcoming sections of this post! If they do survive the first week they have a shorter than normal life expectancy and will require large amounts of medical care throughout their lives. Do not crowd the mother have only one person in the room, but another on standby to make calls if necessary. But that isnt the case in guinea pigs. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. That's right, in many cases guinea pigs are pregnant for less than two months before they give birth to their litter. Guinea pigs should be split into same-sex groups at 3 weeks old. We do not control or have responsibility for the content of any third-party site. Find out the Stages Of Pregnancy By Week. The ultrasound will also be able to confirm how many pups there are, and how many of them are alive. All rights reserved. Guinea pigs reach sexual maturity early in their life- as early as six weeks!if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'pocketpetcentral_com-leader-1','ezslot_6',108,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-pocketpetcentral_com-leader-1-0'); So, remember that when you are wondering about the probable pregnancy of your guinea pigs. If the food has been stored for a while at the retail outlet, the chances are the vitamin C content is already negligible by the time you open the bag. We read that the more babies she is carrying will result in a shorter pregnancy. If the weight does not pick up, or a pup does not improve with additional feeding, consult the vet. The mothers lactation period lasts for about two or three weeks. While a female guinea pig is in estrus and he spends time with her overnight, results in her pregnancy. Shortly after giving birth, guinea pigs begin a fresh estrous cycle that lasts only about half a day. Stress is one of the most common reasons for death in guinea pigs, during pregnancy no less! So it is well over 3 months since the operation. Also called as parturition in scientific terms, the birth, of course, is the part where the litter is delivered. Do not rely on foods that list added Vitamin C as an ingredient. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years. However, guinea pigs often do not react well to surgery, anesthesia, or being kept in unfamiliar surroundings. Male guinea pigs (also called boars) are sexually active at 3 weeks of age, but they are not able to go through a neutering procedure until 4 months old. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. have company. Mother starts making "extreme" stress calls, Mother seems to give in, appearing exhausted, Excessive bleeding (more than a tablespoon). 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