oh my gosh she is pregnant!

**Sam0214** · #1 04-08-04, 11:18 am

I think my GP is pregnant! I bought her from Petland on Feb. 14th so today is 8 weeks that I have had her.
I went to pick her up this morning and she screamed like I hurt her belly when I picked her up...so I got to thinking about what the other poster said about being able to feel the babies move at 6 weeks along...well I put her back in her cage right away..and I put my hand on her belly or side of her belly and I could feel them moving!!!! Me being a mom too I know how she must feel!! So I had to double check again..because you never know...and I felt the same type of movment again. She is also very well rounded in the back end...I thought I was over feeding her so I cut back

If I would have known!

Then yesterday I put her in with a male..and she about killed him. So I took them apart...you dont think she could have hurt the babies by fighting do you?? Darn it..I am so upset at myself for this..but I dont know how I could have ever known that she was pregnant. Pet land said that they thought she was 8 weeks old when I bought her.

My first step in preparing for this is to find a home for the male (spike). I know he is not the dad because I just got him 3 days ago. I took him in for a friend that could no longer afford him. I'm going to have to use his cage to wean the babies when they are ready. WHAT A MESS! what am I going to do here...what if she has like 8 pups??!! I am a nervous reck now.

Anyone is the Illinois area?

Ok thanks for any advice...I just want her and the babies to live ...I love her and not only do I do but my daughter does too.

**mom to cujo** · #2 04-08-04, 11:34 am

Wow! What a surprise. I just hope everything turns out all right because I know how much I love my piggie. I'm sure all will be fine and I hope you'll keep us posted. Good luck

**Rosebud_Arabian** · #3 04-08-04, 11:47 am

Hello.

We used to breed Pigs years ago. If she is pregnant then she will be like a dish. They are pregnant for 10 weeks. Its not hard to raise little ones, they must be apart at 4/5 weeks as this is when the babies will become sexualy active. This is her first litter she will not have 8 otherwise she will be HUGE, the first litter will be about 2-4 babies. Hope this helps

**SpikenCal** · #4 04-08-04, 03:39 pm

It looks like you got much more than you bargained for.
I'm in Illinois, 25 miles south of Chicago. If you're in the vicinity, I might be interested in a female. My husband is still getting used to the fact that I snuck in a second one a couple of months ago. Also in this area is a place called The Critter Corral. They take in and find adoptive homes for guinea pigs. They have a website, crittercorral.org, and are very dedicated to finding good homes for their pigs but they are also very useful if you need info on care, vets, etc. Make sure you have a good gp vet lined up, that and some good research on caring for a pregnant sow will make you much more comfortable.
Best of luck to you!

**Sam0214** · #5 04-08-04, 08:20 pm

Ok so I'm not really sure how far along she really is. I have had her for 8 weeks and I dont know when she concieved. So she could be like 9 or more weeks along! I just cant believe this. It just doesnt seem real. We dont have a vet for 100 miles of us that works with GP! We are out in the boonies....I guess I could try a regular vet anyways and see what they can do for her. Thanks for all your help...

Tonight I went out and bought her tons more veggies and fruits that are high in Vit. C. She had a feast..

.

Should I still be letting her have floor time? Is that still ok..because 2 days ago before I knew she was PG she was out running around on the floor with no problems??

thanks again

**Rosebud_Arabian** · #6 04-09-04, 12:12 pm

She will be fine, just be careful on how you pick her up. I let my Pig to have her babies alone, she was fine.

Suzie · #7 04-11-04, 09:04 am

Anyone is the Illinois area?

I am in the Saint Louis area...we are in the market for a baby GP or two if you aren't to far from here.

**Sam0214** · #8 04-11-04, 11:21 am

We are in the Rockford area. I'm not to sure how far away St. Louis is? She has not had her babies yet..so we still have some time to find homes for them. If you are still interested when the time comes let me know. I will try and post some pictures of her babies once she does have them.

**tashagurl** · #9 04-11-04, 08:27 pm

you dont have to get rid of your male right away. you can put her boy babies in with him and leave the girls in with her. the males like the babies untill they are about three months old. the mom will take care of weaninf the girls. if you worried about sexing them, one way to tell is watch the babies. if they walk around humming at thier mom and siblings chances are that they are male. if you have a rat or hamser cage you could use that temporarily to house them.Sorry i dont live in illionis. i live in San Diego. good luck with our pregnancy.

**SpikenCal** · #10 04-12-04, 08:03 am

You're about 4 1/2 hours from St Louis, and 1 1/2 - 2 hours from me near Chicago. Probably the best option for adopting out the babies right now is word of mouth. Get the word out that you'll have babies available 6 weeks after the birth. It's best to give them to people you trust who won't mistreat them or feed them to larger animals. Also look into if there are shelters near you that specifically take in guinea pigs, hedgehogs, etc. I think in general that they're much more concerned with the pigs' well being than another larger shelter or pet store. Good luck!

**tashagurl** · #11 04-12-04, 04:17 pm

six weeks is way too long to keep the baby boys with their mother. gps are sexually mature at three weeks of age. they could get their mother of their sisters pregnant if you left them together for six weeks. most boys arnt fertile until they are a bit older, but i wouldnt want to take any chances. there always is the one that surprises you.

**Sam0214** · #12 04-12-04, 05:20 pm

tashagurl:

I know that you have to separate the males at 3 weeks of age and I plan to do so. I am going out to buy a second bigger cage this week. I just hope I can find homes for all of them....they say the first litter the sow can have up to 4 babies (or more) so I am trying to ask around now for people who want to take them in. If I cant find homes for them my last resort is to take them back to the pet shop where I bought the mom from 8 weeks ago. (not knowing she was pregnant!) Shops like this should not be able to sell GP's if they cant be responsible enough to at least separate the sow's from the boar's!!!

**tashagurl** · #13 04-12-04, 05:23 pm

the most my pigs have had in any litter was three. my fiends pig had five in her first litter though. its wise to be prepared.

**Jennie&Steve** · #14 04-14-04, 07:53 am

Congratulations! We had the same situation happen to us when I was young. We bought our first guinea pigs (two females) from a pet store and one came with a bonus. I know that guinea pig births can be risky, but since your female is young, you should have no problems. Ours gave birth by herself during the night and was fine. The only advice I have is to make sure that she has plenty of extra bedding to make a nest with and a nice box or something mostly enclosed where she can feel hidden and safe.

You're in for a real treat. I would never intentionally breed guinea pigs since I know that there are more cavies than there are good homes for them, but no one can deny that guinea pig babies are absolutely adorable! Have fun with them! Keep us updated!

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