Yay, another surprise packet...

[Teria]

Well. I had to bury two of my piggies not so long ago, and whenever I looked at the cage, it was just... empty. Even though I had four pigs left. So one day three weeks ago, I went and bought an new pig. Here she is:



When I introduced her to my german forum, everybody said she looked pregnant. Impossible, I said, she's only three months old, plus she's probably satin, and the only possible father would have been her brother... but it got me thinking, and so I took her to the vet and... yay, I'll be a grandmother soon - if she survives this. The vet said it's probably only one or two babies but fact is, she's FAR too young, she's satin, and it's inbreeding, and I'm increasingly worried. She's due for end of July.

Does anyone have a few good tips for me? I've never had guinea pig babies, I never wanted any breeding, but here I am with a pregnant pig who's barely a baby herself. I hate stores but OF COURSE I'm not going to give her back, she's my responsibility now.

Usually, our store is quite responsible but I think she was with her brother too long before they even got her. And before you ask: my pigs attack every foreign grown up pig, so it had to be a baby (and Bonnie even attacked her, too, but the others are fine with her).

[envisionary333]

You've probably already read through the Guinea Lynx info, but here's a link just in case: Guinea Lynx :: Reproduction. May I ask why you didn't adopt instead of buy from a pet store, seeing as you "hate" stores? I'm sorry you have ended up with an unexpected pregnancy, but I do have to say it happens all the time with most pet stores. I have no idea what options are available to you for adopting way over in Germany, though!

At any rate, the important thing now is to do what you can for your piggy. Provide lots of fresh veggies daily, and you can supplement her diet with alfalfa hay for extra calcium. It's always a good idea to "baby-proof" the cage as she gets closer to her due date- put up an extra 6" of coroplast, or use more closely-spaced shelving or mesh to make sure the babies can't fit between the cage bars. Keep her bedding clean and try not to stress her as she near her due date. You can check her pelvic bones so you will have an idea of when she will give birth- during the last 48 hours her bones will spread to about one or two finger-widths apart to make room for the babies. Some people have a hard time feeling this themselves, so it helps to compare them with one of your non-pregnant piggies first. I was able to tell when my girl was about to give birth by checking the pelvic bones first.

I hope that info helps a little, and I wish you the best of luck with your new girl. Let us know how things work out for you. Oh, and when the babies come we'll be expecting pigtures ASAP!

[rabbitsncavyluv]

I was about to ask you if she was pregnant too before I saw your post. See the bulge in her belly?

If you got her at a pet store, she likely is. They can get pregnant at 3 weeks.

Be prepared for babies and find a good vet in case of complications.

If your pet store is selling animals from irresponsible breeders, they are not a good store.

[Teria]

Thanks everybody. She's so definitely pregnant... I felt one of the pups move today. I have a very good vet (the one who confirmed the pregnancey, she will help me if anything comes up). I'm now babyproofing the cage and reading all the baby stuff over at Guinealynx.





Here she is with Flitz, 3 weeks ago after quarantine.

[Teria]

More pigtures...







Piggy Lips!



And poor Momo with a sore eye. Keeps getting better though.

[i-love-nev]

nev my male has a buldge in his belly like that

[Teria]

Well, Flausch is definitely NOT male. In fact, she gave birth to a baby ten minutes ago. It looks alive and healthy, and I wonder if there will be more....

[Teria]

Baby pigtures, anyone?

20 minutes old.


Happy family.


This is, of course, the prettiest guinea pig baby EVER.


Boy or girl, what do you think?

[envisionary333]

That is so cute!!! It looks to me like a girl, but it's a little hard to tell since the picture is blurry. Here's a great link to help you figure out the gender: http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm. Using that link I was able to accurately sex my baby girl when she was less than 12 hours old!