Back to back Pregnancy risks.

[GPluv]

It's possible my cavies mated after mom gave birth to the litter, as we thought they were males but found babies in the cage when we woke up. They are separated now (of course).

I know there's a good chance she is pregnant again, and that it would be hard on the mom's body if she was, but are there serious risks involved? What are the risks?

Any help from someone who is experienced with Cavy pregnancies or breeding is greatly appreciated.

[Ly&Pigs]

The complications are that mom's body is already worn out and vitamin/mineral depeleted from the first litter. There is a higher chance that she and/or the pups could die from back to back pregnancies.

[clotho]

The same thing happened to me - I thought I had same sex guinea pigs but was greeted with three balls of fluff in the cage one day just before Christmas. We too separated the male from the female and babies, but it was too late - she was pregnant again and gave birth to three more babies 10 weeks later.

It is very, very important to give the female an excellent diet with lots of calcium rich veggies and make sure she gets lots of vitamin C in her diet. You might consider syringing plain vitamin C to her daily for a while. Guinea Lynx :: Diet

Make sure you are feeding all your piggies a high quality pellet (like Oxbow or Kleenmama's) as well as timothy or another grass hay in unlimited quantities 24/7. You can supplement mom and babies with alfalfa hay as well for extra calcium if you wish.

You should get yourself a good digital kitchen scale and start weighing mom and the pups daily to make sure they are not losing weight. The mom may lose a bit for the next couple weeks while the pups are nursing a lot, but then should start to gain again. You will have a chart showing her gains, and should be able to tell within a few weeks if she is really pregnant again because she will gain a lot of weight.

The pups will start to eat hay, pellets and veggies pretty much from birth. The more food they eat on their own, the less they will be taking from the mom's body, so encourage them to eat solid foods.

Any males will need to be separated by the time they are 21 days old - no later!!! You will need to learn to sex them yourself, and it's tricky with babies if you aren't experienced. You may wish to have a vet double check, but make sure the vet is VERY experienced with cavies, since they can make mistakes too. The best way is to check out this link on guinea lynx and do it yourself - check and recheck right up to the 21 day mark just to be sure. Guinea Lynx :: Sexing Pups

We would love to see baby pics by the way!!!

[GPluv]

Thanks all!

I have recently switched to the Oxbow Cavy Cuisine pellets. I was very glad to know they were sold 5 minutes down the road from us as opposed to having to have them shipped.

I have been giving alfalfa hay to the mom and females, and giving her oranges and parsley for treats twice a day.

Unfortunately none of the Vets around my area are Cavy specialists. I took the babies to the Vet at 3 weeks old to sex them and she recommended I bring them back in another 3 weeks because she wasn't sure of their sexes. I did not feel comfortable with that so I went to a Guinea Pig Rescue and they sexed them for me at 24 days old. I was so glad someone was there to help, as I was very worried that the babies would start mating.

I am worried about mommy and hope if she is pregnant that it's not too much stress on her body. She is so gentle and such a good mother and piggie. I love her and hope everything turns out ok.

Pics are in my profile. Enjoy!