newbie; I need help!

[Ally has U's]

I have two adorable little piggies. Luna and Giuseppe. I just got Luna a few days ago from the pet store. They told me she was 4 weeks old. I personally think she is older and I think she is pregnant. She wasn't separated from other males at the store. And from my research I have learned a lot and also what she will do and look like and she has it all. The only thing is she is acting like she will have babies within a couple weeks but she is only 4 weeks old?

Any help from you would help!

[Toadies]

Hello Giuseppelove! I've never had a female, but my first bet would be to get Luna to a vet. An exotics vet would be able to age her and tell you if she is "in a family way", how soon she's going to have her babies and if she has any health problems. She should also be kept away from your boy for a quarentine period. I hope that all goes well with your little family. Keep us posted.

[Ly&Pigs]

If the pig is only 4 weeks old, there's no way she could have pups in a couple weeks. Gestation lasts anywhere from 59-72 days (on average- 10 weeks). She could just be a fat little one or she is older than the petstore told you. This is one of the reasons we advocate NOT buying pigs in petstores. They are often ill, missexed or pregnant.

[Ally has U's]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

This is one of the reasons we advocate NOT buying pigs in petstores. They are often ill, missexed or pregnant.

Thank you Ly&Pigs!

I truly understand why purchasing pigs from pet stores is not recommended, but I believe that she dearly needed me to rescue her. I also know she is female and she is young, due to her claws are far too short to be adult. My reasoning for asking for help is because I feel she is pregnant. I would rather have her and help her through a pregnancy if she is pregnant, then have a pet store potentially ignore her. What I am asking help for is if anyone knows of any tell tale signs of cavy pregnancy because I am not entirely sure (Luna is my first female cavy); it would help me to help Luna. I would be very appreciative! Thank-you!

I also am not sure of this thread belongs in this area but today is my first day on the forum so please forgive me.

[pigsforlife]

By "saving" a pig you free up more space for more pigs to come in. That means that another sow(s) are cruelly bred, and the litter barely (sometimes not even) weaned are sent off ill to the petstore where ignorant owners come along. Petstores support impulse buying and provide c**p information.


Moving along, I highly doubt she is pregnant due to her age. Perhaps if you could post a picture of her (preferably looking down on her so that we can see her sides and such).

[Ally has U's]

Originally Posted by pigsforlife

By "saving" a pig you free up more space for more pigs to come in. That means that another sow(s) are cruelly bred, and the litter barely (sometimes not even) weaned are sent off ill to the petstore where ignorant owners come along. Petstores support impulse buying and provide c**p information.

I said I know why I should not buy from pet stores. Please understand, I am very intelligent on the matter of animals and even more so an animal rights activist. It is one of the reasons I joined on today, and also because I have two wonderful little pigs.

-----------------------------------------------

She is chubby, which could be just that. She has enlarged breasts, maybe they're not that enlarged. I noticed that she started to make a nest which is something I haven't seen her do until now, but maybe it isn't a nest. She hates to be picked up, but it may be because I just recently got her. I hope you can understand now why I wanted opinions from someone who has had a pregnant girl before and could tell me what it was like for them so I could compare and contrast.

Please only respond if you wish to help in the way I am asking.

I do not have any pictures or a way to get pictures at this time I will have some soon.

[pigsforlife]

Pigs dont make nests.

Does she scratch alot?

[Ally has U's]

no, but she moves bedding up around her and lays there. Maybe for warmth I am; but unsure.

[pigsforlife]

She may have mites (which would explain why she doesnt like being picked up), thus why I asked if she is scratching alot.

Defiantley take her to the vet, he/she should be able to (with a bit of luck) determine whether or not she is pregnant. I think she should also go on a course of Ivermectin, which would treat any mites. There is also a possibility that she has a URI or something similar as she is a petstore pig.

I want to apologise if you found my post about petstores earlier on offensive or mean. It is hard to express emotions over the internet and I did not mean it to be in anyway offensive nor mean, simply informative and so you understood what we stand for on this forum. Many people do not know better when they first start off with pigs, including myself.

[cavycrazy123]

Guinea pigs cannot get pregnant until they are around 3 or 4 weeks old, so if she is 4 weeks like the pet store said ( which is probably not completely accurate ), but even if she is a little older or younger I think it would be very hard to tell if she was pregnant at this time. I would take her to the vet, though, since she was from a pet store and keep her away from your other piggers until she has checked out fine at the vet. Hope I helped

[Ly&Pigs]

Please only respond if you wish to help in the way I am asking.

I'm sorry but you don't get to dictate to the members how they get to respond.

I highly doubt this pig is pregnant as she's too young if she's only 4 weeks old. The petstore could have lied and she's much older, who knows. If she's older then there is a chance.

If you are an animal rights activist then you should know that "purchasing" does not equal "rescuing" and there is no such thing as "rescuing" from a pet store. You buy pigs in petstores, not rescue them. That one you bought will get replaced by as many as 4 more.

There really are no tell tale signs of pregnancy until the pig is around 6 weeks or more into her pregnancy when you can feel the pups move and kick. Until that point only an ultrasound from the vet will tell if she's pregnant or not.

[Ally has U's]

I apologize.

I do not mean to setp on any ones toes!

So my girl is fine, as says my vet. She stop doing her burrowing thing and she loves to be held now. I think it may of been the stress of being taken from place to place. I only had her for a week so I was just worried for her.

Additonal good news I am resucing a guinea pig from a guinea pig rescue this weekend. Her name is fuzzy.

Soon enough I will have pictures of my piggies up.

[naturegal592]

I almost adopted Fuzzy! She is adorable! I have been checking online to see if she found a good home yet, I am glad she has! I am also glad your new pig is OK. I bought my first pig also but I don't have pig rescues within about 200 miles. I didn't get Fuzzy because a friend of mine was allergic to her pig. Well good luck and welcome to the forum, you will find it full of wonderful information and piggy lovers.

[Ally has U's]

I will have to put up more pictures when I get her. The small pictures that I have seen she looks adorable. I am excited. The lady I am rescuing her from is extremely nice. We have e-mailed back and forth several times. She is right down the road from me. I do love the forum so far!