Concerned

[Gotta_Love_Em]

Hi everyone,

So here is the deal. I have a female guinea pig that I really thought was pregnant (not intentional) however, it is day 70 or so of her pregnancy and she has still not given birth. I have done a TON of research and everything they say about signs of pregnancy my little girls seems to have. (drinking more, eating more, laying on her side instead of her stomach, not being as active, being more aggressive towards another female in her cage with mounting and such) I'm pretty sure she got pregnant from a male my friend has. I had my friend "babysit" over a vacation I had about 2 months ago.

I have no idea what to think right now however. I thought I felt babies kicking and I thought I felt squirming movement and teeth chattering, also I thought i felt a little paw indicating that she would deliver soon and all this occurred approximately 3 weeks ago. I have felt her pelvic bones and they are about as far apart as my thumb, and have been so for over a week. Also, she has started making these little circular nests close to her food bowl and her water dealy, (she digs every thing out of the area until she reaches the newspaper.) I'm concerned that she hasn't given birth yet. She is about 9 months at the moment. I haven't taken her to a vet because I don't have the funds to do so at the moment. I am starting to think I imagined all those "signs" of pregnancy because I really wanted to experience some baby guinea pigs. Does anyone have any advice?

I posted pictures below and to me her stomach as grown a lot sense I first suspected she was pregnant but compared to other pregnant guinea pigs I have seen pictures of, her stomach is awful small.



Please help me, and thank you very much.

[bpatters]

Well, you wouldn't likely have heard the babies chattering 3-4 weeks before birth -- that's usually right before delivery. And guinea pig pregnancies can last up to 72 days, so she's not over that mark yet.

She could be pregnant, but have only one pup, or smaller pups. Or she might have ovarian cysts, although they're usually a bit older if they have those. Or she could have just gained a lot of weight.

At 70 days, however, if she's pregnant, you should definitely feel kicking if you place your hands along her flanks, and you should be able to feel heads and feet. And by now, the tooth chattering should be pronounced.

But, just as with human pregnancies, sometimes the baby/babies can die in utero. So she'd be showing signs of imminent delivery, but without the physical signs in her body that live pups would cause. I'd watch her very carefully to be sure that she doesn't try to deliver but is unable to, which would require an emergency vet visit.

Keep us posted on how she's doing.

[Gotta_Love_Em]

Another question (I have lots)

I'm pretty sure I know what to feel for when I'm waiting for babies to move, but maybe I was mistaking gas bubbles for teeth chattering? What I assumed was teeth chattering felt like incredibly light little pokes, like butterflies. Hopefully that makes sense. Does that sound like teeth chattering? Now that I think about it, it doesn't to me.

Thanks,
Ashley

[bpatters]

No, you can actually HEAR the teeth chattering. I don't know that it feels like anything in particular, but it sounds like teeth clicking.

[Gotta_Love_Em]

Ohhhh, that makes much more sense. Thank you.

[Gotta_Love_Em]

OK, so I just spent some time on the couch snuggling my baby. I muted the TV and just sat with her in silence. I am 100% positive I heard little teeth chattering. It sounded like someone was clicking a tongue ring on their teeth, just not as loudly. I have never heard that noise before now. Is that what I'm listening for? and If I really did hear that, how much longer do you think it will be before she delivers?

[bpatters]

I think you can usually hear that within 7 days of delivery, and if she's 70 days along and her pelvic bones are separated, it shouldn't be more than a day or so.

[Gotta_Love_Em]

Thank you 100 times over. I was starting to lose hope that she was really pregnant. I had gotten everything ready for babies. and now I have renewed my excitement!!

[Gotta_Love_Em]

One more question...

Does she look pregnant to anyone? Just out of curiosity. Does the size of her stomach mean she is only going to have one baby? Or could there be more in there? Does size of the stomach even determine how many babies she is going to have?

[bpatters]

Well, bear in mind that I haven't actually seen the pig. I'm just going by your descriptions, and she does sound pregnant. But sometimes symptoms can be ambiguous. I'm hoping that's not the case here, and that the pups will arrive soon, and arrive healthy.

[schavarry]

As bpatters said you need to watch her carefully over the next few days to be sure she doesn't go into labor and has trouble delivering. If she's more than 8 months old and has never had a litter before she can have more complications. Good luck!!

[schavarry]

One more question...

Does she look pregnant to anyone? Just out of curiosity. Does the size of her stomach mean she is only going to have one baby? Or could there be more in there? Does size of the stomach even determine how many babies she is going to have?

You posted this while I was typing my reply. Honestly looking at a pig doesn't say much.



This is my BOY Lightning, he looks like a pregnant sow but he's just a chubby boy!

[Gotta_Love_Em]

As bpatters said you need to watch her carefully over the next few days to be sure she doesn't go into labor and has trouble delivering. If she's more than 8 months old and has never had a litter before she can have more complications. Good luck!!

Thank you,
I bought her from a pet store a while back that kept its males and females together, and at that time she was 7 weeks, so i doubt she has had a litter before. I have been concerned about this sense the beginning. I have found a good vet in my area if any emergencies happen to arise.

[LifeAsItMayBe]

Your story sounds like the opposite of mine. I was in denial until I could actually SEE the babies kicking, even though my pig was crazy fat. Yours doesn't look pregnant from the pictures, but as others have said, if you think you feel movement you should keep an eye on her.

[Gotta_Love_Em]

Still no babies yet. Crossing my fingers that everything goes well when she does decide to have them.

[mommmyof2]

GOOD LUCK!!! Hope all goes well with mom and babies.

[Gotta_Love_Em]

Thank you! me too. Mommy has become very reclusive as of the last day or so, only scampering out of her pigloo to grab some food and a drink. Hopefully thats a good sign!

[mommmyof2]

Thank you! me too. Mommy has become very reclusive as of the last day or so, only scampering out of her pigloo to grab some food and a drink. Hopefully thats a good sign!

It could be. But it also can mean that she may want some privacy to deliver. so piggies won't deliver if they aren't alone or have privacy and others just don't care if you're there or not. Every pig is different.

[schavarry]

Have you been giving her alone time?? She might be holding in the babies because she's afraid to have them while there's someone in the room? Just a thought...

[Gotta_Love_Em]

yeah, I had her covered with a blanket for a few days, but maybe I will cover her again. Its worth a shot! thanks everyone for the advise!