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General Pregnant? Pups are here

CeleneAlberona

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Mynx has been getting alittle swollen on her sides for a few weeks and it doesn't seem to have really changed, other then possibly getting alittle bit bigger. Is she pregnant? And if so, how long would a pregnancy last? Is there any way for me to tell?

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scoottie

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Re: Pregnant?

Has she been around a male
 

bpatters

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Re: Pregnant?

Please get the male out of the cage ASAP. If she delivers the babies, even if she miscarries, she can get pregnant within MINUTES of giving birth. That's VERY hard on the sow and on the second litter of pups. The death rate for guinea pig sows and pups is high for normal pregnancies, and even higher for back-to-back ones.

See https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...inea-pig-is-pregnant-And-how-far-along-is-she.

What does the male look like? Is there any chance that he's a roan?
 

CeleneAlberona

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Re: Pregnant?

Please get the male out of the cage ASAP. If she delivers the babies, even if she miscarries, she can get pregnant within MINUTES of giving birth. That's VERY hard on the sow and on the second litter of pups. The death rate for guinea pig sows and pups is high for normal pregnancies, and even higher for back-to-back ones.

See https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...inea-pig-is-pregnant-And-how-far-along-is-she.

What does the male look like? Is there any chance that he's a roan?

this is what dean looks like, I don't really know what a roan is to be honest. I'll separate them as soon as possible, I just have to get another cage.
 

bpatters

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Re: Pregnant?

Fix a makeshift cage and get him out now. You can put him in a bathtub, or a large laundry basket, or pin him in with boxes or crates -- just put an old shower curtain down on the floor and them some bedding over that, and box him in.

He's not a full roan, but he may carry the roan allele. Pigs that inherit that from both parents are called lethal whites. They're born blind, deaf, with wonky/missing teeth, and immature digestive tracts. If they live, they require lifelong, expensive vet care.

They're a perfect example of why guinea pigs should never be casually bred. There are other genetic conditions they can inherit as well, some of them causing lifelong pain. And to be perfectly honest, there's no need to ever deliberately breed another guinea pig. There are enough accidental pregnancies to keep them going forever, and there are thousands of pigs in rescues and shelters that need good, loving homes.
 

CeleneAlberona

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Re: Pregnant?

Fix a makeshift cage and get him out now. You can put him in a bathtub, or a large laundry basket, or pin him in with boxes or crates -- just put an old shower curtain down on the floor and them some bedding over that, and box him in.

He's not a full roan, but he may carry the roan allele. Pigs that inherit that from both parents are called lethal whites. They're born blind, deaf, with wonky/missing teeth, and immature digestive tracts. If they live, they require lifelong, expensive vet care.

They're a perfect example of why guinea pigs should never be casually bred. There are other genetic conditions they can inherit as well, some of them causing lifelong pain. And to be perfectly honest, there's no need to ever deliberately breed another guinea pig. There are enough accidental pregnancies to keep them going forever, and there are thousands of pigs in rescues and shelters that need good, loving homes.

Okay thank you, I will do just that. And as soon as I take them to the vet for their checkup I'll talk to my vet about getting one or both of them fixed, if she is pregnant I'll take any precautions I need to, and once she's had the babies, I'll get her fixed. And the babies once they're old enough. How old do they need to be, and are there any dangers of them getting fixed?
 

bpatters

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Re: Pregnant?

Neutering the males is a safer, easier, and cheaper surgery than spaying the females. But you do need to find an exotic vet who's done quite a few of them. The anatomy is different from that of dogs and cats, and the neuter isn't done the same way.

I think they need to be a few months old before they're neutered, so you'll need to separate any male pups at 21 days of age to keep them from impregnating their mom and sisters.
 

CeleneAlberona

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Re: Pregnant?

Okay I will, and in that case I will just neuter the males.
 

CeleneAlberona

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Pup Cavies

Mynx was pregnant, she had two, from what I can tell, healthy babies. The dad has been placed in a separate cage, but still gets taken care of obviously. I don't believe the pups are Lethals, but it's probably too early to find out just yet. I've read from another post talking about something called afterbirths that the mother was supposed to eat, I believe I know what that is but could someone explain it to me so I know for sure? And is there any precautions or changes I should do that would help the babies and mother, other then separating the father from them.

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bpatters

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I merged your new thread with this one. Please keep all the information about these pups together.

The pups are definitely not lethals -- lethals are all white, with no color whatsoever.

The afterbirth is the placenta that was attached to the uterus. The sow will usually eat it, and possibly the sacs that the pups were born in.

Cute pups! Did you get the father out of the cage before they were born?
 

CeleneAlberona

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I merged your new thread with this one. Please keep all the information about these pups together.

The pups are definitely not lethals -- lethals are all white, with no color whatsoever.

The afterbirth is the placenta that was attached to the uterus. The sow will usually eat it, and possibly the sacs that the pups were born in.

Cute pups! Did you get the father out of the cage before they were born?

Okay thank you for telling me, I'm so glad they're healthy. Is it the red gewy looking stuff? I'm assuming so because she did eat it. I honestly though it was one of the babies bleeding and I was terrified. But seeing they were both alright I was relieved. The father was out of the cage, I heard mynx squeaking, so I checked on her and saw them. How old do they need to be before I can find out their genders? And once I get their father fixed, if the two pups are females, will they all be okay to be in the same cage together?
 

bpatters

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Yes, they can all live together if the pups are females and the father is fixed. But not in that pet store cage. It's not big enough for one pig, much less four. Click on the Main tab at the top of this page for recommended cage sizes, and those are minimums. Bigger is always better.

You'll also have to keep the dad separated for four weeks after he's neutered to make sure all the sperm die off.

A good sexing aid is https://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm. Or you can post pictures here. Make sure they're well-lit close-ups so we can actually see what's going on.

If one of the pups is male, you can have him live with dad, and leave the female with the sow. If they're both male, you can put all three males together in a large cage, and maybe they'll stay together. It'll be easier because the pups are so young, but three males can be problematic when the younger ones hit puberty.

In that case, the sow would be alone, but you could find her a friend. It won't work to have multiple males in with females. A very few people I know of have been able to make it work, but only if one of the males is very laid-back and non-dominant. Most of the time it ends in total, miserable failure.
 

CeleneAlberona

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Me and my family are going to build a much larger cage, we just never had time, but now, time or not, I'm going to build a larger cage for them.


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CeleneAlberona

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Yes, they can all live together if the pups are females and the father is fixed. But not in that pet store cage. It's not big enough for one pig, much less four. Click on the Main tab at the top of this page for recommended cage sizes, and those are minimums. Bigger is always better.

You'll also have to keep the dad separated for four weeks after he's neutered to make sure all the sperm die off.

A good sexing aid is https://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm. Or you can post pictures here. Make sure they're well-lit close-ups so we can actually see what's going on.

If one of the pups is male, you can have him live with dad, and leave the female with the sow. If they're both male, you can put all three males together in a large cage, and maybe they'll stay together. It'll be easier because the pups are so young, but three males can be problematic when the younger ones hit puberty.

In that case, the sow would be alone, but you could find her a friend. It won't work to have multiple males in with females. A very few people I know of have been able to make it work, but only if one of the males is very laid-back and non-dominant. Most of the time it ends in total, miserable failure.

I wasn't able to to build a cage, but I modified a baby crib we had but weren't using for them. It's 40" by 28" I believe that's big enough for 4, though of course they'll still get their floortime during the day.

They're under the hidey house I made for them right now

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bpatters

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No, a 40x28 is still not large enough for one pig -- it's barely eight square feet. The pups will have nibbled ears if the cage is crowded.
 

Shieme

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I can't make a c&c cage for the life of me but even I know that cage has issues. The hidey is so tiny. I. Had a hidey bigger than that and Shiemi took it over, push Zoe out. Shiemi would also flip it. If Shiemi flipped that, the girls could pee on it and soak it. Also I see a dangerous gap! I know I didn't plan well with Shiemi. But I had a c&c cage when I got Zoe. It just didn't work out but I tried to plan and made sure I got another female. And I feel you just set yourself up for another pregnancy. You said four are living in that. You said they are in the hidey.
 

CeleneAlberona

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I can't make a c&c cage for the life of me but even I know that cage has issues. The hidey is so tiny. I. Had a hidey bigger than that and Shiemi took it over, push Zoe out. Shiemi would also flip it. If Shiemi flipped that, the girls could pee on it and soak it. Also I see a dangerous gap! I know I didn't plan well with Shiemi. But I had a c&c cage when I got Zoe. It just didn't work out but I tried to plan and made sure I got another female. And I feel you just set yourself up for another pregnancy. You said four are living in that. You said they are in the hidey.

The dad actually isn't in it right now, the mother and her pups were under in. I'm not putting the father in it until he's been neutered. I'll work on getting a bigger cage, and I'll make a larger, better hidey as soon as I can as well.
 

CavyTV

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Make sure to sex the pups (you are welcome to post pictures for help if you need it) and separate the males at 3 weeks. You wouldn't want any girls to get pregnant; say the very young male did impregnate any of the girls (sisters or mother), the fact that he and possibly the female(s) are so young and the fact that they are related increase the chances of stillborns/miscarriage and the death of the mother during labor/after giving birth. Make sure you sex them correctly this time.
 
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