new piggie preg worries :(

pip_squeak · Aug 16, 2012

hi all worried newbie here,
I hope i make sence.2 days ago i went in a closing down pet store and seen a very sad lonely piggie my daughter beg for so alas we are now proud owners of little miss pip squeak (pippy for short) unfortunetly the useless owner knew nothing about her,not her age NOTHING :sad:...I have a feeling she is pregnant as her tummy has lots of movement.. i went to shop today to ask if she could be and the lady said yeah maybe... i'm really worried as it's hard enough for the poor little thing being in a new home that she is spending most her time in her hidie whole and i'm worried she isn't coming out to drink enough and so on, we hand feed her lettuce and carrots and in the morn all her pellets are eaten so food wise she is fine... is there anything else i should be doing incase she is preg to make her more comftable? i got her vitamins and all today which i'm sure the stupid shop wasn't giving her... we had plans of getting her a friend from rspca (another girl obviously) but after feeling her belly we have put that on hold for the moment.
sorry for the long boring question

angie901 · Aug 16, 2012

Hello! I currently have a pregnant guinea pig about to pop. What would help us is a picture of her tummy. Now what would help her is, first, she wont give birth in a place she doesn't feel safe. Put a blanket over half of her cage. second go buy, alfalfa and timothy hay, and alfalfa pellets. She needs alfalfa to help produce the babies. You will see her increasing her eating and drinking as she gets bigger. DO NOT handle her too much. The only time you should be handling a pregnant pig is if you need to clean out her cage. I hope all of that helps. oh and if there is any bleeding if she isn't in labor take her to the vet immediately! There could be something wrong.

bpatters · Aug 16, 2012

Welcome to the forum!

She doesn't need vitamins -- she just needs an adequate diet of vegetables.

She'll hide because she's new, and she'll hide because she sounds very pregnant. If you can feel the babies moving, then handle her as little as possible until they're born -- you'll just have to wait until then to socialize her.

Read https://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html and https://www.guinealynx.info/labor.html for more information you'll need.

She (and the babies) need alfalfa pellets -- Oxbow Cavy Performance is a good brand if you can find it. They need unlimited long strand grass hay ALL the time. Look for a local source if you can find one, as it will be much cheaper than buying from a pet store. Packaged hay in pet stores is by far the most expensive way to buy it.

For vegetables, she needs about a cup per day. Staples should be lettuce (not romaine or iceberg) and bell peppers. Others can be tomatoes, baby carrots (one per day), summer squash, corn husks and silks, endive, chopped celery, and herbs such as dill, basil, parsley, cilantro, etc. Here's a chart with information on what you can feed and how often: https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...y-nutrition-charts-poisonous-plants-list.html.

pip_squeak · Aug 16, 2012

thank you so much for replies, she currently has rye grass hay (is that ok for her)unlimited amount as i'm in australia so we don't have timothy...it's bed time now here so tomorow i will try get some pics of her to post up see if any one thinks the same (she is our first guinea pig but there is def movement in her tummy)...we haven't been handling her much just hand feeding her lettuce to get her use to us and so on... i will get her the things mentioned above tomorrow and ring the vet to pre warn him that i may need his help... at the moment she is in a medium size hutch but we bought a heap of cubes today to make her a bigger place but maybe i should hold off till she has the babies before putting her in yet another new enviroment.

bpatters · Aug 16, 2012

A new cage will be ok. If the one she's in isn't large, she'll appreciate the extra space after the pups come.

Rye hay isn't ideal. What you need is a long strand grass hay -- acceptable kinds are timothy, meadow, orchard, blue and brome. There are several Aussies on this forum, maybe one will weigh in with a good source of hay for you.

If you can feel movement in her tummy, she's undoubtedly pregnant.

pip_squeak · Aug 16, 2012

really? the pet shop told me to get that hay doh! ok thanks will add that to the list to grab today for her and if she is happy enough to let me will try get some pics...well my son will be happy that he can build her new home too but think we better organize 2 incase she has boys... i have read a few say baby proof? how do you baby proof is that just making sure the sides are covered so they don't escape? sorry for all the question i just want to make sure we are doing everything right!!

bpatters · Aug 16, 2012

First rule of guinea pig ownership -- believe almost nothing that a pet store employee tells you, including, and especially, what gender they think the pigs are. Pet stores are there to make money, not to make your guinea pig healthy, and they'd sell you a pork chop for them if they thought could get away with it.

Babyproofing is indeed just making the cage safe for the little guys. If you have a C&C cage, or any other kind of cage, you can put cardboard along the sides, about 10" high. Leave it up until they're large enough not to escape through the holes or to get their heads stuck.

pip_squeak · Aug 16, 2012

there not the best pics as everytime i clicked when she was strecthed out walking it didn't snap until she was back in a ball....

pip_squeak · Aug 16, 2012

also another quick question do her ears look ok, from googling guinea pig images i'm yet to see a piig with such big ears

bpatters · Aug 16, 2012

Pig ears vary widely. A lot of South American pigs have ears that stick straight up. Skinny pig ears seem larger than other pig ears, and flap wildly when the pig shakes its head. Some have one wrinkle, some have two. Yours are fine.

pip_squeak · Aug 27, 2012

hoping someone can help,my piggie is now huge and i'm guessing ready to pop anyday,we did our morning clean of her cage and because she is so preg been changing her fleece everyday so she has a nice clean house ready for babies,this morning was a worry cause i noticed little blood not a whole heap and it seemed fresh...first look i thought it was carrot stain as she has done that once but when i took the fleece off the towels under had blood,again just a tiny bit,like she had sat there.. i will add pics to show...could this be a start of her labour? as she is only new here and still a bit skittish i don't want to keep checking her in her hidie hole incase she is in labour and freaks out with our heads in there (if that makes sence)

the pic of her doesn't seem to show how fat she is but she looks way bigger then that,we don't pick her up at all just talk to her and tickle her face... other then the little blood all is normal her eating and her behaviour...would it be safe for me to pic her up just to check she has no sores on her feet or tummy

i just don't want to hurt her she is so round!

mommmyof2 · Aug 27, 2012

If the blood continues, and there are no babies born, then I would call the vet and see if you should bring her in just to be safe. Good luck. Hope everything goes well

beckielynn · Aug 27, 2012

bpatters said:
Welcome to the forum!

She doesn't need vitamins -- she just needs an adequate diet of vegetables.

She'll hide because she's new, and she'll hide because she sounds very pregnant. If you can feel the babies moving, then handle her as little as possible until they're born -- you'll just have to wait until then to socialize her.

Read https://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html and https://www.guinealynx.info/labor.html for more information you'll need.

She (and the babies) need alfalfa pellets -- Oxbow Cavy Performance is a good brand if you can find it. They need unlimited long strand grass hay ALL the time. Look for a local source if you can find one, as it will be much cheaper than buying from a pet store. Packaged hay in pet stores is by far the most expensive way to buy it.

For vegetables, she needs about a cup per day. Staples should be lettuce (not romaine or iceberg) and bell peppers. Others can be tomatoes, baby carrots (one per day), summer squash, corn husks and silks, endive, chopped celery, and herbs such as dill, basil, parsley, cilantro, etc. Here's a chart with information on what you can feed and how often: https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...y-nutrition-charts-poisonous-plants-list.html.

Why not Romaine? I know why not for iceberg, but Romaine? I'm confused

bpatters · Aug 27, 2012

Some pigs excrete excess calcium when eating romaine. Not all do, so the problem isn't with the romaine, but with the pig. It's ok to feed it, but you should just watch the dried urine spots in the cage. If you see white ones, then take them off the romaine. If that doesn't stop it, you may need to address the pellets, the water, or the amount of calcium in the diet.

beckielynn · Aug 27, 2012

OHHHH ok. I was like what?! No Romaine!! They love it. lol, thanks for clarifying. My pigs don't have that problem, but I will know what's going on if they start. Thanks!

pip_squeak · Aug 27, 2012

thanks mommyof2,been checking and so far all good,will check her wee's too,been googling more concerned about her pregnancy and totally forgot about UTI

if it happens again it's off to the vet and hopefully it won't stress her to much being so far along

mommmyof2 · Aug 28, 2012

pip_squeak said:
thanks mommyof2,been checking and so far all good,will check her wee's too,been googling more concerned about her pregnancy and totally forgot about UTI if it happens again it's off to the vet and hopefully it won't stress her to much being so far along

Make sure you have a cavvy savvy vet on hand and see if you can find one with a 24 hour service for emergencies. I hope she's ok. Good luck with everything. Post pictures of mom and babies after the pups are born!!!lol. we love pictures on here

pip_squeak · Aug 29, 2012

well her wee still a funny colour,like brownish when it drys

i'm booked in to see the vet tomorrow... he was flat chat so couldn't speak to him,does anyone know if a pregnant piggy can have antibiotics?he won't be able to press her little tummy either will he or do x-rays while she is preg and do you think she will be fine going for a little drive to the vets...she is really really pregnant like everynight i'm sure i'll be waking to babies.

pip_squeak · Sep 2, 2012

just a update,took pippy to the vet to have wee checked.Vet was bit concerned about a lump he found in her bladder (was worried it was a stone) so shaved her belly did altrasound and it was a babies head lol's oops after i finished having a heart attack i did laugh,he did a xray just to be 100% the was no stone and seemed all clear but she has 3 babies in her belly and yep there still there no babies yet...so it's still a waiting game but least i know she is healthy!

cibrown · Sep 2, 2012

Yeah, I am glad she is healthy. I think that it is great that you are trying to do the best for her and her little ones. She was lucky that you agreed to bring her into your life. I also believe you will feel lucky too once the babies are born and you can take a breath.

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