I'm on a new device

[bpatters]

That's absolutely NO good for bedding for guinea pigs. It doesn't absorb urine, and it leaves the pigs walking and sitting in their own wastes. You need to get some aspen or carefresh or wood pellets or fleece or something better than fake grass.

 

[MrsGuineaPig]

Oh that stuff. As @bpatters said it is not good for them. My mom bought some and wanted to use it but I knew it was bad so we used it as a covering for our ramp.

 

[minniesmom]

Yeah, I know its no good. I am working on getting some. I hate that he did that. He just wasn't thinking.

 

[minniesmom]

I have had my Minnie for about a month now. She has suddenly devolved 2 large nipples that were never there before. What's going on? Is this normal? She's been by herself so I don't understand.

 

[pigger123]

2 large nipples as in totally new nipples, in addition to her regular nipples? Or the nipples that she's always had, but they've become enlarged?

 

[minniesmom]

I never noticed them so I am guessing they were really tiny. They are very large now. I had got her when she was 3-4 weeks old. And she has been alone. So I am kinda concerned

 

[minniesmom]

I have only seen 2 on her. I'm new to this so I don't know what to be looking for. She is getting fat but I assume that I have just been feeding her well.

 

[bpatters]

How old is she? And where did you get her?

Enlarged nipples can be a sign of pregnancy or ovarian cysts or mammary tumors. Mammary tumors almost never happen on both nipples equally, ovarian cysts usually happen to sows that are at least three years old, so that leaves the most likely cause as pregnancy. If there's absolutely NO way she can be pregnant (it's been 10 weeks with no exposure to a male), then she needs a vet visit.

 

[minniesmom]

I got her from a pet shop. She was in with 4-5 other guinea pigs. And I have had her for about a month. Have gave her baths, held and rubbed her tummy, never noticed that. She's been by herself since I brought her home. She was the smallest one and I was told she was between 3-6 weeks old.

 

[pigger123]

Females can become pregnant at 4 weeks old, and pet stores are notorious for mis-sexing pigs and putting males with females. Pregnancy doesn't start to show at all until they're 5-6 weeks along, so that would be why you never noticed before.

 

[minniesmom]

The top picture is of her now. The 2nd is when I first got her

 

[minniesmom]

How many nipples do they have? I found 2 really large ones on her lower tummy. Should I examine her more???

 

[bpatters]

They only have two nipples.

Are you weighing her regularly? Like every week, and recording her weights? It's the best indicator of piggy health you've got.

And if her nipples are enlarged, I'd bet the farm she's pregnant.

 

[minniesmom]

No I have not been weighing her. No scale. How long do I have til the babies arrive?

 

[pigger123]

You'll need to get a kitchen scale, I prefer the digital kind. It's important to weigh all pigs weekly to make sure they're maintaining their weight since weight loss is often the first indicator of a health problem. Especially since your pig is suspected to be pregnant, you'll be able to see if she's gaining a lot. And if/when the babies are born, it's very important to weigh the pups regularly so that you'll know if they're all gaining as they should.

 

[minniesmom]

So what do I need to do? What do I expect? How long do they have to stay with her? How many do they have? I'm just freaking out! My baby is not a baby but going to be a mommy. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing! Guess getting her a friend is out now. She's going to have her own "friends"

 

[pigger123]

What are you feeding her? How big is her cage? They typically have 1-4 pups, but it can be more. Females can stay with her indefinitely, but any males need to be separated at 3 weeks old. The babies are born fully furred, with their eyes open, ready to run around and eat solid food. You don't need to do anything special other than make sure she always has unlimited pellets and hay, water, and 1 cup of veggies every day, and a large enough cage.

At about 6 weeks before birth, you should be able to feel the pups kicking against her sides. At 24-48 hours before birth, you might be able to feel her pelvic bones separated one or two fingers-width.

 

[minniesmom]

Well she has a veggie pellet food with vitamin c. She gets hay, carrots, lettuce and cabbage. She eats it up to. My husband and I are getting her a larger cage when he comes back from this road trip (he's a truck driver). So I should be expecting babies when exactly? I've had her for one month and 3 days.

 

[minniesmom]

How long are they pregnant for? I've already decided to keep the girls and the boys I'm giving to my two step daughters.

 

[pigger123]

They are pregnant for 9-10 weeks, so it should be less than 6 weeks from today.

Her cage needs to be at least 8 square feet, but preferably 10 or more. And she needs some kind of safe bedding, most definitely not fake grass.

You shouldn't feed her any cabbage since it can cause bloat, but she needs 1 cup of veggies every day, mostly red or green leaf lettuce along with 1/8-1/4 of a green bell pepper and some other veggies like one baby carrot, one or two cherry tomatoes, etc.

What specific brand of pellets are you feeding her? She and her babies can have unlimited Oxbow Cavy Performance pellets, or KMS Hayloft Alfalfa Complete.

She needs unlimited timothy hay at all times.