Behavior Is my new piggy pregnant?

[StellaLuna]

Hi Piggy lovers,

I have a question related to my new Guinea Pig, but before that, I'd like to explain I am new to Guinea Pigs and even though I've tried to read/watch as much as possible to document myself to give my girl the best possible care, I still don't know much about this animal's behavior.

I just got my piggy last Tuesday, so it is only a week I have her. I bought her at a very small, but caring pet store. They only carry a few animals and they give great care to their animals.

Before getting her last week, I had the chance to pet her for a while and kind of make friends with her. The manager of the pet store that cared for her told me she is a very sweet and loving piggy, that loves to be petted and very friendly. She also told me though that there was a slight chance she might have been pregnant as she had her since she was little in a big cage with a male, which was removed shortly thereafter the two little piggies started "talking" to each other. My piggy is currently 13 weeks.

My question to you is: what is the behavior of a pregnant guinea pig? I've noticed within the week she has gotten a little rounder on the sides, but you can mainly see it when she's laying down. Also, she's still adjusting and is still very afraid of sudden movements and not very inclined to be petted. Although the first few days she liked being petted once she figured I was not gonna hurt her but the last couple of days every time I try to pet her she runs into her tube, especially if I attempt to pet her on the back or on the sides of her lower back. I also noticed she spends a lot of time drinking out of her bottle, even though she has not consumed an entire bottle of water in a week.

Do Guinea Pigs like to be petted when pregnant? Is there a way to find out if she's really expecting babies?

I apologize for the long and confusing post.

 

[SelenaRanee]

i would just like to start of by saying that if she was housed with a male and he wasn't neutered then its a very good chance that she is pregnant. You will know for sure if she preg or not around 6-7 week when the babies start moving and you hear teeth grinding otherwise there is no other way to know for sure. But some signs are she may drink more and eat more then she usually did and she will have a pear shaped body,even though some guinea pigs don't show as much,anyways mine didn't till the last week. And if she is pregnant you my need to give her vitamin C cause she will need extra, bell peppers are also a good source of that.! And it is best that you don't handle them much if there pregnant cause it could hurt the babies and is very uncomfortable for her but I don't think they mind petting cause I always petted mine and she didn't seem to mind but then again all guinea pigs are different. But if you really want to know if she is pregnant or not you could go do an ultrasound at the vet cause that will tell you for sure...anyways good luck..i hope if she is indeed pregnant they will arrive safely

 

[Fay]

I already posted on your introduction thread with some helpful information about guinea pigs in general but I would highly recommend you read the following pages in regards to your pregnancy concerns (And the related pages thereof):

https://www.guinealynx.info/breeding.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html

I've never had a pregnant guinea pig myself so others on here will be able to give more detailed information regarding that topic. Best of luck!

 

[bpatters]

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

 

[StellaLuna]

Thank you SelanaRanee for your reply. I'm amazed by the fact you could hear teeth grinding from her belly! Wow!

I haven't tried bell peppers yet, but I'll go to the store to get her some. The manager at the pet store told me not to give her much fresh goodies as could give her diahrrea but I read otherwise to give fresh treats everyday. So far I gave her a few slices of tomatoes a day and zucchini rounds which she loves.

I'll have to get her out of her cage soon to clean her cage and I don't have idea how to handle her actually. She will freak out. I'm not even sure where I could put her in the meantime actually. I sure don't wanna hurt her.

Thanks for all the tips!

 

[StellaLuna]

Thank you Fay for the links, I haven't read those yet. I'll do it immediately

 

[Kenna18155]

I urge you to consider adoption in the future. Even though it was a "caring" pet store (and I'm glad it was), it's still fueling the cycle of overpopulation. Adopting a homeless piggy is much better.

That aside, onto your problem.

First off, research A LOT. It'll help.

Get a cavy savvy vet lined up in case of complications (fairly common in guinea pig birth). Place your hand on her stomach. Can you feel anything? If so, your pig is probably at least six weeks pregnant. But don't just assume it'll be six weeks--the first time I felt movement was a week before the birth! Offer the mama some alfalfa hay, but not too much until you're sure she's pregnant. If she starts getting chubby, move her food and water close to her hidey so she doesn't have to move much. Give her some extra veggies and pellets. If she ends up just being "fluffy," it shouldn't hurt much. Don't stress. Keep us updated! Good luck.

 

[StellaLuna]

Kenna, thank you for your reply. I was just reading all those links posted above and realized how misleading the manager of the pet store was. I actually never thought there would be guinea pig adoption places, or I would have gone there to give a home to a homeless pig.
The manager didn't make it into a big deal if she was pregnant, she said the piggy does everything by herself, usually at night, and the babies are born big and very independent already. She said if I didn't want the babies to take them back in in 5 weeks. Jeez! She was so superficial!
Thanks a lot for your advice, I'm going to try to see if she'll let me touch her stomach (gently).

 

[labgirl5]

Thank you SelanaRanee for your reply. I'm amazed by the fact you could hear teeth grinding from her belly! Wow!

I haven't tried bell peppers yet, but I'll go to the store to get her some. The manager at the pet store told me not to give her much fresh goodies as could give her diahrrea but I read otherwise to give fresh treats everyday. So far I gave her a few slices of tomatoes a day and zucchini rounds which she loves.

I'll have to get her out of her cage soon to clean her cage and I don't have idea how to handle her actually. She will freak out. I'm not even sure where I could put her in the meantime actually. I sure don't wanna hurt her.

Thanks for all the tips!

Guinea pigs diet consists of hay, veggies, and pellets. They should have hay available in large quantities 24/7, 1/8 cups of high-quality pellets per day (no colored bits or sugary dried fruits - just plain timothy-based pellets such as Oxbow or KMS), and 1 cup of veggies per pig per day -- particularly leafy greens like green/red leaf lettuce, carrots, bell peppers, etc. Avoid iceberg lettuce, as it has almost no nutritional value.

 

[Fay]

Kenna, thank you for your reply. I was just reading all those links posted above and realized how misleading the manager of the pet store was. I actually never thought there would be guinea pig adoption places, or I would have gone there to give a home to a homeless pig.
The manager didn't make it into a big deal if she was pregnant, she said the piggy does everything by herself, usually at night, and the babies are born big and very independent already. She said if I didn't want the babies to take them back in in 5 weeks. Jeez! She was so superficial!
Thanks a lot for your advice, I'm going to try to see if she'll let me touch her stomach (gently).

Most people including myself came on here initially after getting a pig from a pet store and subsequently coming home with an ill or pregnant guinea pig. Whilst also having been sold a really expensive tiny cage unsuitable for pigs, mixed pellet food with harmful ingredients, and inadequate care information. When I joined this forum it was a real eye-opener and I'm happy I did find it.

There is a lot of information to take on board and it will be a bit overwhelming at first but your piggy will be very grateful for the time taken to research all this stuff; there's nothing more enjoyable than watching a happy, healthy popcorning piggy .

Further diet information:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List
https://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html

Handling info:

https://www.guinealynx.info/handling.html

 

[Kenna18155]

I'm glad you realize the truth about pet stores. I got my Scarlet from a pet store (actually my brother did without me knowing, but I might've made the same mistake). They marketed the cage (two by one feet) as "large," the (terrible quality) food as "healthy," and the (dangerous) sample bedding that came in a play tube as "great."

Oh yeah, and she was pregnant as well. I had no idea.

When I started to suspect, I thought it was "adorable..." then I learned about the possibility of complications. Don't make the mistake I did. Don't stress out. Keep a vet lined up just in case, and check on her often, but everything should be okay. I was convinced something would go wrong, but she was just fine. I came out to the living room one day to find three little puffballs with her.

Do you have any pictures of her? It might help us tell if she is pregnant. If you have any questions AT ALL, don't hesitate to PM me or post on this thread

Also, the owner of the pet store stated that you should bring the pups back in five weeks. DON'T. The females can become pregnant AGAIN at only 3 weeks, so the males should be separated by then. If you can't keep them, I'd look around for a good home for them, not the pet store. Just make sure to educate any potential owners on proper care!

Many people find a "piggy elevator" helpful--a cardboard box with a hole cut in it. The pig usually runs into it by herself and you can simply lift the box out of the cage.

 

[StellaLuna]

Most people including myself came on here initially after getting a pig from a pet store and subsequently coming home with an ill or pregnant guinea pig. Whilst also having been sold a really expensive tiny cage unsuitable for pigs, mixed pellet food with harmful ingredients, and inadequate care information. When I joined this forum it was a real eye-opener and I'm happy I did find it.

There is a lot of information to take on board and it will be a bit overwhelming at first but your piggy will be very grateful for the time taken to research all this stuff; there's nothing more enjoyable than watching a happy, healthy popcorning piggy .

Further diet information:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List
https://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html

Handling info:

https://www.guinealynx.info/handling.html

I guess then I'm not the only one to be fooled around! I'm already reading and watching videos anytime I get a chance and I'm finding out a lot of things. The majority of them don't really match with what the pet store lady did tell me. Thanks so much for the info and the link!

 

[StellaLuna]

I'm glad you realize the truth about pet stores. I got my Scarlet from a pet store (actually my brother did without me knowing, but I might've made the same mistake). They marketed the cage (two by one feet) as "large," the (terrible quality) food as "healthy," and the (dangerous) sample bedding that came in a play tube as "great."

Oh yeah, and she was pregnant as well. I had no idea.

When I started to suspect, I thought it was "adorable..." then I learned about the possibility of complications. Don't make the mistake I did. Don't stress out. Keep a vet lined up just in case, and check on her often, but everything should be okay. I was convinced something would go wrong, but she was just fine. I came out to the living room one day to find three little puffballs with her.

Do you have any pictures of her? It might help us tell if she is pregnant. If you have any questions AT ALL, don't hesitate to PM me or post on this thread

Also, the owner of the pet store stated that you should bring the pups back in five weeks. DON'T. The females can become pregnant AGAIN at only 3 weeks, so the males should be separated by then. If you can't keep them, I'd look around for a good home for them, not the pet store. Just make sure to educate any potential owners on proper care!

Many people find a "piggy elevator" helpful--a cardboard box with a hole cut in it. The pig usually runs into it by herself and you can simply lift the box out of the cage.

Kenna, I went thru the same emotions: when I started thinking she could have been pregnant for real I thought it was too cute and thought how cute those babies would look like but then, I started reading about all the complications that they could have and now I'm a little ansy. I'm afraid my piggy will have complications and die with all the babies. Plus, StellaLuna is actually my son's pet, he picked her out and already loves her. I would hate to see my son crushed. And I would be crushed as well.

I am surely not going to take the babies back to that pet store for sure. She'll sell them and make money out of it and will be destined to the same fate as their mom. I was actually thinking to keep a girl to keep Stella company and look for a home for the other ones. So mainly by 3 weeks old I'll have to move the males out of the cage, right?

Now I need to find a vet that deals with piggies. I hope that won't be a hard job.

Thank you so much for the tips and help. I know I still need a lot of help

 

[Kenna18155]

Yep. And weaning is SO much easier than I expected. You literally just move the males out of the cage, no extra steps involved. Keeping a girl (if there is any) is a good idea as well. Cavies are social, and do much better with a friend.

 

[StellaLuna]

Yep. And weaning is SO much easier than I expected. You literally just move the males out of the cage, no extra steps involved. Keeping a girl (if there is any) is a good idea as well. Cavies are social, and do much better with a friend.

By the way, how do I determine the gender of the babies? Do I need to go to a vet for it?

 

[bpatters]

No, you don't need to go to a vet to have them sexed. See www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm, and post pictures of the pertinent parts here if you still have questions.

 

[PeanutnCookie]

Another tip: if there is any baby boys, they NEED to be removed at three weeks. I currently have a litter of four (currently makes me sound like a breeder, sorry. I'm NOT!!). They are 18 days old and the only boy baby is "practicing" on his mom and sisters. That's nice of the pet store to take them back, but at five weeks, if there is any boy babies, all the females could easily be pregnant if you don't separate them. By the way, the chances aren't super high for things to go wrong. I was scared for my piggy too, but she and the babies are all okay. for sexing the babies, the easy ish way it to look under them. If the genitals are shaped like an i it is a boy, if shaped like a Y or sometimes a V it is a girl. It will be hard to tell at first, it will probably be easiest to tell at around two weeks. younger than that, you might not be able to make it out, and older than that is most definitely possible, they will just be more squirmy. I hope that helps! Good luck!

 

[StellaLuna]

No, you don't need to go to a vet to have them sexed. See www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm, and post pictures of the pertinent parts here if you still have questions.

Thank you!

 

[StellaLuna]

Another tip: if there is any baby boys, they NEED to be removed at three weeks. I currently have a litter of four (currently makes me sound like a breeder, sorry. I'm NOT!!). They are 18 days old and the only boy baby is "practicing" on his mom and sisters. That's nice of the pet store to take them back, but at five weeks, if there is any boy babies, all the females could easily be pregnant if you don't separate them. By the way, the chances aren't super high for things to go wrong. I was scared for my piggy too, but she and the babies are all okay. for sexing the babies, the easy ish way it to look under them. If the genitals are shaped like an i it is a boy, if shaped like a Y or sometimes a V it is a girl. It will be hard to tell at first, it will probably be easiest to tell at around two weeks. younger than that, you might not be able to make it out, and older than that is most definitely possible, they will just be more squirmy. I hope that helps! Good luck!

That's what I thought too when I read the males can start reproducing at as young as 3 weeks old! If I would have listened to the pet store lady I would have dozen of babies

Thank you!

 

[StellaLuna]

One more question: I'd gladly post a picture of her here if that can help identify if she might be pregnant or not, but I'm not sure where and how. I looked around the sections of this forum and din't think I found the right place.