When Will They Arrive?!

[cbee2015]

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/115357-Is-my-guinea-pig-pregnant

So, I posted this in the wrong subforum a while ago, asking if my piggy was pregnant-- she in fact is VERY pregnant and due anytime now!

Nugget's first pregnancy was unknown to us until we woke up one morning to 3 extra pigs in the cage! I have no idea what time she gave birth to them but I found them about 10 am on January 21st. That's also when I found out my two "girls" were not both girls, and I separated the boar immediately. I have read that sows can go into heat hours after giving birth, and unfortunately, Nugget must have got pregnant immediately after. Now I don't need to be ridiculed, I know back-to-back pregnancies are extremely difficult on a sow and if the pet store would have sexed my guinea pigs correctly I would have never even thought of introducing a male to them. But life happens and now I have a question:
Nuggets first litter was 3 girls which are currently housed with her while the boar is housed in a separate cage. Should I leave the girls from her first litter (about 2 months old now) with her since she is so close to birth (her 65-day mark will be March 26th)? I heard that other sows can occasionally help the birthing mother if she needs it (though I'm not counting on them to save her life or anything, I know I should still monitor her if possible), or will hey just nip at the new babies?

Also, any advice on how to tell when she is getting close to actually giving birth? She seems super uncomfortable, I notice she'll be laying down and have to get up to re-adjust, but otherwise she is still waddling around and eating/drinking normally? She won't put up with my trying to feel her Pelvic bones to see if they are separating either... any other tips?

 

[bpatters]

I gave you a link on your other thread about how to tell if she's close to delivery. But it really doesn't matter -- the pups will come when they come, and there's nothing you can do to hurry it or delay it.

The best thing is just to let the sow alone in her misery, and don't try to feel pelvic bones, or pick her up to listen for teeth gnashing. She's fat, uncomfortable, and would be much happier just staying wherever she is at the moment.

 

[cbee2015]

@bpatters I'm more concerned about whether I should leave the other sows in the cage with her any advice on that??


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[bpatters]

Leave 'em be. Most sows are just fine with babies, and will even help the mom clean them up.

It's possible, although REALLY unlikely, to have a cranky sow that will nip the babies. But as long as your cage has enough room for all them, that's not likely to happen. You should just keep a close eye on them to make sure all is going well. If it's not, you can separate them then. But if you separate beforehand, you'll definitely have to do full reintroductions when you put them back together.