Pregnancy Pelvic Bones, Pregnant GP, Labor?

[Ballet2vet]

Also, I read somewhere that it is good to hold the pups a lot the first few days so that they get used to being handled by humans. But my mom (who is out of town) just said that you shouldn't hold them for the first day or two because the mother needs to establish the milk in the first 24 hours. Is this true? If so I will not hold them until tomorrow afternoonish, does that sound ok?

And... (sorry for all the messages)... Dumbo is 1 oz and the others are 3 oz. I forgot to messure in grams but will not until tomorrow unless you say it's ok to hold them.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

And... (sorry for all the messages)... Dumbo is 1 oz and the others are 3 oz. I forgot to messure in grams but will not until tomorrow unless you say it's ok to hold them.

I've never read anything like that, so I'm not saying it's wrong. My personal opinion, though, is that you have plenty of time to let them get used to being held. I would leave them with mom for a day or two, but that's just me. I think Dumbo could use the extra time with mom.

I could be wrong, but that's just what I would do myself. I've never had pups, the youngest pigs I've ever had were 2-3 weeks old.

 

[Soecara]

I would normally hold the pups as little as practical for the first day or two. I would take them out to weigh them and that was pretty much it for the most part.

If Dumbos walking has improved he may not need quite so much extra one on one time, you may be able to just give him one on one time a three or four times a day, which at this stage means taking the other two out. After a few days you may be able to switch up one-on-one time, after mum's stomach has had some time to settle you will be able to pick her up so you could instead take her and Dumbo out when giving one-on-one time.

If you do have a single male pup you could pair him up with dad instead of getting another male companion for dad.

 

[Ballet2vet]

I would normally hold the pups as little as practical for the first day or two. I would take them out to weigh them and that was pretty much it for the most part.

If Dumbos walking has improved he may not need quite so much extra one on one time, you may be able to just give him one on one time a three or four times a day, which at this stage means taking the other two out. After a few days you may be able to switch up one-on-one time, after mum's stomach has had some time to settle you will be able to pick her up so you could instead take her and Dumbo out when giving one-on-one time.

If you do have a single male pup you could pair him up with dad instead of getting another male companion for dad.

okay. What I did today was... I would take the two healthy pups out and hold them for ten to fifteen minutes so that Dumbo could have some time with Almond and then I switched so that Dumbo could become socialized.
I did have to pick up Almond today, but I did not pick her up near the stomach. I had to hold them because there was a significant amount of blood. But her bleeding has seemed to stop now.

So I will only take the two healthy ones out about four or five times a day but not hold Dumbo at all? Or should I hold all of them tomorrow like I would normally? Or should I kind of start from the beginning and not hold any of them at all?

 

[spy9doc]

it was a really intense birth, Dumbo (the tri-coloured bub) was essentially stuck for maybe close to over an hour

I'm not surprised that he is having difficulty walking. He may have something akin to cerebral palsy which (in humans) is caused by oxygen deprivation during the birth process. If so, his walking and balance issues may never resolve.........and then again, they may. IMHO, I would disturb both Almond and the babies as little as possible for the first week. There is plenty of time to socialize them after everyone has recovered from the birth trauma.

Be careful what you wish for...... You wanted to be present at the birth and oh boy, were you ever! Congratulations on a job well done by both you and your "coach".

 

[Ballet2vet]

I'm not surprised that he is having difficulty walking. He may have something akin to cerebral palsy which (in humans) is caused by oxygen deprivation during the birth process. If so, his walking and balance issues may never resolve.........and then again, they may. IMHO, I would disturb both Almond and the babies as little as possible for the first week. There is plenty of time to socialize them after everyone has recovered from the birth trauma.

Be careful what you wish for...... You wanted to be present at the birth and oh boy, were you ever! Congratulations on a job well done by both you and your "coach".

Thank you!

Little Mr. Wobbly is running around with his siblings and mom. He still has an occasional fall but is able to get back up.

I had no idea it would take a WEEK to recover! They seem to have recovered already! Is it okay if I reach in and pet them? Because whenever I put my hand in the cage they run over and start jumping on it and playing with it. It's so much fun to watch but if you think that may harm them then I will stop...

And feeding... when should I start introducing food? And what foods should I introduce first? Little Mr. Wobbly tried to nibble on some hay but seemed to not like the taste much haha! But I think it is wonderful that he is the first to try whole food! He is the one who is most attached to people, he loved climbing into my hand and sitting there.

 

[Soecara]

There isn't any harm in touching and petting them in the cage. You don't have to wait to introduce foods, just feed mum like normal, pellets, veggies, hay and all, and the babies will try eating anything she eats. Baby guinea pigs are born capable of eating whole foods.

 

[Ballet2vet]

There isn't any harm in touching and petting them in the cage. You don't have to wait to introduce foods, just feed mum like normal, pellets, veggies, hay and all, and the babies will try eating anything she eats. Baby guinea pigs are born capable of eating whole foods.

Okay, thank you! When should I start holding them? Today or tomorrow? (It has been 24 hours since the birth)

 

[Soecara]

You should take them out daily to weigh them so that in and of itself requires handling them at least daily, write it down and keep track of it, try to weigh them at the same time every day. Tracking their weights is important so you know everyone is growing properly, and it will be the best way for you to tell if Dumbo needs one on one time with the mother is if it doesn't gain weight like its siblings do. Just keep in mind they will lose weight for the first day or two before her milk comes in. The babies don't always grow at exactly the same rate, what you are looking for is if everyone is gaining weight at a steady pace.

Just don't have them out for too long (more than a few minutes, except if it is to give a sibling one on one time with mum) too often (more than a 3 or 4 times a day at most), they need to be spending most of their time with their mother at this age so they can learn how to be a guinea pig from her (even orphaned baby guinea pigs really need an adult guinea pig role model). I always found it best to take one baby out at a time, they can be very squirmy and difficult to keep your hands on because they are so small, and often my mother guinea pigs would get very distressed if suddenly all of her babies were gone from the cage.

I would stick to only taking them out for short periods of time until they are two weeks old, then you can start increasing the time you have them out for.

If floor time is something you have done with the mother before and you are able to baby proof a floor time area you can start taking them out for floor time when they are around 1 week old.

 

[spy9doc]

Great advice, Soecara! Thanks for taking the time to post in detail.

 

[Ballet2vet]

You should take them out daily to weigh them so that in and of itself requires handling them at least daily, write it down and keep track of it, try to weigh them at the same time every day. Tracking their weights is important so you know everyone is growing properly, and it will be the best way for you to tell if Dumbo needs one on one time with the mother is if it doesn't gain weight like its siblings do. Just keep in mind they will lose weight for the first day or two before her milk comes in. The babies don't always grow at exactly the same rate, what you are looking for is if everyone is gaining weight at a steady pace.

Just don't have them out for too long (more than a few minutes, except if it is to give a sibling one on one time with mum) too often (more than a 3 or 4 times a day at most), they need to be spending most of their time with their mother at this age so they can learn how to be a guinea pig from her (even orphaned baby guinea pigs really need an adult guinea pig role model). I always found it best to take one baby out at a time, they can be very squirmy and difficult to keep your hands on because they are so small, and often my mother guinea pigs would get very distressed if suddenly all of her babies were gone from the cage.

I would stick to only taking them out for short periods of time until they are two weeks old, then you can start increasing the time you have them out for.

If floor time is something you have done with the mother before and you are able to baby proof a floor time area you can start taking them out for floor time when they are around 1 week old.

Alright, and yes thank you for posting all this information!

I have been weighing them but I have more trouble taking one out at a time then all of them because they freak out when they are separated. Almond doesn't really care, I think she enjoys the break. The babies are more attached to each other then to mom.

Dumbo has gained a whole ounce since I last weighed him last night! The other two have not gained any, which seems odd because I have seen them nursing more then Dumbo. But I'm sure Almond just needs to make the milk. Thank you!

 

[Ballet2vet]

Alright, and yes thank you for posting all this information!

I have been weighing them but I have more trouble taking one out at a time then all of them because they freak out when they are separated. Almond doesn't really care, I think she enjoys the break. The babies are more attached to each other then to mom.

Dumbo has gained a whole ounce since I last weighed him last night! The other two have not gained any, which seems odd because I have seen them nursing more then Dumbo. But I'm sure Almond just needs to make the milk. Thank you!

One of the babies (temporarily named Penny) is having convulsions. They don’t last long and start slow then go fast and then go slow again and then stop. Could it be hiccups?

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

One of the babies (temporarily named Penny) is having convulsions. They don’t last long and start slow then go fast and then go slow again and then stop. Could it be hiccups?

What do you mean by convulsions? Can you clarify?


I only ask because it could be popcorning.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

One of the babies (temporarily named Penny) is having convulsions. They don’t last long and start slow then go fast and then go slow again and then stop. Could it be hiccups?

Does it look like this?

https://youtu.be/J2wNMuKP2X0

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Is there any news?

 

[Ballet2vet]

Is there any news?

Sorry for the delayed response. No it does not look like that in the video. It more looks like hiccups like she (he) just simply jerks forward a little bit over and over again. It's not like a siezure or anything, it's just a slight jolt movement. She has done it three times that I have seen.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Sorry for the delayed response. No it does not look like that in the video. It more looks like hiccups like she (he) just simply jerks forward a little bit over and over again. It's not like a siezure or anything, it's just a slight jolt movement. She has done it three times that I have seen.

If you can capture it on video, that would be helpful for someone to be able to help identify it. I know that's a pretty tall order. I'm not sure if guinea pigs can have the hiccups, maybe someone can enlighten both of us?

Does everything else seem to be ok with them?

 

[spy9doc]

What you are describing is not uncommon, at least in my experience. When it occurs in short bursts, yes, it appears as though it might be hiccups or even trying to dislodge something in the throat. This happened with Sparky the other day and went on for several seconds. Just as I was about to pick him up to do a piggy Heimlich, he stopped.

I actually had to do the maneuver on a cavy several years ago when he got choked on food. I snatched him up out of the cage with one hand around his hindquarters and back legs, turned him upside down, and did a couple of short quick squeezes on his little belly with the other hand. Out popped the offending piece of food. As a Red Cross Instructor I have taught and performed the maneuver many times and figured it worth a try on my piggy when he was choking. Fortunately, I was present when it happened.

 

[Ballet2vet]

If you can capture it on video, that would be helpful for someone to be able to help identify it. I know that's a pretty tall order. I'm not sure if guinea pigs can have the hiccups, maybe someone can enlighten both of us?

Does everything else seem to be ok with them?

Yes, other then the “hiccups” the pups are as healthy as can be! Dumbo is now 60 grams and the two others are 80 grams.

 

[Ballet2vet]

Something strange is happening... when I sit and stroke the pups' heads after a couple minutes they will kind of twitch and then slowly fall over and go limp. If I pick them up or let them fall all the way they will basically wake up. Is this just falling asleep or should I be worried? If it's just falling asleep then it is absolutely hillarious and adorable!