General New baby in the herd.

[TearLily]

So back in beginning o February I had saw a post online about two Guinea pig, on female and one Male being kept together and was worried female was either pregnant or going to be because person was trying to give them both away with tiny cage. I had 3 females and asked her if I could just get the female because I already had females and was concerned female was pregnant . She said they never mounted and didnt think female was. I had posted on here about it and I remember people said act as if she was. She went into herd no problem and was smallest one so pretty sure she was basically a baby herself (like a couple months old).

I watched her and she never seemed super large and pregnant. She filled out some and has gotten a little bigger but not to her sides like I was expecting.

So tonight I go to sweep up cage and wash guineadad fleece and surprise the smallest Guinea pig I have ever seen. Stuck to the Guinea pig I mentioned by her side and they went into the cuddle fleece thing and huddled under there. The others came up to them to check out what was going on and would leave them alone.

So I have a loft I moved the bridge so no one can reach. I used extra chloroplast and secured corners and spaces for baby.

The mom keeps doing her thing and leaving baby but coming back. That's normal for baby not to go everywhere with her? I did see him or her checking out the hay with mom once.

What do you guys do with water bottle for the baby? Like how low do you move it down?

So count down today for birth for up to 3 weeks if Male to separate? How soon do you check for gender? I'm crossing fingers female so I dont have to separate one single Male from the herd.

Any advice is helpful. Thank you guys. And to clarify I didnt do any type of breeding and only got female because I didnt want her to be pregnant and have baby and be in cage with Male and continuing that cycle of pregnancy and so forth as well as I had the space for another Guinea pig as well as resources. I felt bad not taking Male in too but couldn't with females already.


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[Soecara]

When I have had baby guinea pigs I haven't lowered the water bottle, instead I have gotten a small paver stone and placed it under the bottle so the baby can either stand on that or put their front paws on that so they can reach the spout. They don't need water to start off with as they will be getting moisture from their mothers milk, but as they get closer to 3 weeks old you might see them drinking from the water bottle occasionally.

It is normal for the baby to not be with the mum all the time. I once had a baby that would only go to its mother when it wanted to suckle, the rest of the time it was either off on its own or with its "auntie".

Yes if it is a baby boy you would need to separate 3 weeks after the day it was born. You can check for gender now, but don't worry too much if you aren't certain it gets easier to tell the closer they get to 3 weeks old. The easiest thing to do at this age is just feel for a line above the genitals, as male guinea pigs have a bone in their penis you can feel this just under the skin even on a new born pup.

It is also a good idea to take the baby out daily for a weigh-in, this way you can ensure the baby is gaining weight properly. Expect a weight drop for the first day or two, as mum won't be producing milk properly yet, but after that you should see the weight gains.

 

[bpatters]

Why did you separate them? Most guinea pig sows make great aunties, and if you separate them now, you'll just have to do full reintroductions later on. I'd only separate if you've got one of those one-in-a-million sows that doesn't like babies.

 

[TearLily]

Okay thank you! I didnt separate my females I meant the Male that was with person who originally had the pregnant female I have now (I'm not making much sense and not sure how to phrase it). The girl had 2 pigs different genders so I couldn't take Male for that reasoning.

Thank you again. I felt the pup and did feel I think a bone but the area looked like the females parts I have seen but I'll keep checking like you said with weight. So far everyone seems happy and the cage seems secure.

I shouldnt see any more pups coming out later right? Not sure how long their labor goes for. The pup looked dry and moving since I've seen him or her and it's been a few hours now I think.

 

[Soecara]

If the mother guinea pig is out and acting normally then no she shouldn't have any more. They birth their pups one after another and then deliver the placentas (one for each pup usually), as the pups are born they clean them off then when they are done they may eat the placentas. Sometimes the aunt sows will even help clean off the pups and clean up the placentas and any blood in the area. Once they leave their birthing area if they have left any placenta behind you can take it out and clean up if you need to.

Given she didn't even look pregnant it is quite likely she was only carrying the one pup. If she hasn't birthed more by now and still had more in her she would be acting very sick.

 

[lunarminx]

Grats on the baby. I can't wait for photos.

 

[TearLily]

Awesome thank you guys. Yes I'll have to figure out how to post pics on here again. Tinypic wasnt working with me last night.