jacinda
Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2010
- Messages
- 10
We got our new pig on October 16th. We were told by the people that she was 8 weeks old (to me she looked more like 6 - very tiny), and that she had been "separated from males" (ya right!) at the "right age" and that everything was fine. She looked fine to us, just a regular baby pig. She was alone in the cage when we picked her up, her siblings had all been given away the day before.
She's a peruvian, and she has a lot of hair (it's hard to tell which end is her head most days!) so it's hard to see her shape by just looking at her from above the cage. She honestly just looks normal, bigger than when we got her, but not distinctly pear-shaped.
I've held her up vertically from under her front legs, and her belly looks very swollen and pear-shaped (which is funny because she doesn't look like that when she's just in the cage/floor time). Her belly is VERY swollen, but it's not hard like a pregnant human's belly is. Also - she squeals (its more like a scream - I've had pigs for years and it's not a squeak for food) when we touch her belly on the sides and on the bottom. It's one of the piggy screams that is like "Hey! That's annoying - bugger off!!). It sounds like the squeal that a short haired pig will make if you pet its fur against the grain.
Now I understand that the belly is a sign of pregnancy. Not too sure about the screaming when we touch her belly. The other thing that I've noticed is that she doesn't seem to be eating more than my other 2 girls, who are around 12 weeks. But, I am at University during the day and can't supervise who eats the pellets the most. I regularly see her chow down on the veggies I give them, and she eats oxbow timothy hay, but once again.... I wouldn't say from what I see, she is eating way more.
I'm wondering if there are any illnesses that can mimic pregnancy in pigs. I worry that she isn't pregnant, and has something wrong with her belly when she screams when I touch it. Her nipples are just slightly bigger than our other 2 pig's.
When I was 10, I had two pregnant guinea pigs from a pet store and I don't ever remember them squealing like that. This is what worries me that she's sick and not just knocked up.
If any of you have advice on Piper's possible pregnancy or the signs more point to a gut issue - please share. I'd really appreciate any help.
She's a peruvian, and she has a lot of hair (it's hard to tell which end is her head most days!) so it's hard to see her shape by just looking at her from above the cage. She honestly just looks normal, bigger than when we got her, but not distinctly pear-shaped.
I've held her up vertically from under her front legs, and her belly looks very swollen and pear-shaped (which is funny because she doesn't look like that when she's just in the cage/floor time). Her belly is VERY swollen, but it's not hard like a pregnant human's belly is. Also - she squeals (its more like a scream - I've had pigs for years and it's not a squeak for food) when we touch her belly on the sides and on the bottom. It's one of the piggy screams that is like "Hey! That's annoying - bugger off!!). It sounds like the squeal that a short haired pig will make if you pet its fur against the grain.
Now I understand that the belly is a sign of pregnancy. Not too sure about the screaming when we touch her belly. The other thing that I've noticed is that she doesn't seem to be eating more than my other 2 girls, who are around 12 weeks. But, I am at University during the day and can't supervise who eats the pellets the most. I regularly see her chow down on the veggies I give them, and she eats oxbow timothy hay, but once again.... I wouldn't say from what I see, she is eating way more.
I'm wondering if there are any illnesses that can mimic pregnancy in pigs. I worry that she isn't pregnant, and has something wrong with her belly when she screams when I touch it. Her nipples are just slightly bigger than our other 2 pig's.
When I was 10, I had two pregnant guinea pigs from a pet store and I don't ever remember them squealing like that. This is what worries me that she's sick and not just knocked up.
If any of you have advice on Piper's possible pregnancy or the signs more point to a gut issue - please share. I'd really appreciate any help.
