Pregnancy Pregnant Guinea Pig with LOTTTSSSS of Fetal Movement, is this normal?

[a.rose.burns]

My guinea pig Cody is pregnant, not entirely sure how far along, the vet and I know she's at least 7-8 weeks along, she's huge, and the babies keep moving, really big movements that moves Cody, and you can see the movement in her, like as if her lower belly is hiccuping, and it knocks her over, and then there's thumping, not her heartbeat but really noticeable thumping like as if the babies are knocking on her sides from inside of her, and when you listen to her belly you can also hear a soft popping like teeth chattering. Cody just lays down and when the babies move she nudges where the movement came from with her nose. Is this indicative of how close she is to giving birth? She keeps hunching over to check herself, as if shes waiting for something to happen. She's having definitely one, maybe two, the vet said, from what the vet could feel. The babies are at least 7-10cm inside of her from when the vet was feeling them. I want to get a feel for how close she is to giving birth to make sure I'm home so that she's not alone in case theres complications. Here's some pictures of her. She lays down to eat, lays down to drink, and will randomly start wheeking and shrieking loudly and I check on her everytime and shes just laying there with the babies moving. Is this normal? Is it because she's close to going into labor?

 

[GoldieBrodiexx]

Sorry, I can't really help you, but just a piece of advice; the seed stick and the edible log aren't really good for her as seeds are a choking hazard and can't be digested well, and the log is full of salt and will most likely be bound together by really unhealthy stuff. Most pigs will prefer herbs/an occasional piece of fruit as a treat, and of course their veggies!

Also, welcome to the forum!

 

[Colorado Cavies]

I have heard teeth chattering is a sign that she will likely give birth in the next week or so.

I just want to point out that since you allowed a set of siblings to breed (I did see your reasons, I still think it was wrong, you should have just doubled up the grids so he could not get himself stuck) there is significant risk to the pups. You need to have a good vet lined up now just in case.

You still need to double up the grids of your cage so that the babies can't try to escape and get caught. Cages should be baby proofed until guinea pigs are around 6 months old or big enough that they can't get their head stuck.

 

[bpatters]

There are roughly three indicators of when a sow will give birth (although, like all babies, they come when they come and not necessarily according to your calendar).

1) At about 6 weeks of age, you can feel the pups moving when you put your hands along the sow's flanks. Sounds like you're well beyond this stage.

2) About a week before delivery, you can hear the pups gnashing their teeth.

3) About 48 hours (or less) before delivery, the pubic bones will separate. You can feel for the separation by having someone keep the sow still (leave her in the cage with her feet on the floor) while you run your index finger between her back legs. Just above the genitals you should be able to feel the bones. When they're about a half inch separated, delivery is imminent. Here' a picture of what you're looking for: https://www.guinealynx.info/forums/viewtopic.php?p=1816328&highlight=pelvic+bones#1816328

She'll also move less and less, but that's not a good indicator of when the pups will come. A small sow carrying a lot of pups will slow down quicker than a larger sow that only has one or two.

Ditto the other advice on the seeds -- they're a no-no for guinea pigs. GPs have very narrow throat openings, and it's easy for them to get choked. Those huts are glued together with sugar, which can upset the delicate balance between good and bad bacteria in the colon, and should be thrown out.

Also, if that's cotton in the cage, get it out ASAP. They don't nest the way some other rodents do, but if they ingest that cotton (which they will), you're in for a very sick pig and very expensive vet treatment.

You may want to read https://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html and https://www.guinealynx.info/labor.html for more information.

Ditto Colorado Cavies on lining up a good vet. Guinea pigs are prone to genetic defects anyway, because they were bred for research purposes, and mating siblings just magnifies the problems. If it has not been longer than three weeks since he was neutered, then get him out of the cage ASAP -- she can get pregnant again immediately after delivery. If it's been longer than that, you can leave him in.

 

[a.rose.burns]

Thanks for the advice GoldieBrodiexx, I know its not the best for her but I gave it to her and Kobe while I cleaned their cage. I give them fresh fruit and veggies each week. I have some pics posted of them and their big salads haha they go crazy for em. And Colorado Cavies, thank you for the advice on the teeth chattering. As far as the cage divider, it was both she went through the cage grids and when I reinforced it with coroplast and extra grids she then would try and go under or go through the sides. As far as we knew at the time she was already pregnant anyways, I rescued them from a breeder and had no intention of having anything but boys. When we found out Cody was a girl the vet said she was 95% sure Cody was pregnant already since they had been seen mounting. That was the only reason I didnt pursue it further at the time to separate them, since we already believed her to be pregnant, the vet and I agreed until it was later in the pregnancy we could keep them together, especially since she was so desperate to be back with him. I had done my research on guinea pigs and the horror of breeding before I got them. And my cage is already baby proofed, I lined it with cardboard yesterday, right after those pictures were taken. I didnt mean for it to happen, but since it is, Ive taken Cody for regular check ups with the vet to check up on the pregnancy each week and to check her health. Kobe has been neutered and he gets check ups as well. I do everything I can for Kobe and Cody and I would never intentionally harm them. Please dont say it as if I did it on purpose. I would never intentionally breed them. Theres too many guinea pigs out there that already need rescuing from shelters and breeders.

 

[a.rose.burns]

bpatters, Haha I completely understand what you mean on them being on their own schedule. And Ive read all the guinea lynx pages more times than you'd believe. I know to feel for the bones and it doesnt feel like theyve separated yet, but there is a little bit of space there. And its not cotton its bamboo, its designed for guinea pigs, or so I was told. And I already have a good vet, shes an exotics expert who I take them to regularly, and its been several weeks since Kobe was neutered, at least 6 weeks have gone by, almost 7 now.

 

[Soecara]

It's not that the seed sticks are just "not good for them" (they are actually extremely bad), they are literally a death waiting to happen. I can talk from personal experience here as I have had a guinea pig die from choking, you do not want that in your cage at all as they will die within minutes if something goes wrong and there is literally nothing you can do to save them. Also I won't even feed those seed sticks to my birds, as they are almost always made with glue which is a substance not intended for consumption.

The "bamboo" is also not good, and I have never heard of anyone having it in their cages. I don't imagine it is easy for them to digest if they eat it (which they would), and some people will say anything is safe for any animal if it gets them a sale. They also do not nest so it is completely unnecessary, I'm sure she would prefer a nice fleece forest to hide in instead.

One more issue, veggies are to be given every day, not once a week. This may be a misinterpretation on my behalf but that is what your earlier post said. I and other members have only brought up these issues because we care about the health of your guinea pigs, which is even more important when a pregnancy is involved.

Now onto what the thread is about, in my experience it is perfectly normal for the babies to kick like mad. With my girls it would start somewhere between 2 weeks and delivery, and often I could see their sides getting kicked from the inside from across the room (not all my girls had such active babies though). Often it would almost seem as though one baby had kicked another sending the whole litter into a flurry of kicking.

 

[bpatters]

I don't care whether that stuff is cotton or bamboo, it's not safe for the pigs, nor is it needed. If a pet store employee told you it was ok for them, I'd be highly suspicious of that -- they're there to make sales, not to protect the health of your guinea pig.

And those seeds are DANGEROUS. If you want to give your pig a treat, try parsley or cilantro or another herb, or a bit of fruit. Somehow I don't think you'd enjoy watching your pig choke to death on something it was never designed to eat.