How to tell if my female is pregnant?

[piggieslover]

I have 4 boys and 1 female. I put one of my males in with my female for 3 weeks (he is still in there) but 21 days was up on the 11-03-05. She looks a bit chubbier, she drinks alot and eats ALOT of timothy hay, and always seems hungry. When I was holding her last night she was lovey as usual but when I went to rub her belly like before she wiggled alot and squealed very loud at me!?
So how can I tell she is pregnant? My vet is not cavy savy and I would like to know how to tell, plus I need to know how to sex pups. I can sex my adults but; I have heard it is harder with the babies? Help Please.....

 

[skirbo]

I don't know a whole lot about guinea pigs yet, but I suspect you need to provide more information for the more informed here... not to tell you if she's pregnant, but to advise you.

Most importantly, how old is she now, and has she ever had a litter before?

Sarah

 

[piggieslover]

She is about 8 months old and has had a litter with the previous owner and had 2 pups both males.

I don't know a whole lot about guinea pigs yet, but I suspect you need to provide more information for the more informed here... not to tell you if she's pregnant, but to advise you.

Most importantly, how old is she now, and has she ever had a litter before?

Sarah

 

[daftscotslass]

This site does not endorse breeding, only rescue. This is not the place to discuss deliberate breeding, sorry.

 

[Piglet]

He's still iN THERE?! So even if she isn't pregnant yet, she may become so in the next couple of hours. Where's the logic in your thinking? How old was the boy when you put him with her?

 

[Funnygpigs]

You are risking the life of your g-pig by breeding it. What if the babies get stuck in her birth canal? Are you prepared to spend 300.00 or more on an emergency C-Section? What if she dies? Do you care about that? G-pigs have a 20% chance of dying during delivery. Even if she had a litter before, she may still die this time. Please read:http://www.cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm

This is a very anti-breeding forum. Please do not breed your animals. You are risjing their lives and contributing to the over population problem.

If you are willing to see the error of your ways, and immediatly remove the male from the females cage, I will be willing to help you with any info you may need to know. :0)

 

[kimberly78]

another ignorant person breeds again. Act first and ask questions later is the motto I see. Do your homework before you take on adding to the over population. This really makes me sad. Sad to see the animals you fail to take full responisbility for.

 

[Kriket]

I have 4 boys and 1 female. I put one of my males in with my female for 3 weeks (he is still in there) but 21 days was up on the 11-03-05. She looks a bit chubbier, she drinks alot and eats ALOT of timothy hay, and always seems hungry. When I was holding her last night she was lovey as usual but when I went to rub her belly like before she wiggled alot and squealed very loud at me!?
So how can I tell she is pregnant? My vet is not cavy savy and I would like to know how to tell, plus I need to know how to sex pups. I can sex my adults but; I have heard it is harder with the babies? Help Please.....

I'm having a problem understanding what your saying. Let me see if this is correct. You INTENTIONALLY put your male guinea pig in with females, hoping to achieve what? You wanted them to breed? Why? While I'm sitting here worrying that a guinea pig I rescued could DIE because she's pregnant, and worrying when she's going to have her babies, and others on the site are rescuing guinea pigs left and right, your trying to make your pig HAVE babies?
Have you even LOOKED at this site or are you just trying to antagonise people on here?

 

[VoodooJoint]

piggieslover - You have been a member around here long enough to know that this site is VERY anti-breeding and very pro rescue/responsible ownership.

You decided to breed long after you joined this forum. I am VERY disappointed in you.

If you had bothered to read the forum and the Cavy Spirit website you would know that what you are doing is not only irresponsible but also selfish and cruel.

I expect far more from a member that has been around for over 4 months.

You honestly seemed to want to learn about how to take care of your pets better and you suddenly want to risk her life, and for what gain? Is your GP some rare talking breed? Aren't there enough animals dying in shelters for you?

I am shocked, disgusted and dismayed by the sheer stupidity of your actions. PLUS, I see in your profile that you are only 2 years younger then I am. What you are doing is something I expect from a child without the foresight to understand the consequences of their actions. NOT from an adult!

ANY more how-to breeding discussions from you and you are facing demotion and possible banning. I will not have your ignorance upsetting this pro-rescue board.

I am also moving this to the Kitchen because this has nowhere to go but to Uglyville.

 

[lilchris_28]

Why can't people just have pets to have pets? Why do they always assume that their pets want to have babies? To me, if you breed your pet, it's like you are raping them. Plain and simple. Not only that, but HOW can people breed their pet knowing that millions of animals are being euthanized each year? I don't get it, I just don't freaking get it!

 

[zakfoxmom]

I completely agree with Voodoo. You are a year younger than me, you should know better! My son is 5 years old and understands that breeding is bad and can compromise the health of the sow and babies.

Guinea pigs are pets not toys or breeding entertainment. Too bad there really is not an Uglyville forum to stick this thread into.

 

[twofinepigs]

So, what do you do here, morally? You have a member who has done something irredeemably stupid and irresponsible...but what about her sow? Do you give advice on how to care for the sow, and possibly help the sow stay healthy if she has the chance to?

On the other hand, the information is all over here and GL if she cared to look, and she obviously doesn't listen or have any regard for the information or the knowledgeable opinions, so maybe it's just pointless.

I dunno. Do you try to reach through a person you can't respect to help the pig on the other side? Or is it just hopeless?

 

[VoodooJoint]

So, what do you do here, morally? You have a member who has done something irredeemably stupid and irresponsible...but what about her sow? Do you give advice on how to care for the sow, and possibly help the sow stay healthy if she has the chance to?

In an ideal circumstance we now try to help make certain that the sow is kept as healthy as possible and do what we can to help this person deliver healthy pups.

On the other hand, the information is all over here and GL if she cared to look, and she obviously doesn't listen or have any regard for the information or the knowledgeable opinions, so maybe it's just pointless.

Exactly. I fear there is no amount of help we can offer that would do any good. Piggieslover has been on this forum for 4 months. Long enough to know that this is an anti-breeding forum. If she hasn't bothered to learn that very basic and obvious fact I doubt there is anything we can do to help. She simply does not want to learn and from that I have to conclude that she ultimatly does not care.

I dunno. Do you try to reach through a person you can't respect to help the pig on the other side? Or is it just hopeless?

We can try to reach through. It doesn't matter if I respect them or not. I respect the animal and it is the animal that will suffer from this ignorant selfishness. Of course that puts us right back to where we were again. We can educate all we can and all Piggieslover could possibly need, but I doubt it will do any good.

 

[thecarerescue]

Ditto to what everyone has said.

You want her to have ANOTHER litter, when she's only 8 months old and has already had one?!

When I was holding her last night she was lovey as usual but when I went to rub her belly like before she wiggled alot and squealed very loud at me!?

Maybe she's saying "Thanks for trying to kill me, thanks for contributing to the extreme overpopulation of guinea pigs, thanks for breeding me when you know not about cavies and your vet doesn't even know the first thing about us"?

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

I would find a cavy savy vet and an ER vet asap in case she has complications. If she needs an emergency spay or c-section (which they hardly survive) in the middle of the night, you'd at least want someone who kind of knows what they are doing. Or if they go toxic.

If you can't sex a pig, should you really be breeding?

A simple search on petfinder alone shows nearly 50 gps in your area that need a home, some are at kill shelters.

Have you read: http://www.cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm , http://www.cavyspirit.com/responsiblebreeder.htm , http://www.guinealynx.info/breeding.html

This is from GL : When I was first researching guinea pigs to see if they would make a good pet for my daughter, I found only one friend who'd ever had guinea pigs in her home. Her daughter had a single sow she loved and cared for. This sow was bred to a friend's boar. The birth was uneventful, the pups a joy. She bred her a second time with tragic consequences, losing the sow and all the pups and leaving her daughter devastated. Similar stories are repeated over and over again. But the ending is the same. Will the next sad story be yours?


Just because your sow had a "successful" first birth, doesn't mean she will be ok the next time. Breeding her decreases her life span. Pregnancy is hard on sows. They carry babies for 2 months ( a great span if you consider their normal life is 4-5 years, 7-8 if you are lucky but not if you keep breeding her) and the pups are born fully furred and ready to run.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Also where did you get her and the boar you mated with her?

Do you know their genetics and histories? Are you sure you will not end up with lethals? What breeds are they?

They could be predisposed to heart issues, teeth problems, and other diseases which the pups will inherit.

Do you not love your sow and want her to live a healthy life as long as possible? If so, why would you want to breed her?

You could have an ultrasound to see if she is pregnant. If a boar is with her when she gives birth, she will be backbred and her health even more compromised.

 

[i love piggies]

I totally agree with everyone else. How could you put your gp's life at risk, you are irresponsible. I almost cried when I read your message. Some people have no brains.

My little Betty, who I brought a while ago (pregnant) is due soon and I am so scared she will die. I am just so glad I got her and not someone a brainless as you.
Just so everyone knows I have got some friends who are going to adopt the babies.

 

[Binas Cavys]

You have been here as long as I have! I caught on that breeding guinea pigs was a horrible thing to do, on the FIRST DAY! Not to mentoin that I am WAY younger that you! And out of all the posts that you have read on this website you are still trying to breed, on purpose! ! And you still have your boar in thier ! Are you just trying to kill your pig. Havent you read that thier is a 20% chance that you could loose your sow. I agree with Voodo, I am dissapointed.

-Bina

 

[ilovemykisses]

Did you "want" babies? You're not the only person on this board that "might" have a pregnant sow and although the board is anti breeding and pro rescue, I don't think scolding you will help your piggie at all.

No need to feel bad about yourself, all you can do is try to be responsible NOW. I'd suggest like one of the other member's a new cavy savvy vet. No use poking and prodding the poor girl, you'll just end up stressing her out even more. Just get her the best care you can from the most experienced exotics vet you can find.

Have you turned her over and looked at her nipples? They should look a bit more pronounced than usual.

My pigs came together but were housed separately until my boar got altered.. but before that my sow was in a box full of boars according to my husband, so I'm guessing that's how she got pregnant, since the only time she was with my boar was during floor time and they didn't mate during that... I kept a strict on them.. but under the advisement of some of the members on here... even with a strict eye on them they could still sneak in a mating session before I'd be able to part them. I stopped letting them have floortime together, but she started to show signs of being pregnant soon after anyhow.

I'm more worried about her having complications and dying more than her babes. I'm prepared to keep all of her babies and putting the males with their dad and the girls with their mom. It's no one else's fault that my sow's preggers so I'm keeping all of them myself.

Are you prepared to keep all of the babes? If not, you better start trying to find homes now while she's still pregnant. It's not easy to rehome. The full animal shelters/rescues are proof of that.

One more thing... please get your boars fixed if you want to give her a boyfriend so this won't happen again.

Take care.

 

[redrocketpop]

Oh goodness...more pigs in Indiana. Baby pigs are adorable, but risking the loss of your sow isn't worth it.