Labor question for older Guinea pig

[Eastcoastghost]

I adopted a male Guinea pig from a friend that needed to rehome. I did some research and saw Guinea pigs should always have a friend. We adopted what we were told was a male Guinea pig. Three weeks ago he looked fat and lumpy. I did some googling and thought he had bloat. Turns out he is a she and she is pregnant. I’ve separated them and put her in a smaller more cozy cage. She doesn’t let me pick her up or touch her, so I have no idea how far along she is. She is very big and I expect her to give birth any day. I am concerned bc I read Guinea pigs over 6 months should not get pregnant. We were told she was six months at time of adoption. That was Jan 1st. With her still being pregnant on March 13th, she will give birth at roughly 8 or 9 months. I am scared for her. Is it possible for her to give birth at this age without complications? What if she goes into labor while I’m not home and she is having trouble? Will she die? Is there anything I can do to help her. I did not expect any of this and have no idea what to do. My vet (for my dogs) is ridiculously expensive so I’m trying to put off any non critical vet visits.

 

[Soecara]

8-9 months for a first time delivery is not an age I would be concerned about. As far as I am aware most guinea pigs don't experience the pelvic ligaments stiffening until they are past 1 year old.

Odds are good that she will birth without complications, but nothing is guaranteed. She probably will give birth when you are not there, they are good at giving birth either overnight or when the house is quiet. There are not many complications that cause immediate death, so if she does have a complication and has given birth when you are not there she will probably be in bad shape when you find her but alive.

Make sure your vet is able to treat exotics pets, guinea pigs are not covered in the standard training so most vets won't really know much about how to treat them.

When you say you have moved her to a smaller, more cozy cage, do make sure it is not too small for her and pups combined. When guinea pigs are overcrowded after giving birth the pups can have their ear chewed, sometimes quite badly. I would probably have her in the bigger cage and your boy in the smaller cage so the mum and pups have plenty of room, just make sure to baby-proof any cage she is in. This page has some info about baby-proofing https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/about-candccages

 

[Eastcoastghost]

Great point on the larger cage. They shared an extra large rabbit cage but I put her in a smaller pet store Guinea pig cage. I have another large cage I could put her in but thought she would feel safer in a smaller cage. I never thought about her wanting the space for the babies. Thank you. I am going to move her in the morning.

And thank you for the reassurance regarding her age. When I agreed to take the male (and then got him a friend), I never expected to love them so much.