Pregnancy My "male" guinea pig might be pregnant?!

[kapowilicious]

Hello, I'm new here. Hoping to get some help. Sadly I just typed a long thread out and messed up so it didn't post! I'll try to remember everything that I said! Sorry- it's going to be long.

Two months ago I got two male guinea pigs from a local woman. Her pig had babies and she was unable to keep the babies. They were born around Sept 1st, so they were about 6 weeks old when I took them home. "Popcorn" was always a little smaller than "Pugsley" and I just assumed Popcorn was the runt of the litter. They are on a diet of Oxbow Young Cavy Performance, lots of hay, and daily veggies. They are in a 2x4 grid C&C cage.

Last night I had them out on the floor for their playtime, and noticed Popcorn really had a noticeably fatter belly than Pugsley. They had been growing steadily and I just figured Popcorn was finally catching his brother because they are getting so much good food! But last night I looked and thought "He looks like he's getting quite huge..." And it isn't everywhere, just in his belly. When looking from the top it kind of has that pear shape that others have said to look for in a pregnant pig. He/she is still very active but I can't help wondering the belly is due to being pregnant.

Also, Pugsley has VERY obvious testicles. You can just see them when he walks in the other direction. They are big and there is NO mistaking him for a girl. I had begun wondering why I couldn't see these on Popcorn. I haven't tried to check for them for weeks now, but I can't see anything from his backside when he is walking around. Also- Pugsley is dominant and will wander around rumble-strutting. I have only ever heard Popcorn make the rumble-like noise one time, and it was directed to me and not Pugsley. One time I saw Pugsley mount Popcorn but after reading online saw that sometimes males do that to eachother to show dominance, so I put it out of my mind.

I separated their cage down the middle with some extra grids last night, just in case.

Now my questions.

1) How likely is it that the woman who had them for 6 weeks completely got this wrong? She had a litter of 4 and presumably had 2 girls and 2 boys.

2) Will it stress Popcorn out if I try to get a look at his/her area right now? If it's a she, and she is pregnant, I don't want to chase her down/stress her out, or harm the babies. I don't hold them often, but they will run around over my lap and they do get scratches. I could wait for him/her to come into the fuzzy blanket on my lap and catch him that way a bit easier.

3) Baby-proofing the cage: Do I do this right now, just in case? The c&c base is 6" on my cage but after bedding closer to 4". How high do the solid sides need to be?

4) Same question with weighing- is this going to stress Popcorn out? Ideas how to do it with minimal stress if you all think I should do it?

5) If the belly is big and it's due to being pregnant, is it likely that the pig could deliver anytime? Like I said, we've had them for 8 weeks now.

I think that's all. Advice is greatly appreciated. I'm quite worried for my pigs and really hope I'm totally wrong about it being pregnant and it IS a boy. And- I'm gone at work for almost 10 hours tomorrow, but then I'll be home for 11 days straight. I'm a bit worried about not being able to check on her/him/it tomorrow.

THANK YOU in advance for your help.

 

[kapowilicious]

Sorry I also wanted to ask if it is ok to let them play together during floor time if I am there with them (I use an "elevator method" to get them to the floor- they run into the mini-cage and know floor time is coming!) If it's a she and she is pregnant, the damage would already be done so this would be ok, right? I feel bad even having their cage divided, they have been together since birth.

 

[SurfingPigs]

Can you take clear pictures of their genitalia? If so, post those up and we can help you sex them.

I will try to just address your listed questions:

1. Definitely possible. If she had an accidental litter, then she already mis-sexed them once it sounds like.

2. You can try to sex her yourself now, she will be fine, but if she is pregnant I wouldn't handle her too often.

3. Yes, if she is pregnant you should just babyproof now. Since she is already as much as 8 weeks along she could give birth whenever. I go up 10" when using cardboard... it is probably overkill, but it works.

4. You should weigh your pigs weekly. If you can have her resting in a cuddle cup or something you could set her on the scale in that, and then just subtract the weight of the cup after, it might make her more comfy.

5. Belly size isn't too indicative of how far along they are. My fosters weren't too large prior to giving birth, but I have seen others that are absolutely huge. However, if you have had her 8 weeks, there is a good chance she is getting close.


Good luck and if you can, post up pictures for us to help you sex her/him.

Also, you should try to expand your cage now that they are separated, and get your intact boar into a totally different area. If you indeed have a boar and sow, the boar will be driven wild being able to see the sow, and may even scale the cage to get to her. Also, the sow will need at least the minimum cage size. Sows who are in overcrowded, stressful conditions will chew the ears of their babies.

 

[kapowilicious]

Also, you should try to expand your cage now that they are separated, and get your intact boar into a totally different area. If you indeed have a boar and sow, the boar will be driven wild being able to see the sow, and may even scale the cage to get to her. Also, the sow will need at least the minimum cage size. Sows who are in overcrowded, stressful conditions will chew the ears of their babies.

Thank you for your advice! I know I need a bigger cage if I keep them separated, but wanted to try to figure out if Popcorn is indeed a female before I buy everything (I'm still holding out hope that he's just a fat boy with very tiny testicles...!). As soon as I know for sure, I could get another c&c setup purchased within about a day or 2. I do have a smaller cage (maybe about 2 feet by 3 1/2 feet or so) that I could move one of them into if you think it's better than having the cage divided at this point. I did make a little "roof" over part of the divider to try to prevent Pugsley from any wild boy antics.

Should I just move the obviously male piggy into the smaller cage tonight? Is being in the same room an issue?

If Popcorn turns out to be a pregnant female, can they still have play time together if it is supervised until the babies come?

Also- I will try to post pictures tomorrow to see if you guys can help me identify Popcorn's sex. My husband is gone this evening and I know there is no way to take the pic without him helping!

 

[FuryanGoddess]

can you feel a ridge on the underside, above the genitals? it's inside, but if you rub your finger lightly, you should be able to feel it w/o much pressure and stress if he is infact a preggers she!

 

[bpatters]

If the female is large enough that you think she's pregnant, she's obviously close to delivery. So definitely separate the male and put a clamped down lid on his cage -- they can do incredible things to get to a female, and she can get pregnant again immediately after delivery.

Within 10-14 days of birth, you should be able to feel the babies along her flanks. They'll be more obvious at some times than at others, depending on which way they're turned.

Also go ahead and babyproof -- they're small and quick, and you'll find yourself chasing guinea pig pups all over the house if they come before you get the babyproofing up.

As far as the missexing goes, it happens far too often. It's not that hard to tell the difference usually, although it can be a problem with very young pigs. Read www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.html for instructions on how to do it.

 

[kapowilicious]

Well, I did lure Popcorn onto my lap tonight and scooped him/her up to try to get a closer look. I think I'm just bad at this because she/he hates it so I feel bad and give up before I can see anything too definite. I didn't see any obvious testicles, and didn't read about feeling for a ridge until after I had already caught her the first time. I didn't want to capture her again tonight- it will go better when my husband can help me hold her and look. I did notice pretty large nipples. I checked Pugsley and his nipples don't seem as large. Does nipple size mean anything?

For now I have made a clamped down roof over the "definite boy" side of the cage but it really only covers half his cage, including the middle portion where the grid divides the cage. Is that going to be enough? If not I'll have to try to figure something out for the rest of his side.

I doubled up the middle dividers to make the openings half the size, and I think that baby-proofs that section. The back has coroplast that is 12 inches tall already, and I pushed the side up against the wall. This leaves me with only 2 grids left to babyproof, and I think I'll go with cardboard for those.

Tomorrow night, if there isn't already an arrival of baby pigs, I'll see if I can get some pictures to show you guys. I really want to keep believing Popcorn is a boy but I just can't imagine such fat sides NOT meaning there are babies in there. Especially when Popcorn is supposed to be the tiny one!

Thank you again to all of you who are responding and helping me out! I really REALLY appreciate this!

 

[kapowilicious]

If the female is large enough that you think she's pregnant, she's obviously close to delivery.

Almost forgot- When you say "close to delivery" are you thinking close as in it could be tonight, or might still be 1 or 2 weeks off?

And thanks for the link on sexing them. I'm sure as soon as I can get a closer look I'll be able to figure it out.

 

[SurfingPigs]

I agree with Bpatters... if you are noticing that much of a difference, she is probably pregnant. And yes, the nipples enlarge late in pregnancy when they start producing milk, so that's yet another sign.

I wouldn't put it beyond a determined boar to figure out he just needs to go to the opposite end of the cage to get out and around the roof, but I also haven't heard of this, specifically, happening.

If you lightly rest you hands upon her sides, can you feel movement? If so, you are probably within a week of delivery.

Can you take an overhead picture of her?

 

[kapowilicious]

I have decided against trying to get a closer look at her right now. I'm fairly certain it is a "she" and she is indeed pregnant. I will try to get an overhead picture though.

Just wondering- has anyone been able to actually see the babies kick from just watching them while they are in their cage?

Another question- we were planning on going out of town for 2 days for Christmas. We were originally bringing the piggies with us but that seems to be out of the question now. Do you think, if she has already had the babies and everyone is doing fine, it'd be ok to leave them from Sat afternoon to Sunday evening?

 

[kapowilicious]

Got some pics. Popcorn used to be my "tiny" pig. Now you can see she is anything but! My male looks chubby when he sits back on his haunches, but for Popcorn, this chubby belly only gets more pronounced when she stretches out!

Belly #1


Belly shot #2 (even though she is running away you can see that giant pudge right in her tummy as she dashes off!)


Belly #3


And before all the madness happened- here are the guilty parties enjoying their lettuce...(to be fair I don't know for sure that it was Pugsley who did this to her, since she was housed with males in her previous home it could have been the dad boar...)


And that concludes my photo tour. Thoughts? Does she look pregnant to you guys? I can't get over it every time I look at her. I just see those giant lumps sticking out of the side and think there HAS to be some babies in there...

 

[FuryanGoddess]

I don't know. She looks kinda pear shaped to me but I have to say.. they both are some of the cutest piggies I've ever seen. I LOVE their color and their coats are so different than what my three have... what breed are they?

 

[kapowilicious]

I don't know. She looks kinda pear shaped to me but I have to say.. they both are some of the cutest piggies I've ever seen. I LOVE their color and their coats are so different than what my three have... what breed are they?

Thanks- I think they are cute, too! Cute little Popcorn has one pink front paw and one black front paw- it is ADORABLE. And I love Pugsley's white face. The lady who had them thought their fur resembled teddy bear guinea pigs. The parents are both American, though. But the fur does have a little bit of that teddy bear "kink" to it. Here's some more pics just for fun, and so you can see that elusive pink paw!

 

[Hhbean]

Oh they have the cutesy little faces!

 

[kapowilicious]

Just wanted to bump this and see if others thought she had a pear shape to her as well...

Thanks.

 

[ellisa]

I have no experience with preg sows, but she does look pear-shaped. Boars can have junk in the trunk, but from my experience it's more in the booty than the belly. Have you felt any movement if you put your hands gently on the sides of her belly?

 

[foggycreekcavy]

I see a slight pear shape. If she's truly pregnant she'll get even bigger. Are you weighing her? She'll be gaining pretty steadily.

Gestation is anywhere from 59 to 72 or 73 days. I have seen females get pregnant when 6 weeks old.

 

[Kimberly713]

From the top she looks pretty round. From the side however she looks just chubby, exact shape of my pig who I'm certain is not pregnant. Honestly, if i was you I'd keep them separated and go for a vet visit.

 

[Kieri]

i'm not experienced with pregnant pigs but your pigs are the cutest things i have ever seen and i want to squish their little cheeks.

 

[pinky]

They remind me of a little groundhog and possum... too cute!