Hey y'all,
I'm a first-time guinea pig owner (my housemate got me a little darling for xmas this past year). I automatically assumed my baby was a boy, but after tons of research and such, I discovered Elliot is a girl.
Anyway, I've noticed an increase in weight in the past month that I've had her, and thought maybe I was feeding her too many vegetables....she's also been squealing loads lately in the past few days, so I've been giving her lots of attention.
I have an odd sleeping pattern, so I was up from 2am til now (nearly noon) in the living room, where we keep Elliot's cage. Not 20 minutes ago, I heard her making these soft whirrs, almost like her "happy" noises, but really, really soft. I went to pick her up and there was this big mound of red/orange lying in the cage, so I looked closer and thought maybe she had just taken a really, REALLY large poo, then realized how ridiculous that was, so I picked it up.
It's definitely a dead baby, but it is pretty much just a skull and some developing body parts. I was able to distinguish a back leg, but it didn't have claws, and the toes weren't individual yet. This poor little thing hardly had any fur on it, either.
I just don't know what to do. I can't believe I was in the same room, literally 5ft from her cage and didn't notice. She didn't make any strange noises. I inspected Elliot very carefully, she's got the red/orange around her girl parts, as well as all over her mouth/down her chest. Before I realized it was indeed a dead pup, I was holding her and she just sat there, not moving.
Do guineas suffer from post-partum? I've removed the carcass, but don't know what else to do.
Sorry ahead of time for my ignorance - as I said, I'm VERY new to guinea pigs, but I do a ton of research to make sure everything is right. I just don't know what to do about my Elliot now. She's just started purring... how do I know if there are more babies on the way? She definitely isn't as fat anymore...
Suggestions? (in general, on how to deal with ALL of this)
also - I have a photo of the pup, but not sure if it's too graphic to post here. it's so sad, it doesn't even have eyes.
EDIT:
It just occurred to me that I handle her every day, at least 5 times a day (she's VERY loving and cuddly). I had no idea she was pregnant, and as I said, didn't realize she was a girl til recently. Did I contribute to this still/underdeveloped birth somehow? Can I hold her and love her now?
I feel so lost.
I'm a first-time guinea pig owner (my housemate got me a little darling for xmas this past year). I automatically assumed my baby was a boy, but after tons of research and such, I discovered Elliot is a girl.
Anyway, I've noticed an increase in weight in the past month that I've had her, and thought maybe I was feeding her too many vegetables....she's also been squealing loads lately in the past few days, so I've been giving her lots of attention.
I have an odd sleeping pattern, so I was up from 2am til now (nearly noon) in the living room, where we keep Elliot's cage. Not 20 minutes ago, I heard her making these soft whirrs, almost like her "happy" noises, but really, really soft. I went to pick her up and there was this big mound of red/orange lying in the cage, so I looked closer and thought maybe she had just taken a really, REALLY large poo, then realized how ridiculous that was, so I picked it up.
It's definitely a dead baby, but it is pretty much just a skull and some developing body parts. I was able to distinguish a back leg, but it didn't have claws, and the toes weren't individual yet. This poor little thing hardly had any fur on it, either.
I just don't know what to do. I can't believe I was in the same room, literally 5ft from her cage and didn't notice. She didn't make any strange noises. I inspected Elliot very carefully, she's got the red/orange around her girl parts, as well as all over her mouth/down her chest. Before I realized it was indeed a dead pup, I was holding her and she just sat there, not moving.
Do guineas suffer from post-partum? I've removed the carcass, but don't know what else to do.
Sorry ahead of time for my ignorance - as I said, I'm VERY new to guinea pigs, but I do a ton of research to make sure everything is right. I just don't know what to do about my Elliot now. She's just started purring... how do I know if there are more babies on the way? She definitely isn't as fat anymore...
Suggestions? (in general, on how to deal with ALL of this)
also - I have a photo of the pup, but not sure if it's too graphic to post here. it's so sad, it doesn't even have eyes.
EDIT:
It just occurred to me that I handle her every day, at least 5 times a day (she's VERY loving and cuddly). I had no idea she was pregnant, and as I said, didn't realize she was a girl til recently. Did I contribute to this still/underdeveloped birth somehow? Can I hold her and love her now?
I feel so lost.
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