Pregnancy Pregnant Guinea Pig, about 2 1/2 years of age.

[oliviaandoboe]

So I have recently found out today that my quite older Guinea pig's cage companion is a male, and that she has not been gaining weight, it has been little babies kicking at the sides of her hips. She is about 40-50 days in from what I have researched, since the babies have been kicking. She seems to not have any complications at all. She has been eating and drinking, I have fed her many vitamin rich vegetables, and separated her from all the Guinea pigs, in a cage in my room. I am worried for her as she is older, but I have been told to not worry because she has always had wider hips, hence the pelivc bone won't get that nasty build up some have reported to have. I am very worried for her, and there are no vets anywhere near to where I live. (And yes, they are further than a 50 mile distance from my home.) I would really love to have some advice or something that can hopefully make this pregnancy go as best as it can, and to hopefully make my Guinea pig end up happy and healthy. Thank you for all replies.

 

[bpatters]

Well, no one can ensure that your guinea pig winds up healthy. There is no "nasty build up" of the pelvic bone, no matter what the age of the guinea pig. What happens is that the ligaments that hold the pelvis together begin to stiffen at around eight or nine months of age. After they've stiffened, if a sow has never had a prior litter, pregnancy and delivery become much more dangerous.

If she has several pups, and if they're all normal size, she may be able to deliver ok. But if she has a large pup, whether just one, or one large pup with other normal sized ones, then she may not be able to. If you'd don't have an exotic vet near you who can do an emergency spay, then you need to find another vet who can euthanize her if she is unable to deliver on her own. Death in labor is a painful, exhausting way for a guinea pig to die, and if you can prevent that, then you need to do so. And when she's in labor is not the time to be looking for an available vet.

Here's a link to help you know how far along she is: https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...inea-pig-is-pregnant-And-how-far-along-is-she. There are some links to information at Guinea Lynx there -- please read about pregnancy and labor.

It's good that you separated her from the male. She can get pregnant again within minutes of giving birth, and back-to-back pregnancies are extremely hard on the sow and the second litter of pups. But if she has female cage mates, there's no need to separate her from those. GP sows usually make very good aunties, and they'll help raise the pups.

Good luck, and let us know how she gets along.

 

[oliviaandoboe]

Thank you so much for this. This has given me a huge relief. I will be monitoring her very closely, as she is about at the 6 to 7 week stage to where I can feel the pups kicking. She seems to be doing fine at the moment, and is enjoying being pampered. I believe she knows she is pregnant and is being very protective over her pups, as she has bit me when I first found out today when I picked her up. If there are the slightest complications, I will have her taken off somewhere.

 

[magicpiggie]

as she gets later in her pregnancy, try not to handle her unless absolutely necessary i.e. Cleaning the cage, etc.

i hope she has an uneventful and safe delivery. Sending piggie kisses her way!

 

[oliviaandoboe]

I would just like to say to everybody on this post, I have felt her pelvic bone this morning and compared it to my other sow's. Her pelvic bone is much further out than my other sow's, about the size of a dime as of right now. Thank you all for your concerns, and I am hoping the rest of the pregnancy goes as smoothly as possible for her!