Trying to figure out if rescued piggy is preggers

[Pink Portrait]

Hi! New here and new to Piggies. So background
So this is the beginning of her story. My dad found her while driving in a parking lot. He scooped her up so she wouldn't get run over. As it happens she had a deep cut on the side of her neck. She was thin and dehydrated. My mother got a syringe(obviously without the needle) from one of our cats and gave her some water. Also gave her some grass from outside. At this point we were still calling her a he since that's what my dad called her. He also wanted to know if it was a hamster. But my mother and I thought she was a girl.
Took her to the vet , sure enough it's a girl! Told us she was a little underweight and probably about 4 months old. He ends up putting two staples in her wound. She had cut the muscle on the side of her neck. It's pretty graphic so I won't post the pictures. She's doing really well with that now that's not what this post is about.

But anyway I've noticed her eating alot more and her tummy getting pretty full. In the past few days her nipples have gotten more pointy? She's been a bit moody not terribly so very minor most people probably wouldn't notice since she's so good natured. I read that you can sometimes feel the fetus(s) so I gently palpated her side. And I do feel something on her left side. Who knows could be her liver or another internal organ. But anyway what are some signs she might be preggers? And do piggies get ovarian cysts at such a young age?

 

[frogg0724]

First of all welcome!!! How long have you had your Guinea pig? A guinea pig's gestation is 59-72 days. I would have your vet check her out to confirm. Good Luck with her.

 

[Pink Portrait]

First of all welcome!!! How long have you had your Guinea pig? A guinea pig's gestation is 59-72 days. I would have your vet check her out to confirm. Good Luck with her.

I've had her for about 9-10 days definitely going to have him check when she goes to get her staples removed. She has an appointment monday.

 

[Pink Portrait]

Still looking for answers to my original 2 questions so.
Bump.

 

[piggielover200]

weight gain is one sign but it is probably to early to tell, near the delivery her pelvis will widen that's about all I know

 

[petgal49]

The weight gain could also be from her eating so well at your house. Since you found her as a stray she probably lost a lot of weight from being outside on the streets. If you have a kitchen scale you can weight her daily at the same time of day and keep a record.

 

[Pink Portrait]

Okay, so Vet said he felt at least one probably two. Says likely to deliver in a week or so. So help! What should I know?

 

[GoldieBrodiexx]

I would tag one of the mods or someone more experienced to help you with this.

 

[PiggieGuinea]

Unlimited food and lots of veggies. You need her to put on weight so she doesn't go into toximia after birth. Dont pick her up and just let her do her thing for a little.

 

[GoldieBrodiexx]

You also need to baby proof the cage, and make sure it fits the minimum size requirements for mum pig and however many babies she's having. Remember to also separate any male babies at 3 weeks. https://www.guinealynx.info/sexing_pups.html

 

[NormaS]

The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and calm down. Pregnancies in Guinea Pigs can be risky but chances are your girl will do just fine. Make sure she is well fed and has an adequate supply of calcium (you can give her parsley, which is high in calcium). Give her unlimited hay, good quality pellets, veggies and water daily. If she is so close to giving birth, don't pick her up. It will only stress her out. You have to baby proof the cage, making sure the openings in the grids are small. I don't know what type of cage you have but it is important that the openings are small so that the babies cannot get trapped in them. Also, make sure you have your vet on call in case she has some difficulties during the birth. Once the babies are born, they will eat veggies and pellets with their mom. Be sure to check their sex and separate the male babies when they are 3 weeks old. Please keep us posted and good luck!

 

[aspecht]

The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and calm down. Pregnancies in Guinea Pigs can be risky but chances are your girl will do just fine. Make sure she is well fed and has an adequate supply of calcium (you can give her parsley, which is high in calcium). Give her unlimited hay, good quality pellets, veggies and water daily. If she is so close to giving birth, don't pick her up. It will only stress her out. You have to baby proof the cage, making sure the openings in the grids are small. I don't know what type of cage you have but it is important that the openings are small so that the babies cannot get trapped in them. Also, make sure you have your vet on call in case she has some difficulties during the birth. Once the babies are born, they will eat veggies and pellets with their mom. Be sure to check their sex and separate the male babies when they are 3 weeks old. Please keep us posted and good luck!

On top of this it has been recommended to switch to alfalfa hay until babies wean

 

[GoldieBrodiexx]

On top of this it has been recommended to switch to alfalfa hay until babies wean

Not switch to alfalfa hay, supplement with alfalfa. They still need a grass hay like Timothy.

 

[aspecht]

Not switch to alfalfa hay, supplement with alfalfa. They still need a grass hay like Timothy.

I meant supplement lol. I just couldn't think of the word when I was typing. Thank you for correcting that!

 

[GoldieBrodiexx]

I meant supplement lol. I just couldn't think of the word when I was typing. Thank you for correcting that!

Thats ok, you're welcome!

 

[Pink Portrait]

On top of this it has been recommended to switch to alfalfa hay until babies wean

Vet said not to give her alafalfa until she gives birth so as not to shock her system.

The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and calm down. Pregnancies in Guinea Pigs can be risky but chances are your girl will do just fine. Make sure she is well fed and has an adequate supply of calcium (you can give her parsley, which is high in calcium). Give her unlimited hay, good quality pellets, veggies and water daily. If she is so close to giving birth, don't pick her up. It will only stress her out. You have to baby proof the cage, making sure the openings in the grids are small. I don't know what type of cage you have but it is important that the openings are small so that the babies cannot get trapped in them. Also, make sure you have your vet on call in case she has some difficulties during the birth. Once the babies are born, they will eat veggies and pellets with their mom. Be sure to check their sex and separate the male babies when they are 3 weeks old. Please keep us posted and good luck!

This is the cage I have
(broken link removed)
the bars are about an inch apart.
I am looking at this one
(broken link removed)
I'm trying to keeping from picking her up too much but she has to get medicine for her wound.

 

[filchikmcr]

You should try to look into making a C&C cage. You can buy the supplies to make one much cheaper than the cage you posted, and you can customize it to your needs and make it much much larger. The cages you posted are much too small, even just for one pig.

https://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm Here's a link on how to make a cage yourself, also there are various youtube videos which is how I made mine. Just make sure you baby proof it. You can search here and find out how to do that as well, it's very easy.

Hopefully the birth goes well and mommy and babies are healthy!

 

[Pink Portrait]

You should try to look into making a C&C cage. You can buy the supplies to make one much cheaper than the cage you posted, and you can customize it to your needs and make it much much larger. The cages you posted are much too small, even just for one pig.

https://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm Here's a link on how to make a cage yourself, also there are various youtube videos which is how I made mine. Just make sure you baby proof it. You can search here and find out how to do that as well, it's very easy.

Hopefully the birth goes well and mommy and babies are healthy!

I didn't think they made cages with covers but they do I think I'm going to order this one
https://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/candc-cage-covered-large#.Udt1ksV0mbs
I think it'd be too stressful to move her now. It's taken her a while to get used to her current one. But afterward yeah.

 

[Pink Portrait]

What are signs she's going into labor?
I know about the grunting but what other signs should I look for. She's very bonded to me and although I'll give her space I'd like to be there in case there's a problem.

 

[jubespiggies]

Alot of the time, piggies will give birth at night (or when there aren't any people), because naturally they would rather have privacy from predators. If she is going into labour, it'll be pretty obvious. In most cases, they'll sit/lie down on their stomach, & you'll see a hicupping motion (which is a contraction). When the baby comes out, there will be a sac thingo covering the baby, which the mother should pierce and eat. If she doesn't pierce it soon enough, the baby could asphixiate, and you will have to do it manually. Other things to look out for is lots of blood coming out, the mother in extreme pain & babies not coming out. There is a good page for this at guinea lynx:
https://www.guinealynx.info/labor.html
Good luck with your guinea pig!