Two Pregnant Girls

[Cherryrosed]

I now have two pregnant girls that I am sort of fostering. They are two of the piggies that were in the pet store with so many piggies that were all mixed together. I don't have a lot of money, so I can't take them to the vet, (unless its an emergency of course!) I can't keep them as my husband says he will put up with two piggies, not four. As soon as they have their babies I will find new homes for them as well as the babies.

They are quaranteed in their own 2x3 C&C cage right now and there is no sign of any illness of any type. Besides all the Timothy hay they can eat and a cup of salad a day, do they need anything else? Should I give them all Alfalfa instead of the Timothy or should I give them mixed Timothy and Alfalfa? I will be researching this site as well as quinealynx for pregnant piggie care but would greatly appreciate your input.

One of them is solid black with rosettes all over her body and I am calling her Likki. The other has brown/black mixed hair in bands with white on the rest of the body. She also has a "cowlick" right on the top of her head. I am calling her Spicey.

 

[amfeider]

yes feed them alfalfa and try to get an alfalfa based pellet like oxbow cavy performance and feed that to the babies too.

 

[Cherryrosed]

Okay, I guess I am going to have to order from oxbow and get the right hay and pellets. In the long run it will be cheaper to order in bulk. I probably need to get some of that critical care for emergency use. I think the babies will come in August as I know they were with males in the middle of June.

 

[amfeider]

actually critterstore.com has oxbow cavy performance for cheaper than the oxbow site itself.

 

[Cherryrosed]

Cool! I'll try there first then. Thank you.

 

[amfeider]

but they dont have critical care.

 

[Cherryrosed]

Oh. Which one has cheaper shipping, or does it matter?

 

[amfeider]

Im not sure on the shipping but it may be cheaper just to buy them from oxbo

 

[Cherryrosed]

Okay. Thanks again.

 

[RubyPiggie2]

You need more veggies in your girls' diet. Here is a small list you can start with-
Cilantro- can be fed everyday
Bell Peppers- same as cilantro
Carrots- one SMALL baby carrot per day is fine
Swiss Chard/ Bright Light Swiss Chard- every 3 days preferably
Cabbage/Cauliflower/Bok Choy - feed in moderation, maybe 1 time a week.
Corn and the corn husks/silk- h&s's can be fed everyday, UNCOOKED corn 1-2 a week.
Apples/Oranges/Watermelon/Cantalope/Honey Dew- every 3 days for ONE fruit.
Endive- I think everyday is fine
Raddichino- 3-4 times a week maybe? Not sure.
If you like, I can send you a veggie list that Ly gave me. Just give me your email and I can send it.

 

[amfeider]

Actually radichio can be fed every day it is even better than romaine.

 

[Cherryrosed]

Thanks Amfieder and Ruby. I actually do give more veggies than just lettuce to all my piggers. They get romaine, red leaf, buttercrunch, and any other lettuce I can find at the store. They also get cilantro, bell peppers, and corn husks with silk (when I have them). I give them a piece of fruit every three days and a baby carrot every other day. I will start giving them a baby carrot everyday and look for radichio. My e-mail is [email protected] if you want to send me the list of veggies.

 

[dagwellismypigy]

I'm pretty sure you can't buy Critical Care on the internet, Oxbow wants you to go to the vets to get it. If you call around maybe a feed store will carry it though.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

You can order it online. They ship it to you or you can pick it up at the vet's.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

You can order critical care directly from oxbow. Pregnant pigs need more calcium than non pregnant pigs, so spinach, parsley and other calcium rich foods are fine to feed them right now. I would give small amounts of the calcium rich foods daily. The pups will take most of the calcium from the mom to grow, that's why they need it.

 

[Cherryrosed]

Okay, and thanks. I will give them spinich and parsley as well as any other calcium rich foods I can find, as well as their usual veggies. Pregnant piggies sure eat and drink a lot more than nonpregnant ones. They are always hungry for more. I am giving them alfalfa based pellets along with the alfalfa and timothy hay. I have located a couple of places that sell oxbow hay and products, so I will be getting some tomorrow. I have also located an exotic vet within 20 miles in case of an emergency.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Sounds like you are getting everything in order and doing wonderfully for your foster girls.

 

[Cherryrosed]

Thank you. I am trying, but am rather nervous about having pregnant piggers. One of them is a lot fatter than the other. When she lies down on her tummy she spreads both legs out behind her. She is still moving around a lot but is very slow and waddly. She is eating very well and likes to lie by the water bottle where she gets a drink every few minutes. Do you think she is close to having her babies or is this normal for piggies? It is 95 degrees outside here, but cooler in the house and I have ice for the girls to cool off with. Any ideas?

 

[amfeider]

If you can hear teeth chattering she is 1-2 weeks away.

 

[Cherryrosed]

I don't hear any teeth chattering yet, so maybe it is just the heat.