pregnant guinea pig

Pregnant Guinea Pig

When caring for a pregnant guinea pig, there are a lot of things to be careful about. First of all, it’s best not to let a guinea pig get pregnant at all. The females can become a pregnant guinea pig as young as four weeks old, and at any age for the rest of her life. Over a fifth of pregnant guinea pigs die. A pregnant guinea pig under 5 months old is at a high risk. If they are over 8 months old and have never bred, they also have a high risk. The male can breed at three weeks old. If a guinea pig is seen attempting to mount his mother or siblings, he should be separated from the females. Females have their “season” and can become pregnant that way every 16 days.

A pregnant guinea pig is pregnant for about 10 weeks. By the time the pregnant guinea pig is heavy, it is probably not too far from her giving birth. She will want more water than usual and something firm in her belly can be felt. It’s important not to squeeze her too much because of possible injury to her or her young.

Another term for the pregnant guinea pig is sow. She needs to be apart from the males. As soon as she gives birth, she’ll be in season again and could become pregnant right away. This type of breeding could kill her.
The pregnant guinea pig’s labor time is very short. She will give a groaning sound when starting labor, so wait by her cage in case help is needed. The baby often arrives right after the groan.

Don’t worry about taking care of the newborn right away. It’s an instinct for them to know the right thing to do. However, just in case, be close by. She will clean the babies, and nip each amniotic sac for the baby to breathe. If she has two babies that arrived close, you will have to help with the 2nd one while she works on the first. Nip the sac using your fingernails and remove the baby’s head. If it isn’t moving or breathing, hold it at arm’s length and spin around once. This should start it breathing. When the babies are okay, make sure you put them back with their mother for bonding.

If they are not walking around or have their eyes open within an hour, take them to the vet. It is okay for them to eat adult guinea pig food, and keep water always on hand for them and the new mother.

It is very important to remove the male babies as they reach three weeks old. Female babies can stay with the mother all the way to adulthood. The mother’s gestation period can be from 52 – 72 days. The babies are born with a coat of fur already. So after they are a couple of weeks old they are able to do anything an adult can do.

By:  Lee Martin    http://www.Guinea-Pig-Lovers.com

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