I don't know if my guinea pig is Pregnant!

OliCavies

Post   » Sat Dec 30, 2017 8:50 pm


I have a 1 year old sow and she might be pregnant. She had contact with my other boar for about 5 minutes.It was an accident because the boar lives in a cage separated from the sow. The divider fell down and he might have mated with her before I was able to stop him because I was in a different room during the time. The only clue I have to her pregnancy is that she gained about 80 grams in about 5 days. She weighs 962 grams which is overweight for a sow. I also don't want to go to the vet because of the expenses. My sow also has been pregnant 2 times and those 2 are still a mystery to me. So what can I do?!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Dec 30, 2017 9:26 pm


First, 962 grams is not overweight for a sow. I've had several sows, and every one but one has weighed over 1300 grams without being overweight. The one who weighed less weighed around 1200 grams.

Second, how long has it been since she was with the male? Weight gain in pregnancy doesn't start for several weeks. And unless she was in heat, she won't be pregnant. Sows come in heat for a day or so every 14-16 days, and cannot get pregnant during the rest of time.

If your sow has been pregnant twice, it's no mystery. You're not keeping the male away from her. You need to put a lid on her side of the cage -- he can push up a lid on his own side, but he can't lift the lid on hers.

OliCavies

Post   » Sat Dec 30, 2017 10:30 pm


-Well it has been 2 weeks since the incident
-the first pregnancy was a mystery because she gave birth after a month I purchased her
-the second pregnancy was a mystery because the boar was bought after several weeks from the birth and they had separate cages
-online it says that sows should be from 700 to 900 grams and boars should be 900 to 1200 grams
-she would always weigh around 900 until now

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Dec 31, 2017 12:27 am


You can read anything online, but if you read the weight article on this site, it will tell you that those weights are based on lab animals, not on pets, and that they're out of date.

There's still no mystery about the pregnancies. There are no virgin births with guinea pigs, so she was with a male both times. With the first pregnancy, she was expecting when you got her, because most guinea pig pregnancies last about 9-10 weeks. With the second, somehow she was with the male.

A pig won't have gained any significant weight in two weeks of pregnancy. The fetuses, if any, are still way too small to account for that kind of weight.

Are you weighing her at the same time of day? Preferably in the morning before breakfast? If not, there's no way to know how much of her weight is due to food/poop and how much to pig.

OliCavies

Post   » Sun Dec 31, 2017 12:33 am


I am weighing her every morning

OliCavies

Post   » Sun Dec 31, 2017 1:20 pm


I have another clue to her pregnancy. Her cage is in my bedroom and she has been munching on hay and drank all night.Also did the same thing every time I walked into the room.

I don't know if this is a clue but it might be, when she pees, her pee is whitish. Also when I try to feel her "babies" she wouldn't let me.

WICharlie

Post   » Sun Dec 31, 2017 1:42 pm


Weigh her once a week and do it in pounds and ounces. If the pig is pregnant, she will gain between one and three ounces during the 5th week of pregnancy. That will be a definite sign of pregnancy. The next sign will be a steady weight gain thereafter and then actually being able to feel the pups moving around when you place your hands on her abdomen in the later stages of pregnancy.

You need to find a vet that is experienced in exotic pets and have your male neutered. In the meantime you need to make absolutely sure that the male is not put in with the female again. He needs to be in a separate cage and have a lid. Any children in your household need a stern talking to and need to be supervised while they are handling the pigs. Any adults too. Every pregnancy puts your female at severe risk of any number of complications and death is one of them.

You say that you don't want any vet expenses but that is part of the responsibility of being a pet owner. You need to be looking around for one right now to get your male neutered and to have one to take your female to if it turns out she actually IS pregnant. The chance of her needing medical intervention is very, very high if she is pregnant and you want to know who to take her to when the complications occur. If she didn't have complications for the first two pregnancies, don't be fooled that she won't with this one. You were very, very lucky. The risk of complication gets higher with each pregnancy.

If there is even a chance of her being pregnant, I would begin caring for her as if she was. Read the section in medical about pregnancy and labor. She needs the addition of alfalfa (hay or pellets) or added parsley to get extra calcium so her own body is not depleted of it while growing pups.

WICharlie

Post   » Sun Dec 31, 2017 1:46 pm


The pee means nothing. The eating and drinking means nothing. Guinea pigs are supposed to eat all the time. And you won't feel anything at two weeks. "Quickening" which means feeling the pups move, only occurs in the later stages of pregnancy.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Dec 31, 2017 1:53 pm


There are no babies to feel at this point -- the fetuses are too small. You're not going to be able to tell if she's pregnant until she's about 4 or 5 weeks along.

Whitish pee is normal for guinea pigs. It has absolutely nothing to do with pregnancy.

I wrote this for another forum: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/th ... ong-is-she

OliCavies

Post   » Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:26 pm


Thank you so much for the help.I will look into finding the right vet for her that isn't too pricey. I already bought her alfalfa hay and the boar is totally separated from her.

I was thinking about neutering the boar but I have read that as he will get older there might be complications because he was neutered.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sun Dec 31, 2017 4:41 pm


Actually, there should fewer complications when he's older if he's neutered. Neutering reduces the chances that he'll have severe impactions.

Don't feed her only alfalfa hay -- mix it in with some timothy or other long strand grass hay. Alfalfa isn't grass, it's a legume, like peas. It won't keep the teeth ground down.

OliCavies

Post   » Sun Dec 31, 2017 5:48 pm


I am still deciding if I should neuter him because after being neutered I don't want him hurt after the surgery. Also, about how much does it cost to neuter him as long as it's not over 100 dollars I might go ahead and find a vet for him.

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