Pregnant Guinea Pig Care

Author: Laura McKinney
Date Of Creation: 6 August 2021
Update Date: 17 December 2024
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How To Care For Pregnant Guinea Pigs And Babies
Video: How To Care For Pregnant Guinea Pigs And Babies

Content

Due to the early sexual maturity of guinea pigs and the difficulty of distinguishing between male and female, it is not uncommon to find that the guinea pig you have just adopted is pregnant. Therefore, in this PeritoAnimal article we will give all the necessary information about the pregnant guinea pig care. We will cover the most appropriate conditions for your environment, as well as the correct nutrition, the risks, and also provide some notes on the timing of delivery. Keep reading!

guinea pig pregnancy

First, you should see if your guinea pig has symptoms of pregnancy. If you don't know if you've reached sexual maturity or if you've been in contact with a male, you may suspect pregnancy if you look at some of the signals below:


  • Increased water and food intake;
  • Constant fattening;
  • Breast development;
  • Pear-shaped, with enlarged abdomen;
  • Possibility of feeling fetal movements when resting your hand on your belly.

To be sure, you should consult your veterinarian. Through an ultrasound it is possible to confirm the gestation of the guinea pig and find out the number of offspring that the female guinea pig is gestating, it can vary from 1 to 6 offspring. The veterinarian will be responsible for providing information about the care of the guinea pig and solving all your doubts. Pregnancy in these rodents lasts, on average, 68 days. Although during this period your guinea pig will lead a practically normal life, you should note some important aspects, which we will cover in the following topics.


Guinea Pig Feeding

Once the guinea pig pregnancy symptoms are confirmed, one of the first precautions with the guinea pig pregnancy will be to adapt the feeding, a proper diet for any guinea pig includes, according to the proportion, the following foods:

  • Hay, since guinea pigs are completely herbivores;
  • Specific feed for guinea pigs, which must also be composed of hay;
  • Vitamin C-rich vegetables to prevent scurvy in guinea pigs (vitamin C deficiency due to low dietary intake);
  • Fruits and cereals as rewards, ie occasional consumption;
  • Vitamin C supplement if your guinea pig does not get enough of it in the usual diet.

After reviewing the diet that all guinea pigs need, how do you adapt it to the guinea pig's gestation? Feeding a pregnant guinea pig should include the following modifications:


  • Calcium-rich alfalfa hay, necessary during pregnancy as needs increase;
  • The amount of daily vitamin C is tripled, it may be necessary to supplement it, always under the supervision of a veterinarian. It is best to give this vitamin directly, as it breaks down quickly, it may have no effect when dissolved in the drinking water;
  • You must ensure that the guinea pig always has fresh, clean water available, in a drinking fountain that is also clean and easily accessible;
  • watch out for the parsley. Although it has a lot of vitamin C, which is very necessary, parsley has an effect on the uterus and can lead to miscarriages.

Learn more about Good fruits and vegetables for guinea pigs on our YouTube channel:

Guinea pig pregnancy: ideal environment

In addition to a balanced diet, it is also important to maintain the following precautions:

  • This is not the time to make changes. in your pet's environment or routines because they can become a stressor for her. In addition, you should avoid loud noises, drafts and excessive heat (guinea pigs tolerate heat less than cold).
  • Although your guinea pig's life will remain essentially the same, if you find it difficult to get in or out of the cage, access the drinking fountain, etc., we must take steps to facilitate your mobility.
  • If you live with other guinea pigs and you notice that confrontations are taking place with one of them, it is a good idea to separate them, keeping the pregnant piglet in the cage at all times. She can live with the male until the end of pregnancy if she feels comfortable with him, but they should always be separated a few days before giving birth, or soon after, to avoid another pregnancy soon after giving birth.
  • Guinea pigs don't need to build a nest to give birth, but still, you should keep your bed always clean.
  • During pregnancy you may notice that the piglet is more reluctant to be manipulated. Leave her alone.
  • In case of any anomaly or doubt, you should consult your veterinarian immediately. In that sense, it is important that he is an expert on guinea pigs. It's a good idea to have your phone and emergency phone always at hand, in case of any complications.
  • Finally, this is not the time to submit her to activities that she is displeased with, such as bathing and brushing her hair. Unless you like these things, you can put them off until the end of pregnancy.

These are the main precautions for a pregnant guinea pig, in the case of a healthy female. In the next topic we will see the risks that can arise.

Guinea pig pregnancy: risks

As we've already mentioned, guinea pigs reach sexual maturity very quickly, at around 2 to 4 months (you also need to take into account that their life expectancy is, on average, 5 years). From 10 months of age the bones in your pelvis are coming together. A first birth at this point may be impossible, as the rigid birth canal will prevent the offspring from leaving, requiring a cesarean and the risks that this operation entails. Therefore, if you do not know the age of your guinea pig or if it has given birth or not before, it is recommended to ask a veterinarian's opinion. Between 4-7 months of age will be the safest time for a first pregnancy.

On the other hand, between the care of a pregnant guinea pig, you should know the main disease that can occur during this period, the toxemia, which is a very serious and deadly metabolic disorder if not detected early on. occurs in females a few weeks before delivery and up to a week later, it is characterized by immobility, anorexia and hypersalivation (drooling) and, in blood tests, by hypoglycemia, although there are occasions when the piglet suddenly appears dead, without having shown any symptoms. There are also some risk factors such as obesity or age.

Guinea pig pregnancy: time of delivery

Care for a pregnant guinea pig also includes the time of delivery. One of the biggest questions in any pregnancy is knowing when such an event will start. Although it is known that the gestation of guinea pigs lasts about two months, it's impossible to know when the exact day will be of childbirth. In addition, in guinea pigs it is not easy to detect symptoms that indicate the imminent birth, since there are no changes in their behavior, perhaps the only change is in your pelvic bone. If you put your finger on your pig's genitals, you'll notice a bone. If you notice that this bone is as if split in two, with a separation of about 1 centimeter, you can predict that the delivery will take place in the next few days (about 10). It is necessary to take into account that this sign does not represent an exact measurement, that it is not easy to notice it and that there are guinea pigs that can present this separation for a long time without the birth actually starting.

Once the calving has started, the guinea pig will be quiet and its offspring will be born quickly. So if you're wondering how long a guinea pig's birth takes, you should know that the entire process usually takes between 10 minutes and half an hour and should never last longer than an hour.

Guinea pig pregnancy: birth problems

In general, childbirth does not require any special care on your part, as it is usually a quick and simple process, which your guinea pig will carry out alone and calmly. You must not intervene unless there are complications such as the following:

  • Inattention to offspring, that is, no disruption of the amniotic sac. Normally, as the cubs are born, the mother breaks the bag that surrounds them with her teeth, but sometimes this does not happen, for various reasons, and then you will have to break the bag and we will place the cubs close to the mother. Ask the vet to teach you how to do this.
  • overtime, if the birth process goes on for more than an hour without more babies being born, and you notice that your guinea pig is still in labor, it may be dystocia, in which case intervention is required veterinary.
  • bleeding, which is normal in childbirth, but may be a reason for consultation if the amount of blood exceeds a tablespoon.
  • Of course, you should ask for veterinary assistance if you see any abnormal signs in your guinea pig or in its young.

The expulsion of the placentas indicates the end of delivery. It is completely normal for the piglet to eat them, just as it is normal to ingest the amniotic sacs and umbilical cords. Puppies are born with the ability to feed themselves, in addition to the mother's milk, they will be able to eat the same things as her, so it is necessary to continue with a balanced diet, keeping the alfalfa hay that provides them with the calcium needed for their growth . Despite this independence, they should breastfeed for approximately the entire first month. After that, it's important separate males and females to avoid new pregnancies, both from mother and offspring.

Finally, even knowing all the precautions for a pregnant guinea pig, the gestation process poses a risk, not to mention the ethical issues that must permeate the breeding of guinea pigs in a society in which so many of these animals they are abandoned and therefore need a home. As a responsible caregiver, you must consider sterilization.