The average period of pregnancy is approximately 65 days. This is going to be all the more obvious if she was a very active female before she was pregnant. Establish a daily routine with set times and stick to it, to provide consistency. Even a slight mishandling could lead to enormous amounts of pain. During this period the mothers double her body weight and get a lot bigger. It can be hard to tell when your pregnant guinea pig is going to deliver her babies because unlike dogs and cats, they do not prepare a nest. When a guinea pig is about to give birth, any male guinea pigs near her will gather around and try to become the dominant male in order to both protect the female and mate with her. Guinea Pig Vomit: Everything You Need To Know. Avoid making changes to a pregnant sow's cage, like removing toys or putting the cage in a totally new location. But that isnt the case in guinea pigs. I really enjoyed that it was stressed that the babies don't need to be with dad at, "I love guinea pigs, and when I get one, and then another one, they will probably mate. The temperature outside or in a garage/shed usually becomes too cold at night for a pregnant guinea pig. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Check to see that the guinea pig is eating and drinking; extra vitamin C may also be helpful. Stage #2. So, in this article, let's see how a fetus will change week by week to become a baby. Support wikiHow by This period starts from the first day of the last period before your baby is born. So be sure to consult fair- minded veterinarians, and a second opinion could never hurt. Rough handling may cause miscarriage. Your pregnant sow will also need more vitamin C after 4 weeks, about twice as much, so incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C into her diet. The female has a short postpartum estrus that will last for only about half a day and, without a dominant male, all of the males will try to mate with the new mother. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. 8 weeks after birth the guinea pig pups double their size by adding 3-4 inches (8-10 cm). I didnt know whether to hit him in the face for the negligence or to feel sorry for his loss. You should also provide a box, like a small shoe box on its side. I love animals! If you are not certain that the pups are weaned at 21 days, the males should be removed anyway to prevent pregnancy. The ultrasound will also be able to confirm how many pups there are, and how many of them are alive. Male guinea pigs will continue to mount pregnant sows, which can cause stress or pain to your pregnant sow late in the pregnancy (after the 50-day mark). While your sow might bear from one to six pups or even more, the average litter size is 3. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. The mothers weight will vary for a few days whilst she re-adjusts but should settle within five days. Enjoy! To Avoid Stress, You Need to Take Several Measures Obviously. Yeah, sounds weird, but it actually works with several other animals too. Increased fiber intake can prevent hair thinning, which is common in the last stage of pregnancy. The gestation period in guinea pigs varies between 59 and 72 days. Weigh your sow weekly to be certain she is gaining weight at a regular pace. This site is run by Anna, Niklas and Jesper - three curious, caring and animal-loving people. Make the introductions gradual as the adults will be a lot larger and could do them serious harm. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. no im not breeding i thought my guinea pig was a boy but he was actually a she and now shes pregnant . My guinea pigs continued to grow (4-5 months when I got them early May, so the new ones are 8 months old now) - to like perfectly normal guinea pigs. Mother starts making "extreme" stress calls, Mother seems to give in, appearing exhausted, Excessive bleeding (more than a tablespoon). Does anybody have like weekly signs of guinea pig pregnancy like week one no sights week two they eat more something like that thanks . Reduce handling to a minimum and don't handle her within two weeks of the birth. Pregnancy can have a number of complications for the sow, the female guinea pig, including toxaemia (metabolic imbalance), dystocia (difficulty giving birth), and post-partum difficulties (such as seizures due to low calcium levels). :)", understand just in case for the future as well, thanks so much for the info. What are the Similarities and Differences Beetwen Humans and Guinea Pigs in Pregnancy? If they do mate, I will now. With cute little fingers, hair, and adorable teeth, open ears & eyes, they are just the apt definition of awesomeness! Find out the Stages Of Pregnancy By Week. If you've found out that your guinea pig is pregnant, check on it several times a day to monitor its drinking and eating habits so you know what is normal and can react to changes. We got her without knowing that she was a pregnant guinea pig. Males born in the same litter are brothers, right? It is not enough if you understand that. If you need to transport your guinea pig, never pick her up by her stomach as it can harm the unborn guinea pigs and the mother herself. The towels should be changed at least twice a day. A pregnant sow will begin to drink and eat more as the pregnancy advances. But anywhere in the range of 59 days to 72 days is regarded as normal. However, if your sow is not yet mature and is less than 6-8 months of age, she will still be growing and thus weight gain may not be indicative of pregnancy. Keep the two in separate cages until one of them is fixed. The average number of days female guinea pigs stay pregnant is 65 days. Of course, all these are high school zoology concepts. % of people told us that this article helped them. I did all, "I think that it was great help. So you wouldnt have to worry about them running away to places they are not supposed to go. At birth the pups should weigh roughly 2 to 3 oz. So, better to be overly cautious than to be negligent.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'pocketpetcentral_com-sky-3','ezslot_22',111,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-pocketpetcentral_com-sky-3-0'); Make sure you monitor your guinea pigs weight every week. As a general rule, the larger the litter, the shorter guinea pig gestation tends to be. Left untreated, both the mother and the pups will die. Even though having a vet all the time is not convenient. Next, check your guinea pig's weight, since her weight will almost double during pregnancy. How long is a guinea pig pregnant for? If the sow becomes uninterested in food contact your veterinarian immediately. Which Can Include: Being vigilant about their activities is vital to their well-being. Your vet will instruct you with all the necessary tests to be taken. Use your dominant hand to feel her belly. I enjoy learning about pets and to share what I learn with others. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Of course, much much cuter! Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. Safety from injury should take precedence over hygiene. They belong to the family Cavidae, which contains 14 species of animals commonly known as cavies and Patagonian hares (or maras). For the first week, the babies do not actually rely on the mother for food. I have been given an 8 week old guinea pig that is pregnant, and her half-sister. Commonly, their size would be ranging from eight to ten inches. The kidney, bladder, or even fecal pellets can all be easily mistaken for fetuses. Whilst a pup becoming stuck in the birth canal or born breech is common, never intervene yourself. You can also touch her abdomen gently to feel for piglets in the womb. But now that they are arrested in your home, you must be ready to step up and take responsibility. Outdoor time, again, with your availability to monitor. It is not very different from human pregnancy. So having their cagemates with them could be a good choice. Doing otherwise can cause pregnancy complications or miscarriage. 2 Observe her eating habits. With your non-dominant hand hold her steady around the shoulders, with her head facing away from you. Males mature a little slower on average, but not by much. The optimal maintenance of guinea pig colonies, commercially and in research settings, relies on robust informed breeding programs, however, breeding data on specialized inbred strains are limited. Feed your guinea pig alfalfa hay instead of timothy hay so that she gets more protein and calcium. There is no need to remove other sows, they may even help with the pups. Copyright 2023 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. The probe records the echoes as the sound waves bounce back in order to determine the size, shape, and consistency of internal tissues and organs. Do not bath the sow during pregnancy. Feeling the abdomen needs to be done by a professional because it is easy to mistake the bladder, kidney, or even an enlarged ovary for a foetus. Use for phrases At what age can guinea pigs mate? Of course, as you probably already know, a break between two consecutive estrus cycles can be caused only by a pregnancy. An ultrasound scan can visualize exactly what the bumps are and confirm a pregnancy. Newborn guinea pigs weigh about 3.5 ounces (100 g). Though it depends on the size of the litter, a guinea pig pregnancy lasts 59-72 days. [1] The vet may try to manipulate the piglet into a position where the mother can pass it. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Remember guinea pigs are social animals and should be kept in groups, so if you own both a boar and a sow make sure to provide company of the same sex for both of them. Keeping a clean hutch will prevent a build-up of ammonia from urine. This will keep your guinea pig from slipping. Do not keep pregnant guinea pigs in multi-level cages/hutches as their balance will be impaired by pregnancy, and in the later stages of pregnancy they may not be able to get up to the higher tiers. However, do not assume that your guinea pig is pregnant based on just how much she is eating or drinking. If there is not an out-of-hours vet in your area, discuss this with your vet to come up with a plan. Do not handle her all the time like before. Do not rely on foods that list added Vitamin C as an ingredient. Research source How many babies do guinea pigs get per litter? At this stage, you have to feed your developing guinea pigs with pellets specially formulated for them. Do not cage them. 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