How to Help a Pregnant Guinea Pig

When you begin to realize your guinea pig might be pregnant, she'll be almost ready to give birth! Here are some ways you can help your guinea pig:

Never intentionally allow your guinea pig to become pregnant, especially if they are older than six months, younger than three months, or have never been pregnant before. Pregnancy, especially after eight months is hard on a female guinea pig. Caring for pups is costly and any pregnant rodent carries a one in five chance of dying as a direct result of complications during pregnancy or birth, or toxemia after birth. Miscarriages and stillbirths are common and can have a traumatic affect on the mother. There are more guinea pigs then people willing to look after them so don't breed guinea pigs for te sake of it - if you want a new guinea pig, try a rescue center.

Steps

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   Getting pregnant. This can be a very risky idea. Your guinea pig can easily get hurt. Over a fifth of pregnant pigs die. A guinea pig who is under 5 months is at high risk. Guinea pigs over 8 months old that have not bred yet are also at risk. There is a high risk for the sow if she is less than 1 1/2 lbs. Never cross roan x roan or dalmatian x dalmatian. There is also a 25% chance of producing a "lethal," an offspring that has a high chance of dying due to mutations. There are also many guinea pigs looking for homes consider giving them a home instead. There are accidents, though, which is why this page exists.
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   Spotting a pregnancy. It's not that easy to spot a pregnant guinea pig early on, and when you realize she is pregnant, she'll not be far off giving birth! She may drink more water than usual, and obviously, towards the end, she will gain weight. You will feel something firm in her belly, but don't squeeze her too hard or too often - you could injure her or the babies.
   • A litter of guinea pig pups usually is of 1 - 6 pups so start thinking about their future now - if the birth is successful, will you be able to care for them properly?
   • Birthing homes are an option but it is risky as the new home could be made up of 'backstreet breeders' which are looking for profit only. Make sure the carer is experienced and look for some reviews - don't just take their word for it. Do not move the sows home if she is over 3.5 weeks pregnant. Birthing homes may want to keep the pups as part of the deal - do not agree to this. Never dump a pregnant guinea pig on a rescue center.
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   Whilst she is pregnant, it is essential to give her special attention.http://lovelycutepetsnsk.blogspot.com/ gives information on how to do this. Have vet check-ups regularly.
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   Other guinea pigs. By the end of the pregnancy period, the female should not be housed with any other guinea pigs.
   • The sow has to be separated from all males after 3 - 4 weeks of pregnancy. This is because males will often try to mount the female while she is pregnant which is stressful for the sow and dangerous to the pups. After she is done giving birth, she will go into heat. She can easily become pregnant again. Back breeding can be stressful and could kill her.
   • After 4 - 5 weeks of pregnancy, remove her from all other guinea pigs (boars and sows) and move her to a 'nursery' which is inside, warm and quiet. She can go for 'play time' with others sows or neutered males but she will need to rest a lot more than usual so separating her is essential. Babies should be allowed to interact with other tame herd-members. They are not a danger to the pup's health, and it is best for their health if they are integrated into the herd and interact with adults as soon as possible. This will make them more social and domesticated with learning how to live and interact with a herd.
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   Labor. Your guinea pig will give a distinctive groan when she is going into labor - even if you've never heard it before, when you hear it you'll know exactly what it means. Labor should last no more than one hour, though it could be less. There will be around a five-minute gap between pups. If the labor lasts longer than one hour, seek veterinary advice immediately. Wait by her cage while she gives birth in case you need to intervene, but don't intervene unnecessarily.
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   Helping your guinea pig. Animals have an instinctive knowledge of what to do when the babies arrive, so you probably won't need to intervene - but stand by just in case. The mother will nip each amniotic sac, allowing the baby to breathe air, and then she will lick the baby clean. But if two babies arrive close together, she can only tend to one, and that is when you may need to step in. if you have a second piggy(note: only allow the father if it is a male or a female member of the herd. outsiders or unfamiliar piggies can pose a threat. mainly it will make the mother uneasy and may complicate the birth. in some (very few) cases, they may harm the babies, but Guinea Pigs are very good with babies and do not harm them under normal circumstances, even if they aren't their own children.) they should be allowed to be in the cage to help the mother. they will assist her in cleaning, especially if there are many babies, this will aid the babies in their first moments and will integrate them better into the herd by learning another piggy's scent and presence during the babies' first moments. in a few days, the female may, and probably will, be able to breed again, and i suggest removing the father, if he was in there to aid during the birth, as soon as all the babies are up and about.
   • If the baby is still inside the sac, nip the sac with your fingernails, and free the baby's head. (Only do this if there are too many babies for the mother to handle, and be extremely cautious. The mother should not bite or try to harm you if she knows you and is tame, but you may cause additional stress to her and the babies. Also, try to have another mature adult in the room with you. If you have any concerns at all, call your vet and talk with them during the birth if you can. If there is no vet available, try to talk to a breeder.
   • If it is breathing and moving, leave it for the mother. If it is not breathing or moving, pick it up, and holding it at arms length with its head away from you, spin around once. The force should free any blockages from its throat, and start it breathing.
   • When all the babies are breathing and moving, put them back with the mother, for her to clean and to bond with.
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   After the birth, take the pups and sow to the vet for a check-up as soon as possible. Guinea pig babies should be furry and should be able to walk about with their eyes open within the hour - if not, something may be wrong, and you should take them to a vet.
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   Feeding. The weeking period is 14 - 28 days and the sow will introduce the pups to solids herself - their first taste of non-milk foods may even be on day one! They don't require any special food, apart from alfafa hay. It's fine if they eat the adult guinea pig food. Make sure fresh water is available, as the new mother will need to drink more than usual to make milk.
   • Even if the pups haven't finished weaning at 3 weeks, the males will have to be removed as even at this age they could impregnate the mother which could have fatal consequences.
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   Later on. The female pups can remain with their mother for life. The males can be introduced to their father if he is docile (when they are still young then they could be seriously injured by him if he is too territorial). All the pups can be introduced to the other piggies once they are 3/4 weeks old for male/females (but only to the same sex).
   • Female pups can be introduced to other females before the four week mark when over-seen but just because they are the pups of a previous cage-mate does not mean that they will be accepted immediately and before then they will still be so small they could easily be trampled by others.
   • At three months old the pups can be spayed or neutered so they can live together. You should never intentionally impregnate a female so therefore it is understood the boar father (and any other males) shouldn't be re-introduced to the sow or the female pups unless they have been spayed.
   • If there is only one male pup make sure that you find a companion for him as soon as possible as he will become lonely once he's been separated, especially as he's been living with others.
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    A new home? If you cannot keep the pups for whatever reason then they can leave home at around seven weeks. Even if they have already been separated from their mother before then, they will still be too young and not independent enough to make the change successfully. If you find them another owner, make sure that you only sell the pups in pairs or groups and be certain the new owner knows what they're doing.

Video

• If you hear a soft noise, like a groan, from a baby guinea pig, it might be suffocating. Perform gentle resuscitation on the guinea pig's stomach and use a straw to blow air into their mouth. Get to an emergency vet as soon as possible, even if you have successfully resuscitated it.
• Remove other guinea pigs from the sow whilst she is pregnant and for the first couple of weeks after birth, especially the males.
• Consult the vet or a breeder! Although this site is informative, do not solely depend on this!
• While the sow is pregnant, be sure to give her fresh fruits and vegetables daily especially if young. All guinea pigs should be given 1 cup of vegetables per day for proper nutrition; fruit should be fed more sparingly. The best vegetables/fruits for guinea pigs include various types of lettuce (not iceberg), carrots, green and yellow bell peppers, and small amounts of tomatoes and strawberries.
• Even though they are pregnant, they enjoy plenty of running around time ... so make a schedule for them to play!
• If you have a extra room in the house, put the pregnant sow in solitary ... she'll appreciate it.
• Stand by in case the mother needs you, but don't intervene unnecessarily. Don't crowd her, have only one person on watch.
• Guinea pig mothers are not usually aggressive towards humans handling their babies, but do allow the pups time to get used to you before handling them.
• Toxemia is a common disease for pregnant cavies. Feel her ears and check whether they are warm. If not, take her to a vet ASAP.
• Guinea pigs have fast birth, you could see one guinea pig in her cage, and then two minutes later, she will be done giving birth.
• If the mother doesn't have enough milk or refuses to feed any of the babies, then they can begin to eat solids from birth (though mums milk is best). Try feeding them a special baby formula (consult your vet about this), and mashed fruits and vegetables. Feed it to the pups on a small spoon. Make sure there is always water, guinea-pig pellets and hay available.
• Clean the cage out before she has the pups!

WARNING!

• Do not play with your pig too often when she is pregnant - she will need a lot of peace and quiet.
• Please be careful when handling a pregnant pig.
• But to be on the safe side you should book into the nearest vets to have her check out before making any decisions on if she is pregnant or not, but it is better to make sure your guinea pig is in good health. Otherwise, she could die before giving birth to her babies.
• Guinea pigs have a one in five chance of death caused directly by the birth and an even higher chance of death or serious illness caused in birth.
• Do not allow children to hold or spend too much time with the pregnant female, even if they are good with her, even if they are good kids, they may stress out the female and complicate the birth.
• If anything seems to be going wrong - e.g. there is a lot of blood, the female is taking over an hour to complete the birth of the whole litter, or she is squealing in pain, then take her to a vet immediately.
• Don't squeeze the stomach AT ALL! Don't even hold her 3 weeks before the birth. If you cannot contain your need to feel the babies, you can take her house out of her cage and lightly hold her in place using one hand placed behind her head. Softly speak to her so as not to spook her. With your other hand, use your ring and pointer fingers to palpate her sides softly. You may feel the babies moving around in there!