It is not very different from human pregnancy. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Even though the birthing can be handled by yourself, it is better to leave it to licensed veterinarians to avoid last minute complications. It will be too stressful for her. If your sow is carrying more pups rather than less, her length of pregnancy will more likely be closer to 60 days than 70. However, do not assume that your guinea pig is pregnant based on just how much she is eating or drinking. A guinea pig's pregnancy lasts about 9 or 10 weeks. For older guinea pigs, this may include her carrying out her pregnancy and birth housed at the vets, as she is more likely to need intervention. If you are a woman reading this I bet that you are thinking thank god there aint anything like that in humans!. If you cannot check on the sow because of work etc. Having somewhere to hide will reduce stress. Right? Normally, it wouldnt. In addition, you may want to increase your guinea pig's fiber intake. Individual pet owners should not attempt to breed guinea pigs, according to experts, for two very important reasons: Thats right, they have a distinction between emotions and the mind, just like humans, even though both are processed and caused by the same brain! Giving them their favorite toys and treats. Publisher: Pergamon But consult with your vet first, just to be on the safer side. When they reach about 6 ounces (170 g), the offspring will stop nursing and eat the same foods as their parents. Guinea pigs are important animal models for human disease, and both outbred and inbred lines are utilized in biomedical research. But make sure your handling of her is minimal. If you feel lumps under your fingers this is a sign the female is pregnant. If you are thinking that your few weeks old female guinea pigs cannot be pregnant, youre wrong! wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. If I felt my pregnant guinea pig's belly and caused her a miscarriage, what would the signs be? How long is a guinea pig pregnant for? Guinea pigs should be split into same-sex groups at 3 weeks old. It is entirely possible for a male pup to impregnate its mother or sisters. An unneutered male guinea pig! For different stages of progress, there are different medicines, food supplies, the quantity of food and water, and more! Due to several factors including age, weight, other diseases, nutritive health, etc., females could be inefficient of nourishing and/or delivering the litter. Sows who are too old are at a greater risk of the pelvis not being 'elastic' enough to expand during the birthing process. Laber-Laird, Swindle, & Flecknell. So, in this article, let's see how a fetus will change week by week to become a baby. The pups do not require a heat lamp or heating pad. Well, they can be described as an epitome of cuteness! You can crop their hair to maintain hygiene, even if you cannot cut it perfectly. Well, I guess this is the most important section of this post. If there is a likelihood any of the pups are born with this condition you must decide what action you will take. Pregnancy is risky for female guinea pigs, particularly for those older than 8 months and younger than 3 months and sows over the age of 2 years who have already had 2 litters. Read more about this in our helpful guide. Between 1 and 8 guinea pig babies with 4 being the most common number of guinea pigs per litter. Selective feeding is where the guinea pig chooses the tastier bits of food over less tasty but often more nutritious foods. He is an exotic vet. Caution: What makes guinea pigs very different from humans in pregnancy is their lactation patterns. Laber-Laird & Flecknell. So having their cagemates with them could be a good choice. So they wont fight with each other. A guinea pig's pregnancy lasts about 9 or 10 weeks. Anywhere between 59-72 days. At birth, baby guinea pigs can weigh between 2.1 and 4.2 oz (60 and 120 grams) and have an average size of 3-4 inches (8-10 cm). Ammonia irritates the lungs of pigs and will predispose the pregnant mother to lung infections. Alfalfa hay is great for pregnant, nursing and young guinea pigs but the calcium content is too high for normal guinea pigs as a build-up of calcium can cause bladder stones. So I am morally obligated to answer it. Cavy . If you show negligence in ensuring that your guinea pig could handle the pregnancy, you are not only putting the mothers life at risk, but also that of the babies in the litter. Rough handling may cause miscarriage. They will have been eating solids from a few days old so will cope without their mothers milk at this age. What are the Similarities and Differences Beetwen Humans and Guinea Pigs in Pregnancy? Newborn guinea pigs weigh about 3.5 ounces (100 g). The average number of days female guinea pigs stay pregnant is 65 days. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Make note of the time and amount of water during each refill. 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). But that isnt the case in guinea pigs. They eat solid food right after being born, unlike human babies. Right. You may think a little touch or petting couldnt hurt. However, both males and females can mature and be fertile even earlier. Regardless of how pregnancy occurs, the average guinea pig gestation period is 65 days. Most pregnant guinea pigs do not move as actively as their normal days. I love animals! Pet shops are notoriously bad for sexing guinea pigs and may have mis-sexed one of your guinea pigs. Guinea pig pregnancy, there is a fine line between it sounding scary and it sounding heartening. By using our site, you agree to our. This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. I enjoy learning about pets and to share what I learn with others. 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. But pregnancy is far from straightforward for guinea pigs. Publisher: Pergamon. Gently press inwards and see if you feel any lumps or bumps inside her tummy. But it contains more than necessary amounts for a regular guinea pig. In general, veterinarians do not recommend that individual pet owners attempt to breed guinea pigs. However, toxemia is in part a lack of sugar, so keeping sugar levels high is important. Though it is usually closer to 3-4 months. Pocketpetcentral.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All animals, for example, tend to eat more when it's cold, when they're having a growth spurt, and when they're suffering from certain illnesses. Note that she may chew the cardboard, so have extra boxes or use a wicker or thick-plastic box. Do not handle her all the time like before. Female guinea pigs (sows) typically mature sexually at 2 months of age (55 to 70 days). Guinea Pig Vomit: Everything You Need To Know. The mother has a single pair of mammary glands from which the newborns will nurse until about 3 weeks of age. The other? To Avoid Stress, You Need to Take Several Measures Obviously. Ultrasounds are non-invasive and do not require sedation. Not only does it scare her, but also causes pain due to the pressure put by our arms. A small, clean cage with towels for bedding works well. A female is fertile for about 6 to 11 hours, most often during night hours. ", pet they can be, and how to play with them. So follow a routine. The female doubles in weight and hence gets bigger in size too during pregnancy. Maturing guinea pigs. "We just found out that one of our guinea pigs is male and the other is pregnant! The average Guinea pig gestation period is 68 days with a range of 59 - 72 days. Keep a watchful eye on her eating habits. You may think that personal hygiene of your guinea pig is important during pregnancy. Is it OK to leave the non-pregnant girl with the pups? ", Scary after reading all this. As a general rule, the larger the litter, the shorter guinea pig gestation tends to be. :)", understand just in case for the future as well, thanks so much for the info. Yeah, sounds weird, but it actually works with several other animals too. The normal pregnancy period of a woman is 40 weeks. Excess vitamin C is passed in the urine so cant be over-dosed, but other vitamins can build up and create problems. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. Loss of appetite can also be a symptom of pregnancy toxemia. The sow should gradually put on weight. You vet may also be able to hear the piglets' heartbeats in the sow's abdomen. The female doubles in weight and hence gets bigger in size too during pregnancy. So you may think that grooming them with regular attention, or even more during pregnancy, is needed. You need to understand that your guinea pig cannot bear the pain of her pregnancy when she gets handled by you. Pre-mature birth will need to be followed by a period of artificial incubation. So, it is vital that you know which stage of pregnancy your guinea pig is. Things to Watch Out for During Guinea Pig Pregnancy If you suspect that your guinea pig is experiencing any of these during gestation, try to take them to a veterinarian to get diagnosed properly. This article has been viewed 447,279 times. If they do mate, I will now. Also see professional content regarding management of guinea pigs Guinea Pigs Guinea pigs, like chinchillas, are hystricognath rodents. So they recover pretty quickly. . o [ canine influenza] Commonly, their size would be ranging from eight to ten inches. Reduce exposure to loud noises or bright lights. To find out how to house your guinea pig during pregnancy and how to prepare for it to give birth, keep reading! Support wikiHow by If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. But that should be done only when you are present to monitor. Guinea pigs reach sexual maturity early in their life- as early as six weeks!if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'pocketpetcentral_com-leader-1','ezslot_6',108,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-pocketpetcentral_com-leader-1-0'); So, remember that when you are wondering about the probable pregnancy of your guinea pigs. At birth the pups should weigh roughly 2 to 3 oz. Introduce the male pups to the father and any other boars you have. However, guinea pigs often do not react well to surgery, anesthesia, or being kept in unfamiliar surroundings. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'pocketpetcentral_com-leader-2','ezslot_9',126,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-pocketpetcentral_com-leader-2-0');Sometimes, surgery could be necessary. After the surgery, keep your pet quiet and separated from other guinea pigs while recovering. However, a caesarean surgery may be required. This allows you to gauge what is normal, so that if she becomes unwell and stops eating, or becomes very thirsty, you will pick up clues early on. 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. A local breeder may also be willing to help. Be aware that young guinea pigs will begin to eat more as they grow anyway. Things to RememberAbout Guinea Pig Pregnancy and Breeding, Terms and Conditions for Pocket pet central, Keeping them in the rooms of your home where loud noises cant be heard, Guinea pigs tend to get stressed when they do not have a pattern in their food, drinking, and outdoor timings. If you are concerned about the mother or have serious health worries about one of the pups contact a vet immediately, however. Guinea Pig Pregnancy Stages - YouTube 0:00 / 2:14 Guinea Pig Pregnancy Stages 64,851 views Jul 6, 2014 550 Dislike Share Save Squishy Bubbles 5.62K subscribers Are you wondering if your. After about two or three weeks of pregnancy, the baby guinea pigs can be physically felt. Critical Care or a similar product as it is likely you will need it for at least one pup. This way you can keep track of her weight in order to determine any patterns of weight gain that may be indicative of a pregnancy. Thanks for helping me realize that she is pregnant after all! Grooming requires a lot of handling. So you have to be cautious enough to prevent another pregnancy in your guinea pig. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Recovery from neutering could take as long as 6 weeks. Or if it is the bad news version of the lumps, the vet will help with treating it. Giving her higher quality hay, more fruits & vegetables, essential nutrient pellets, abundant fresh water, are all things that should be done even when she is not pregnant. Be very careful if you need to hold or handle a pregnant guinea pig. Female guinea pigs can become pregnant as early as two months of age. 4. In Summary. Most inexperienced Guinea pig "breeders" do not understand this concept. A good idea is to weigh your female guinea pig regularly (perhaps weekly) and to record the weight. For example, carrots contain lots of oxalate. Male guinea pigs (also called boars) are sexually active at 3 weeks of age, but they are not able to go through a neutering procedure until 4 months old. 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. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/7\/7c\/Tell-if-Your-Guinea-Pig-Is-Pregnant-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Tell-if-Your-Guinea-Pig-Is-Pregnant-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/7\/7c\/Tell-if-Your-Guinea-Pig-Is-Pregnant-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid666376-v4-728px-Tell-if-Your-Guinea-Pig-Is-Pregnant-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"