IrresistibleGrace Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I have a question for anyone that knows anything about guinea pigs. Eight weeks ago we purchased our very first guinea pig! She was approximately 10 weeks old when we got her and she had been housed in a cage with MANY other piggies. (It was a pretty rough situation.) I assumed she would come to us expecting babies and sure enough, she is! Her belly has grown to be quite large and you can very plainly see and feel the babies rolling and squirming around in there. My question is, do they show signs shortly before birth or have a change in behavior right before the birth? From what I can find on the internet and in my "Care for Guinea Pig" book, there isn't much in the way of 'labor'. They make it sound as though she is carrying on about her normal business and then -boom- out comes a baby and in 30 minutes the whole thing is done. Does anyone here have experience with this? Our piggie is sleeping a LOT and not very active. She is still eating and drinking, though it doesn't seem to be her normal amounts - especially the food. She squealed for her salad yesterday evening but then we we gave it to her she was really slow in eating it. I have never had a guinea pig before, not to mention a pregnant one, and I am not that familiar with their behavior. Thank you for any help or advice!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Ours was obviously getting much, much bigger, and in fact her belly dragged on the bottom of the cage. But I just thought we were overfeeding her-LOL. I was out of town with the kids when dh emailed me photos of the babies he found in the cage-at first he thought mice had gotten into the cage. So our mama managed the birth unassisted. She had three really cute babies. Sorry I can't be of more help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 It's been over 25 years since we had piggies, so I don't remember signs of labor. However, be prepared for those babies to come out ready to be up and at 'em. Amazing. Only two babies can nurse at a time, regardless of how many are in the litter; they look like they're parking at the Mommy Drive-In, lol. They will start eating real food pretty soon after birth. And--this is important--the mother will come into heat while the babies are still nursing, and if there are little boy piggies in the litter, they will be totally aware *and able* to take care of that situation. :blink: You will know the signs. Unless you want to be overrun with baby piggies, you should separate little boy piggies from the girls. They won't like it, but you need to do it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 My question is, do they show signs shortly before birth or have a change in behavior right before the birth? From what I can find on the internet and in my "Care for Guinea Pig" book, there isn't much in the way of 'labor'. They make it sound as though she is carrying on about her normal business and then -boom- out comes a baby and in 30 minutes the whole thing is done. From what I remember as a kid, the only "warning sign", was a slightly quieter, slightly less tolerant guinea pig. And then baby piggies! They are ADORABLE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedmom4 Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 We had this experience about five years ago. From what our vet said guinea pigs can go into distress while giving birth. Don't know how you would tell though. Guinea pigs are pregnant for quite a long time compared to mice and hamsters. You will need to have the baby piggies sexed very soon by a vet because you will have to separate the boys from the females to avoid having more piggies. Also, a really gross thing that needs to happen after the birth is the momma piggie needs to eat the placenta. It gives her lots of nourishment. I know it's gross and I ended up hand feeding it to our momma. Hope everything goes well!!! God Bless, Elise in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 When I was growing up, I had sixteen guinea pigs. They were spoiled with an elaborate hutch system, running pens, toys, houses, etc. I spent a lot of time with them, and I really enjoyed raising them. Now, I am allergic. We have had a few recently, but between being allergic to them and the bedding, I just can't do it any longer. Typically, the births are simple. There is some extra ruckus in the cage/hutch (ruffling of bedding). Next, you may hear some squeaking (wheeking). Finally, there will be soft, small wheeking sounds and wee babes running around the cage. There's not much for you to do. Just adore the cute little babies. I do recommend checking out the situation yourself before the children do. If there is inbreeding it could result in deformities. I've seen this with some that I had as a child. I was careful not to inbreed mine and kept them separated. However, I have purchased/adopted guinea pigs that were. One babe I had to feed by hand with an eye dropper. It was a sad day when he passed. I expect that yours will be fine. It just doesn't hurt to peek in before the children do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrresistibleGrace Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 Thanks guys! I have read that they are fairly self reliant when it comes to birthing their babies, but I don't want to be negligent if she is having trouble. Her activity has most definately decreased. I, too, have heard that you should separate boys from girls by 3 weeks of age. I am hoping I will be able to tell boys from girls!!! I am guessing she is getting close. I just can't stop worrying that there is a problem and I am just ignorant of the warning signs. She seems almost lethargic. Ellie, you caused me to think of another question - do I need to do anything different with the cage for the babies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I don't remember either, but they are sooo cute when they are born! Running around and eating food immediately and stinking adorable. I can't even remember if I watched her give birth... but it seems like I did, maybe at least once. I think the main thing is that I knew how long to expect her to be pregnant, so I knew when to watch for it. Have fun with them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 (edited) We had guinea pigs years ago. The first one came expecting, and had two girls, so we kept the three. We knew she was pregnant when we heard the babies grinding their teeth inside her! She birthed by herself, we came in one morning and she proudly had two babies! They drank from the water bottle on day one! They arrive as miniature, eyes open, mobile furry miniature guinea pigs! All eventually got sick (after 5-7 years) with bladder troubles. Guinea pigs are difficult to treat at the vet, and usually don't respond well, after losing vet bills to the three, it was useless. Just so you know so you can make decisions if things go bad. Edited September 18, 2012 by Susan C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Tons of info here: http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/index.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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