Guinea Pig Is Pregnant

What To Do If A Guinea Pig Is Pregnant?

In Care by Ana M

If you suspect that your guinea pig is pregnant, take her to the vet to make sure. Pregnancy can lead to many complications. The overall experience is stressful and painful for mothers.

How to tell if a guinea pig is pregnant?

It is hard to notice any difference in the appearance of the guinea pig in the first few weeks of the pregnancy. If you suspect that a pair is sexually active and then suddenly calmed down, then it is likely that she has mated.

Also, if you noticed that your adult female guinea pig has gained weight, she might be pregnant. Monitor the weight of your pet on a weekly basis. If the difference every week is notable, then your guinea pig might be pregnant.

Usually, babies make up half of the mother’s body weight, so by the end of the pregnancy she should double in weight.

When can you tell if a guinea pig is pregnant?

If you suspect that your guinea pig is pregnant for more than two or three weeks, then you might be able to feel the babies in the tummy. Run your hands along the sides very gently and you can feel lumps and bumps.

Do not pick up your guinea pig when she is pregnant! It can cause stress and lead to miscarriage.

The Stages of Guinea Pig’s Pregnancy:

First Stage – Mating:

Guinea pigs become sexually active around five to six weeks of age. Female guinea pig goes into heat (estrous cycle) three to four times each year. So, she has many opportunities to get pregnant.

Male guinea pig chooses a partner by smell and then marks her with his urine. Sow usually gets mated overnight.

Middle Stage – Pregnancy:

The pregnancy of a guinea pig lasts from 9 to 10 weeks. How long the pregnancy lasts depends on the number of babies.

A guinea pig pregnant with one pup will carry it for 70 days. Alternatively, a guinea pig pregnant with more than one baby will carry them for around 60 to 63 days. The average litter size is three pups.

Third Stage – Labor and Birth:

Guinea pigs do not prepare for the labor and for giving birth. Most of them give birth in the daytime hours. Just before going into labor a female guinea pig can start crying.

On average labor lasts from 10 to 30 minutes with a 5 minute break between births. It takes about five minutes to give birth to a pup. A puppy is born in its own amniotic sac which mum removes and eats.

A sow gives birth sitting up and hunching over or squatting. After giving birth to all of her babies, the placenta emerges and mother will eat it. If giving birth takes longer than 30 minutes, you should seek medical assistance immediately.

Last Stage – Afterbirth:

A mother guinea pig is at risk to suffer from some medical complications in the first few days after birth. Babies should be nursed for around 3 weeks.

You have to keep a mother who just gave birth separately from males as she can get pregnant again. Also, separate her male babies once they are 21 days old as they can get her pregnant too.

Although diet of baby guinea pigs is not different from adults, you have to pay more attention to looking after pups.

How to care for a pregnant guinea pig?

Pregnancy is very difficult for a female guinea pig and, sadly, 20 per cent of sows die when giving birth. If she survives, then there is a high chance to suffer from medical complications.

What to feed my pregnant guinea pig?

A diet should be fixed and include:

  • Grass
  • Leafy greens
  • Fruits rich in vitamin C – citrus and kiwi
  • High quality commercial pellets
  • Lucerne (alfalfa) hay
guinea pig not eating

It is important to start using alfalfa hay instead of the timothy hay. It contains higher amount of calcium and protein which are essential during pregnancy.

Toxemia in pregnant guinea pigs

You should watch for the signs of illness during pregnancy. A pregnant guinea pig can suffer from toxemia also known as ketosis.

What is toxemia? During metabolism body produces ketones, the products of fatty acids breakdown. In a normal state body is capable of excreting them efficiently.

However, during pregnancy the number of ketones can exceed the capacity of excretion which leads to the excess of ketones in the blood. This condition is known as ketosis.

It happens when mother is not eating enough and babies consume more energy than she can provide nutritionally. Blood sugar levels decrease and body starts metabolizing fat.

Toxemia symptoms in guinea pigs:

  1. Loss of appetite and anorexia
  2. Loss of energy and lethargy
  3. Dehydration when your pet refuses to drink
  4. Convulsions and muscle spasms

To prevent toxemia, it is important to feed your guinea pig foods rich in Vitamin C.

How to care for a guinea pig who just gave birth?

During pregnancy and after giving birth a guinea pig can suffer from health problems. For instance, a difficult birth can result in the uterus prolapse.

A very common complication during pregnancy is a blood circulation problem due to an extra weight gain.

Another health complication you have to watch out for after birth is mastitis. It is an inflammation of the mammary glands caused by bacterial infection.

– What are the symptoms of mastitis?

Hard and painful to touch mammary glands is a sign of mastitis. If you noticed that it looks bluish as well, you need to have your pet checked. Also, clumps and oddly colored milk is a symptom of mastitis.