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Post by carrots on Dec 16, 2014 3:41:57 GMT
Ok so my mom got me a guinea pig like 4 weeks ago. Since then, we have discovered she is pregnant (yes, we're certain, we can feel the babies kicking). What I want to know is if there is any way to know when she's due? I've read up on a whole bunch about the symptoms from week to week and whatever but it didn't really help and I'm still kinda clueless. also, when we weighed her a few days ago she was 2 pounds 10 ounces, but we weighed her today and she was only 2 pounds 8 ounces. My mom thinks there is something wrong with her, if so what would it be? I noticed that she hasn't been drinking much so I think it might be due to water loss or something. I've also read that if they're older than 7 months they can have difficulties with having the babies, but I have no way to tell how old she is. Any ideas? finally, is it possible that she is allergic to pine? When I first got her, we didn't have pine bedding, but we ran out of the stuff we had so my mom picked up the pine bedding. She seems to be itching a lot when she's in her cage, but when she's out of it, she's fine.
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Post by Bean on Dec 16, 2014 9:30:36 GMT
Hi and welcome to Wheekers! That's a surprise, to get one pig and find out you might have more! I hope you've mentioned it to the place you got her from as they really shouldn't be selling/ giving away pregnant animals, especially without people being aware. I don't know of any magical way to tell how far along a guinea pig pregnancy is - only that it usually lasts around 2 months (59-73 days according to the informative page at Guinea Lynx), so something should have happened by then. 2oz is a significant weight loss - although guinea pigs do sometimes lose a little weight when they're pregnant, it's because they're busy growing their babies. So there should still be weight gain while she's pregnant - her post delivery weight may just be a bit lower than her pre-pregnancy rate (until she stops feeding the babies). A pig would have to be very dehydrated to lose that much weight due to dehydration. Could her drinking less possibly be explained by her eating more vegetables? With you mentioning her possibly being a bit older, and also the weight loss, I think a trip to the vet to get her checked over would be wise. You'll need to have a good vet to hand anyway, and especially with a pregnant pig. Most times labour goes fine, but if it doesn't, you don't want to be using valuable time ringing round finding someone who knows their stuff. Here's a page that might help you find a good guinea pig vet - if you haven't already. If the pine bedding seems to be causing her to itch, then it sounds like a good idea to stick to what you were using before. Pine is a bit of a funny one - many people don't think it should be used around guinea pigs at all - the reasoning being that the oils in it can irritate their airways and cause skin problems. Other people say they've had pigs for years and never had any problems with using pine. But if your pig seems to be reacting to it, then it would seem it's not the right bedding for her. Anyway, good luck, and any questions just ask. All the best finding a vet and keep us posted with how your pig gets on.
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Post by carrots on Dec 16, 2014 18:07:33 GMT
We got her from a farm, they must not have known she was pregnant because they weren't selling the pregnant ones. We have been feeding her more vegetables( mostly lettuce and spinach, but she really likes her carrots!) She drank a bunch of water last night and ate all of the hay I'd given her... this morning her weight was back up to almost 2.12. As soon as I noticed the pine was irritating her we changed back to the other bedding and we won't be using it again, I just wanted to know.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 16, 2014 18:09:44 GMT
A very warm welcome love, please keep us updated.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 16, 2014 22:17:22 GMT
Hello and welcome Pigs can lose as much as 30 grams of weight just by pooping and peeing, and can add it back just by eating and drinking. To get a true idea of her weight, weigh her daily at the same time, i.e. first thing in the morning, just before bed, etc. At the end of the 7 days, look at the weight fluxuations. If all the ups and downs stay within 30g of each other, she's fine. Check our Wheekerpedia section. There is a pregnancy tutorial that should help. It's basically impossible to tell a guinea pigs age, so have a qualified vet available in case of emergency. Best to get get check by an exotics vet who knows guinea pigs,just to make sure she and the babies are healthy.The vet might be able to tell you how far along she is. Keep the spinach servings very small. Keep veggies to a minimum, as her diet should be 89% Timothy hay and 20% Timothy-based pellets. Give her romaine lettuce, bell peppers, small amounts of carrot, celery, ando something with Vitamin C in it. A small section of orange, or something like that, is good. Not too much citrus,as they can get mouth sores. Good luck
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Post by carrots on Dec 17, 2014 0:05:07 GMT
I was also told today that when her weight mesured at 2.8, the scale was on a different surface than normal, not sure if this could have an effect? Just curious, I've read pregnant pigs need extra calcium, and spinach has a lot of calcium, so why should she not have a lot?
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Post by Bean on Dec 17, 2014 9:32:28 GMT
The surface definitely makes a difference - at my parent's house you can lose a few lbs by moving the scales out of the bathroom into the hall! A solid surface gives a more reliable measurement.
If the farm didn't realise she was pregnant, then either there's a mistake with the age at which they separate the pigs, or males and females aren't being kept separate properly. So I still think it's worth mentioning it to them - if they don't knowingly sell pregnant animals then I'm sure they'd really appreciate knowing that it's still happening.
Most veg have potential problems in large quantities (leafy greens can also upset their tums), so my rule of thumb is always a little bit of a variety of things so you don't have to think too much about any potential effects of too much!
An alfalfa based pellet (a grain higher in calcium) would be good while she's pregnant/ nursing though. Otherwise, for an adult pig, a timothy based pellet is recommended. It's not just about the calcium content, it's more about the calcium:phosphorous ratio in foods - an excess of calcium can build up and contribute to bladder/ kidney stones, especially in pigs prone to them.
Hope your piggy is well - keep us posted with any updates!
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 17, 2014 20:19:08 GMT
Calcium is good, just in limited quantities. Dark green leafy veggies have a great deal of calcium so one or two leaves a day is probably more than enough. I really meant not to feed it in the same quantity as lettuce or celery, which don't have a lot of calcium. It's really hard to know exactly how much to give them. Treen is right about the ratio, and the risk of stones. Stones are a common, painful and costly problem with piggies. A solid, flat surface should be sufficient, as pigs don't weigh much. Don't weigh them on carpet or anything at all cushy, that could absorb some of the weight. Are the people at the farm the breeders? If so, they know when she was born, so they can tell you how old she is. Definitely tell them she's pregnant, as they may have others who are, too. Good luck, and definitely keep us posted
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Post by carrots on Dec 20, 2014 17:21:10 GMT
I'll tell my mom to cut back on the spinach, but she loves how exited Twix gets! The people on the farm are breeders. Today she measured at 3 pounds. She seems very lethargic and is having a hard time moving because she's so fat. But she still seems to be eating plenty so I don't think there's anything wrong.
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 20, 2014 23:40:19 GMT
My Momo is a carrot fiend I just cut the pieces small, so they get them more often.
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Post by carrots on Dec 21, 2014 22:12:25 GMT
Pretty sure I can hear the babies grinding their teeth.. that means only a few more days, right? So excited!
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 22, 2014 0:26:29 GMT
Oooooh
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Post by carrots on Dec 23, 2014 21:28:28 GMT
At 5 this morning, Twix gave birth to 5 healthy, happy, very noisy babies. Just now, she gave birth to another, stillborn baby. Is this normal?
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 25, 2014 3:12:15 GMT
I don't know that it's normal, but any birth can have problems. Welcome to the world, mini pigs Congratulations momma Just see that she gets the nutrition she needs to stay healthy, and have a great holiday
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Post by Bean on Dec 26, 2014 9:47:52 GMT
Aww congratulations on the babies, but sorry one didn't make it (I don't know much about what's normal either, sorry). Hope mum and babies are doing well.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Dec 26, 2014 15:22:35 GMT
Congratulations my darling but I am so sorry to hear about the little one who didn't make it. please give mum a big hug from her auntie Jo, pics please.
Hugs JO xx
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