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Post by christine on Sept 10, 2015 20:22:02 GMT
You are all so fabulous. Things continue to go well here on Day 3. Mama gained weight again overnight, and the little ones were both up a couple of grams too, I weigh them all just before I give Mama her breakfast veggies to try to keep it as consistent as possible. Of course they always have hay (alfalfa and orchard grass), pellets and water, so some variations will be what they've eaten. It is so so cute to see the babies eat pellets or nibble on a bit of romaine. They are really super-active, and run all over the pen. Mama is starting to act a bit like the young pig she is again. Last night she managed to jump up on top of the box I had in the pen for her to nurse in...Its quite a tall box too. She climbed right back down and did it again. We go to the vet next week to give all 3 a general check-up and for him to confirm the sex. I think they are girls and managed to snap a few pictures from behind with my ipad camera. If any of you with more experience are able to weigh in, I'd love to have your views. Everything I've read says girl guinea pigs have a Y shaped private area which these two appear to. Attachment DeletedAttachment DeletedAside from those rather invasive photos (sorry girls but I want to be sure to never have another pregnant baby guinea pig) I will post some more cutie pictures in a separate post. They're so adorable.
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Post by christine on Sept 10, 2015 20:26:53 GMT
A few more pictures of the babies on Day 3. They are so talkative and follow their Mama everywhere.
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Post by Bean on Sept 11, 2015 8:48:30 GMT
Oh this thread is killing me with cuteness haha! It's so great watching them grow up, they change soooooo quickly! I'm delighted to hear that mum is being more playful and energetic - I bet jumping up on a box isn't something she was able to do while she was three pigs in the shape of one! Of the bottom end pictures, the first one definitely looks more girly. The second one is a bit blurrier, but seems more girly too. In a couple of weeks things will be a bit clearer and it's great you're getting a vet to make the final call. I guess it'll be easy if they are both girls as they can all stay together! You've probably seen the Cavy Spirit page on sexing, but there it is in case you haven't - it's my personal favourite. What's your boy making of all this by the way? Is he sensing he's missing out on a party?!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Sept 11, 2015 17:31:25 GMT
You are wonderful darling and I love this thread, if only all new piggy owners were like you.
I am glad mum has gained weight and is more playful, wait unless you see the babies popcorn (do little jumps in the air) that is just adorable. It is also good that you are taking them to the vet in a little while to make sure everything is OK. We have to take ours every two months to have their teeth and claws checked (bunny to) because we are both as blind as bats and cannot see to do it. The nurse does it however so it isn't so expensive.
Thank you again love for more gorgeous photos and I look forward to hearing the next installment.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 11, 2015 20:46:23 GMT
Love their total adorableness From what I can see in the pictures, I don't see the little button that males have, so I think they are both female. Vets can be wrong, too, so I'm glad you are verifying it as much as possible Ooh, it sounds as if momma was pregnant at a very young age, and didn't get to do all the things she wanted to do. Now that she is not longer lugging the babies around, she can act out her youthfulness. That is so great! I hope she enjoys herself as much as possible
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Post by christine on Sept 11, 2015 20:48:32 GMT
Day 4 here at the Piggy Farm and all is well. My girl is up to 599 grams (!) and the babies are growing too.
My boy went off to Victoria (Vancouver Island) with my husband, so he's having lots of cuddles and going to the park. He missed his mate terribly for the first few days but he settled in and he's getting lots of extra attention to make up for the male banishment. I miss him terribly as he was my first pig and I spent a lot of time with him. This is best for him though, rather than being on the other side of a fence missing out on all the fun.
The babies are popcorning and its so cute. I am amazed how much they can do for being so young and small. They can move so fast too and are very vocal. It is amazing to think that they'll be big enough to be weaned in another 2.5 weeks. I'm so lucky to have been able to experience all this and to be able to keep them and make sure they have good lives.
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 11, 2015 20:51:39 GMT
Gorgeous, and it's so sweet that your boy has been given a vacation, instead of just hanging out alone Many animals are able to survive in the wild as soon as they are born. 2.5 more weeks should really bring out the true piggyness in them Enjoy
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Post by Bean on Sept 12, 2015 8:59:38 GMT
More gorgeous photos - it's lovely seeing them grown and change every day! Great news about the continued growth and sounds like your boy is in the best place rather than being a neighbour to the best party in the world without an invite! Not long until he can join in!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Sept 12, 2015 19:37:57 GMT
Thanks for more adorable photies love, they are just gorgeous. Cuddling a baby guinea pig is just the best.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by christine on Sept 13, 2015 0:18:39 GMT
Here they are today, playing on a dollhouse set from Ikea. Attachment DeletedMy boy is in for the weekend too, and was thrilled to see the babies. He and Mama spent a fair amount of time kissing through the fence, but I'm holding off for the full 3 weeks before putting them together. He can continue his Victoria vacation until they babies are grown enough to interact with a boar. Plus, reading all the advice on here...he was 7 weeks out from his neutering but I want to be 100% sure that there are no more pregnanies possible in this little herd. Mama made it to 604 grams today. She's so tiny but she's keeping up with the nursing and running around after the babies. They are continuing to put on a few grams each day as well. I hope everyone is having a great day.
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 13, 2015 19:47:00 GMT
Excellent on all issues I'm so glad your boy got to meet the babies, and spend some time with his love Moms weight gain is excellent All is going very well
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Post by jolovespiggies on Sept 13, 2015 20:39:37 GMT
It is wonderful to watch them playing, you are doing so well with them honey, thank you for keeping us updated.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by christine on Sept 14, 2015 18:11:54 GMT
They met their PigDad this weekend and they were all thrilled with each other. My husband spent a LOT of time cuddling pigs and they spent a lot of time chattering at him. Mama is consistently just over 600 grams now and the babies are growing so much. From a birthweight of 114 grams each they are now up to 135 and 140 grams. It goes so fast. I'm glad everyone is healthy as I was so worried their Mama would be too young to deliver them and survive. We're off to the exotic vet this Thursday to confirm their sex. I think they're both females and I hope so as that way I don't have to put anyone else through the discomfort of neutering. Below we had them playing around with some dollhouse furniture that my Dad had made for me. Attachment DeletedAttachment Deleted
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Post by jolovespiggies on Sept 14, 2015 19:57:20 GMT
They are doing so well darling and thank you for more cute pictures. Good luck on Thursday and thank you for continuing to keep us informed sweetie. They look as if they are really enjoying themselves with your dolls house furniture.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 14, 2015 20:11:27 GMT
I hope they're both female, so you have an instant herd. Multiple sows can go with one boar, just not the other way around The age of the sows also doesn't matter. Love the kitchen set pictures I have very few things to stage with the pigs, so I miss taking those cute pictures
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Post by bazookagoof on Sept 15, 2015 2:32:49 GMT
Below we had them playing around with some dollhouse furniture that my Dad had made for me. I LOVE those pictures!
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Post by Bean on Sept 15, 2015 8:32:18 GMT
The kitchen pictures are very funny! Their proportions are definitely changing from them being all head and legs!
Glad to see everyone is continuing to do well and fingers crossed for the vet to determine they are indeed girls so they can all go in together.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Sept 16, 2015 19:34:34 GMT
I would so love to give them a cuddle.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by christine on Sept 16, 2015 20:25:58 GMT
They are 8 days old now (time flies!) and almost 1.5 times their birth weight. The growth rates of baby piggies is really astonishing. We do a weigh-in every morning before breakfast and so far they seem to go up between 5 and 7 grams per day. Mama is mostly staying over 600 grams too, generally 602 or 603. She's a tiny girl but doing so well with nursing and herding the babies around. She's having a cozy sleep in my lap right now while the babies play and cavort around in the pen. Baby guinea pigs are incredibly special. Although I wouldn't have wanted my girl to go through a pregnancy if she hadn't arrived that way, I'm sure glad I have gotten to experience them. Tomorrow afternoon is our vet appointment and I'll post their sexes. I'm fairly sure they are girls, but my experience with piggies is pretty brief so I don't want to rely on my own interpretation. Here's some Day 8 photos. As Mama looks so young herself, she's the third picture here. I love the green faces on the babies. Attachment DeletedAttachment DeletedAttachment Deleted
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Post by christine on Sept 17, 2015 5:22:13 GMT
Oh wow, Mama and both the babies have learned to clinb stairs. I had them in a large pe on he landing of my townhouse, with the stairs going up to the roof deck as one of the pen walls. Mama had never shown any inclination to climb and I assumed the babies were too small. Nope! I had blocked the staircase off three stairs up just to be extra sure of their safety. Good thing as they are up and down the exposed stairs like olympic athletes. They all seem quite proud of themselves over it too. For such tiny little things they sure can move quickly. I need to build one of those C&C cages, but I would sure like to leave them some access to stairs as they are having so much fun clinbing up and down. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Any safety concerns?
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