Advice Please

[wgbeattie]

Hi All,

Found this site as need some advice.

Basically after doing loads research bought 2 girl guinea pigs, whic has turned out boy/girl, bought from reputable animal park, not a petshop. full c&c cage built.

Now 2 month later, have 3 babies, obviously I want to be a responsible owner to all the pigs but need advice on some parts.

At the moment my boar is getting neutered in 2 weeks, when 5 month, so will be seperate for the next 6 weeks. The babies are going to be sexed at the same time by the vet.

What i have to plan round is when to seperate the baby boys from the rest, as I really do not want this to happen again, and is it safe to put the baby boars with the other boar?

I am intending to reintroduce the original boar to the others 4 weeks after being neutered. and depending on the sexes, pass on a pair of same sex babies, and keep the extra one.

Any advice would be great, and yes i do know not to buy from pet store, that why i never, but really should have got checked from vet at beginning, then she might of already been pregnant. I now just want to raise the pigs to be healthy and happy, and do it all right.

Thanks

G

 

[flips]

Oh dear. A lot of us have ended up in similar circumstances. Great that you're getting some advice on what to do next.
Baby boys need to be separated from mum at 3 weeks. This is a great link for sexing babies.
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm

Was dad separate from mum before she gave birth? Sows can get pregnant again almost immediately after giving birth. Any boys should be ok to go in with dad for a few weeks ( as long as he accepts them) until they're old enough to be rehomed.

How are mum and babies doing?

 

[wgbeattie]

They are both doing great, mum is eating and drinking great, babies are so cute, for 4 days old they are eating well, milk of mummy, and becoming so playful, we are getting them used to us for hugs every day just for a few minutes.

Spirit, the boar, was separated 4 days before when we first realised that she was pregnant. I see from some posts, that there is a slight chance could could get pregnant even at that point.

can the baby boys go with the boar when he just been neutered? or best to wait a few days to get over the anaesthetic?

Thanks

G

 

[flips]

Very unlikely that you're guinea pig could be pregnant if the boar was separated beforehand. I know it happens with rabbits but not heard of it with guinea pigs .

I would see how your boar is when you bring him home from his op. Some pigs are fine after a GA but can take others longer for it to wear off. Once he is eating and drinking well he should be ok (I haven't had a boy neautered though so I'm sure others can give more definite advice).

 

[Shellza]

Welcome to the forum . Sorry to hear about your predicament . I can't give you any more advice than Flips already has, but hope it all goes smoothly. Good luck to your boy for the op

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

It is such a pity that these situations still happen all too frequently... I started out my adult piggy life as a "shop granny" and have strictly gone rescue since.

You need to separate any boys at three weeks/8.5 oz weight. Girls come into season from about four weeks onwards, so you are running an increasing risk of mummy or sisters getting pregnant. Not all boys and girls coming into sexual maturity straight away.

I would wait until your boar is OK after the op and the wound is healing well before putting any pups with him.

Please make sure that right now you are integrating more vitamin C rich veg than normal into mummy's diet and are adding alfalfa hay to the timothy hay you are giving to help with the extra demand of calcium for the pups' bones.

Here are some links that you may find helpful:
http://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction_faq.html

Best website for sexing piggies of all ages:
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm

List of veg, containing a list of vitamin C rich veg at the top
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42

Best of luck - I am looking forward to meeting your whole piggy family in pictures or short video clips!

 

[TwoPiggies]

Awwww sticky situation....but lucky they are with some one that cares

I really don't know much about babies and things but....I know people keep females with neutered boars. Also pretty sure that groups of 3 or more boars can be a bit difficult. By know means am I saying it can't be done though.

If I am wrong with what I have said I am sure some one will correct me...I have only really learnt through this site.

Hope mum and babies are all doing good

 

[wgbeattie]

Thanks all for your help.

Going by all the pics, it looks like we have a girl and 2 boys.

We are giving hay, gerty food, pellets and veg, such as broccoli, apple carrot. and the fruit stick treat.

here is a couple of pics, one with mummy few hours after born, and with my son.

Thanks

G

 

[dizzy]

No advice sorry but I just wanted to say your piggies are all beautiful! Mummy has stunning markings and I like her one black ear and one pink ear.

xx