Advice please

[Woodlouse]

Hello! I don't come here often ... am more usually over on RU, with same username. I have had guineas for a long time but TBH I know a LOT more about bunnies!

Anyway, today I've taken in 3 pigs. A friend of mine rescued them, along with 3 bunnies but just didn't have the space to keep them ... so I offered.

With the help of pics from links on here I've established that Frank is male and his pals Gold & Myrrh are female! So ... Frank now has a bachelor pad and the girls are in together in my spare indoor cage.

Both of the girls are "bulbous" around the back-end, so I'm fully expecting the patter of piglet feet ...! Next stop is reading as much as I can in the pregnancy and birth section on here, but just wondered if anyone had any advice/suggestions? If they are already visibly rounded how far along does this indicate they are?

Frank will be visiting my vet later in the week to see whether he's ready to be neutered and then he'll have the chop! The girls have already been offered a home with someone I know who has a male and his hareem ... so I may be looking for a home for Frank ... but getting them all healthy and sorted is my prime concern.

Ooops ... very long post. Sorry for wittering! xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hi - it sounds that your new intakes are very much in the last third or quarter of their pregnancy and I would expect babies within the next three weeks or earlier.

Please do NOT feed the girls more food than normal, but include vitamin C rich veg like peppers and broccoli - if they eat that. Otherwise break up one eight of a normal vitamin C tablet and syringe it dissolved in a bit of water. Don't add it to the water bottle; it will only go off and you can't control the intake. Unlike rabbits, guinea pigs can't produce their own vitamin C and the babies need their own "starter kit"; hence the need for feeding double the amount of vitamin C during pregnancy. Don't feed parsley until after the birth as it contains compounds that may trigger early labour.

It would also be good if you could add alfalfa hay to the normal hay during late pregnancy and nursing to account for the increased need of calcium for the pups' bones. Later on, a topped up bowl of pellets will suffice.

Please separate your sows as well. Birth (especially eating the afterbirth of another sow) can trigger premature labour in another sow. Eating part of an afterbirth tirgger the contraction of the womb and milk production.

You need to contact a vet asap if a mum is straining for longer than 20 minutes without having a baby (that means that it is stuck) or if she is bleeding more than about 1 tsp full or has a continuous trickle of fresh blood.

Please separate male babies at three weeks old (unless they are sick or still very small). Weigh them daily for the first two weeks; you can handle babies straight away, best when mum is busy eating. Please contact us if the pups are below 60g or have problems moving around/lifting their head within a few hours of being born.

Here is more info on pregnancy, labour and aftercare. Don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have or if you need help rehoming dad or any of the babies.
http://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html, also see links labor and faq
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/pregnancy.htm

 

[Woodlouse]

Hi - it sounds that your new intakes are very much in the last third or quarter of their pregnancy and I would expect babies within the next three weeks or earlier.

Please do NOT feed the girls more food than normal, but include vitamin C rich veg like peppers and broccoli - if they eat that. Otherwise break up one eight of a normal vitamin C tablet and syringe it dissolved in a bit of water. Don't add it to the water bottle; it will only go off and you can't control the intake. Unlike rabbits, guinea pigs can't produce their own vitamin C and the babies need their own "starter kit"; hence the need for feeding double the amount of vitamin C during pregnancy. Don't feed parsley until after the birth as it contains compounds that may trigger early labour.

It would also be good if you could add alfalfa hay to the normal hay during late pregnancy and nursing to account for the increased need of calcium for the pups' bones. Later on, a topped up bowl of pellets will suffice.

Please separate your sows as well. Birth (especially eating the afterbirth of another sow) can trigger premature labour in another sow. Eating part of an afterbirth tirgger the contraction of the womb and milk production.

You need to contact a vet asap if a mum is straining for longer than 20 minutes without having a baby (that means that it is stuck) or if she is bleeding more than about 1 tsp full or has a continuous trickle of fresh blood.

Please separate male babies at three weeks old (unless they are sick or still very small). Weigh them daily for the first two weeks; you can handle babies straight away, best when mum is busy eating. Please contact us if the pups are below 60g or have problems moving around/lifting their head within a few hours of being born.

Here is more info on pregnancy, labour and aftercare. Don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have or if you need help rehoming dad or any of the babies.
http://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html, also see links labor and faq
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/pregnancy.htm

Thanks so much - I think you know Vickie who is also a trustee of Fat Fluffs and is adopting 4 piggie girls from you later in the week?

The guinea girls have happily eaten some carrots and greens so I'm sure they'll eat broccoli - will give them some in a bit and will get some peppers next time I go out. Will also try to get some Alfafa hay. I have Readigrass - shall I give them some of that? (we don't give buns too much cos high in calcium, so I'm guessing it would be good in this instance?)

Do they have babies at night, like bunnies, or could it be anytime?

I'm off to read the links you posted - thanks. I'm sure to think of more questions! x