Engel's Herd

Wiebke said:
I am very sorry but I have thrown my last crystal ball into the chimney some time ago in frustration - and that is the only way I could answer your question. Since a first time litter can vary between 1-6 pups with the according differences in weight gain and I have no chance at examining your girl, your guess is basically as good as mine. Please keep in mind that in a pregnancy the weight gain is not even; it is exponential in the last 2-3 weeks so unless you can see a vet re. potential pregnancy (or not), all you can do is sit it out; as hard as it is.

Unfortunately I can also not reach through the screen nor do I have x-ray glasses or a laser view... We get asked the same question in so many different ways from owners desperately wanting to know but it is one of the areas where advising remotely really has got its limits.
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Damn! You need to get yourself a new one! Amazon probably sell them quite cheap too🤔😂

Totally understand don't worry about it ☺️
 
Siikibam said:
I’ve never had experience of piggy pregnancies so can’t advise you. But most are told to sit it out. Unfortunately patience is the only thing you can practise during this period.
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Ah that's fair enough 😊 thanks for taking the time to reply and help me in the ways you have
 
UPDATE, well...kinda

There's nothing really to report. Oreo seems to be getting bigger and I seriously don't know where sees putting all this hay!

She seems very happy. No worries at all. She doesn't seem keen on the alfalfa though. 🤔

Chunk is doing well ☺️ has the zoomies every night and is eating well. I haven't seen many calcium deposits in his urine. Like there will be some here and there but nothing like it was.

Almost got through 2kg of hay and I only opened it 3-4 days ago. Oreo is eating for England 🤣
 
Engel said:
UPDATE, well...kinda

There's nothing really to report. Oreo seems to be getting bigger and I seriously don't know where sees putting all this hay!

She seems very happy. No worries at all. She doesn't seem keen on the alfalfa though. 🤔

Chunk is doing well ☺ has the zoomies every night and is eating well. I haven't seen many calcium deposits in his urine. Like there will be some here and there but nothing like it was.

Almost got through 2kg of hay and I only opened it 3-4 days ago. Oreo is eating for England 🤣
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Don't worry if she is not keen on the alfalfa; she obviously doesn't feel she needs it. Plenty of normal hay is great.
 
Wiebke said:
Don't worry if she is not keen on the alfalfa; she obviously doesn't feel she needs it. Plenty of normal hay is great.
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I was wondering if that's why. She may have a mouthful every now and again but she isn't fussed.

Honestly I'm not surprised she feels like she doesn't need it with the amount of hay she's been eating. Although the amount of hay she's eating is surprising. It's like where is she putting it all?!
 
Engel said:
I was wondering if that's why. She may have a mouthful every now and again but she isn't fussed.

Honestly I'm not surprised she feels like she doesn't need it with the amount of hay she's been eating. Although the amount of hay she's eating is surprising. It's like where is she putting it all?!
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Obviously filling her reserves and being busy to catch up. ;)
 
Wiebke said:
Obviously filling her reserves and being busy to catch up. ;)
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I know but seriously! It went from 1kg lasting 2 pigs a week when I first got them to almost 2kg. It's mind blowing!

Its like I turn around and it's gone. Oreo is just sat there all sweet like 'oh hi, didn't see you there but I'm happy you are here! I NEEEED FOOOOOD!'
 
@Wiebke I read your sticky on pregnancy and it mentions the lower parts of the pelvis becoming wider on the build up to birth.

As I read this a few weeks back I tested it on Oreo so I knew what was normal. Well I've had her out tonight (her choice. Put carrier in for her to get in if she wishes then transfer onto my bed. I have a fleece on my lap where she can be if she chooses to come out the carrier).

Anyways. She appears quite grouchy. She came out and lay on me but chattered when I touched her. I checked the distance between the points in the pelvis and it's definitely opened. How far does it open?
I know it can do this a week or so before birth and is no way an indicator.

Also her vulva feels quite firm. Not soft like it was. It looks perfectly normal and there's no discharge. Does this mean anything other than preparing for birth?
 
Engel said:
@Wiebke I read your sticky on pregnancy and it mentions the lower parts of the pelvis becoming wider on the build up to birth.

As I read this a few weeks back I tested it on Oreo so I knew what was normal. Well I've had her out tonight (her choice. Put carrier in for her to get in if she wishes then transfer onto my bed. I have a fleece on my lap where she can be if she chooses to come out the carrier).

Anyways. She appears quite grouchy. She came out and lay on me but chattered when I touched her. I checked the distance between the points in the pelvis and it's definitely opened. How far does it open?
I know it can do this a week or so before birth and is no way an indicator.

Also her vulva feels quite firm. Not soft like it was. It looks perfectly normal and there's no discharge. Does this mean anything other than preparing for birth?
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It means that you are likely somewhere in the last two weeks of a pregnancy but you cannot pin it down any more closely. We've had plenty of members where it took another two weeks with a fully parted pelvis until babies appeared, so I wouldn't hold my breath yet - there is really not a surefire timetable. It is quicker in later births. As far as I know you have everything you need for baby arrivals.

Better make sure that your phone is charged at all times and that you have all vet and out-of-hours contact numbers in there in case there is a problem. Otherwise, the babies will come whenever they are ready like with a natural human birth. Since you are waiting for the event, it will always take much longer than you want to.
 
Wiebke said:
It means that you are likely somewhere in the last two weeks of a pregnancy but you cannot pin it down any more closely. We've had plenty of members where it took another two weeks with a fully parted pelvis until babies appeared, so I wouldn't hold my breath yet - there is really not a surefire timetable. It is quicker in later births. As far as I know you have everything you need for baby arrivals.

Better make sure that your phone is charged at all times and that you have all vet and out-of-hours contact numbers in there in case there is a problem. Otherwise, the babies will come whenever they are ready like with a natural human birth. Since you are waiting for the event, it will always take much longer than you want to.
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Got the numbers and everything ready including the carrier just in case. I'm not expecting them to be here until next week if I'm honest. Gut feeling. But after feeling that I could be wrong
 
UPDATE:

Oreo is fine. Still in one piece. Babies are still kicking. Oreo is about 900g now. I don't know how long she's got left. I can't seem to find the opening of the pelvis, can just feel pregnancy. But I'm not worried about that. She's suprised me though, throughout the pregnancy she's wanted human interaction and remained very friendly.
 
Gosh must be nerve racking. Hoping Oreo and her pups do well when they arrive (and that your nerves are intact - I wouldn’t be able to sleep!). Best of luck!
 
swaller said:
Gosh must be nerve racking. Hoping Oreo and her pups do well when they arrive (and that your nerves are intact - I wouldn’t be able to sleep!). Best of luck!
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Luckily they're in my room so I can have a quick peep throughout the night if needed. I will admit I'm having a lot of broken sleep at the moment.
 
Merab's Slave said:
Anticipate a straightforward and happy birth.
Don’t stress yourself over ‘maybes’
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I know but I naturally think about the worst possible outcome in any situation though. I'm sure she'll be fine and be an amazing mum but there's always that at the back of my mind.

I've even been really watching her feeding/drinking/toileting habits to make sure there's no change which could suggest that something's going wrong.

Every time I check on her she looks at me like 'oh hey.' *popcorns and wheeks* 'got any food?' *devours food and then acts like she hasn't been fed in a week*
 
Congratulations to mum. How are they doing?
 
Siikibam said:
Congratulations to mum. How are they doing?
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Honestly labour was short and sweet. Babies born within less 10 mins of each other. Both placentas were also delivered. Oreo has done a fantastic job. They're already trying to suckle. Didn't need to intervene at all!

I think there's only 2. And I'm pretty sure I've got 1 boy and 1 girl. Will post pics at the one week mark and again at the 2 week mark so @Wiebke can have a look.

The one with the black blob on the back I believe is the boy and he weighs 104g. The other is a female and she weighs 118g! No wonder she was huge!
 
Good morning! Oh wow, that was a good night's work, well done Oreo. They do look big those pups, very glad all seems to be going well. Been following your thread in anticipation 🎊🎉nice to hear some good news, congratulations!
 
Congratulations to teen mum Oreo and to you and hoping her and her two sweet pups thrive. If it’s a boy and a girl then would that mean you can ideally keep both and pair them off in gender pairs?
 
LollyJJ said:
Good morning! Oh wow, that was a good night's work, well done Oreo. They do look big those pups, very glad all seems to be going well. Been following your thread in anticipation 🎊🎉nice to hear some good news, congratulations!
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Yes they're huge! I couldn't believe it when the one arrived, it's like how on earth did you manage to get that out?! She has done very well.

Oreos been up eating and drinking. Toileting fine too. Pups have already sampled a bit of hay and mushed pellets. Whether they're actually eating it or just chewing it I don't know. They're both mobile too and running after mum but also exploring the cage together away from mum so that's nice.

All wheeking when I put veggies in this morning. I kept it simple and a slightly smaller portion to not upset tums. Staying away from the likes of cabbage and rich veg for the time being.
 
swaller said:
Congratulations to teen mum Oreo and to you and hoping her and her two sweet pups thrive. If it’s a boy and a girl then would that mean you can ideally keep both and pair them off in gender pairs?
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Yes hopefully that'll be the plan if she has indeed got one of each. Oreos been up and eating and drinking. Pups have been running around wheeking, exploring and tasting everything.
 
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