Jessie - hopefully a good ending!

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piggie-power

piggie-power

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Hey everyone - this will probably be a long post but please please read it!

I went to my local garden centre yesterday for seeds for next years veggies and then went for a walk through the pet section to get some bits for my 4 boars.

Usually i ignore the pets and just look at the products but somehow this beautiful black and white coronet girl caught my eyes - i went and had a peek and she was beautiful but slightly fat especially on one side. I ignored her as much as i could but last night i couldn't stop thinking about her.

I got up this morning and asked my hubby if we could go back and see if she was there and sure enough she was - i asked the assistant if i could hold her and check her over - she warned me that she had been there for almost 2 weeks and had gained alot of weight and they thought she may be pregnant. i had a gentle feel of her belly and sure enough it feels firm but hard to tell if she is pregnant. The assistant wasn't sure either and said she had been on her own as she wouldn't go with another guinea pig or a RABBIT! Yes they thought she was pregnant and still put her with a rabbit i was furious! After that there was no way i was leaving her. (i've never actually seen rabbits in with guinea's at this particular store so it was quite a shock and i wont be going back!)

Normally i only have boars who are in a shed and very happy in their so this beauty Jessie will be having the spare room away from the boys.

So far i have bought some alfalfa hay and she has timothy as well - i'm also going to wean her onto veggies but until that is complete i have added some crushed vitamin c to her food.

When she's a bit more settled (she's petrified) i will try and get a birds eye view of her and you can let me know what you think.

If she is pregnant we have the space time and money to keep them all - ideally i would prefer her to be fat than pregnant especially as she is around 10 weeks old. I feel so sorry for her.

Not sure if i have done the right thing but honestly i couldn't leave her. I just hope i've done everything right so far with the hay and vit c -if anyone could advise me more on that i'd be grateful - i know to avoid parsley (or is it dill?) as it can cause premature labour? is that right?

Eeeek what have i let myself in for! :x
 
Oh thank goodness you rescued her. How could they be so stupid and put her with a rabbit. I have no experience with pregnancy though. Sorry.
 
You have totally done the right thing; please don't think otherwise! Yes, by getting her there is now a spot for another guinea pig but put it this way; if you didnt take her someone wanting babies to make a quick few quid could have got her and not given two figs about her and care for her! You fell in love with her, you got her. Nothing wrong in that at all! :)

She needs the normal amount of food with extra vit c - you're doing so well already with the hay and vit c before weaning her onto veggies. As she is so young the 50g veggies a day is going to take a while to move her on to - I wouldn't want to risk giving her an upset tummy if she is pregnant! Plenty of hay and normal amount of pellets alongside what you're doing and you're well on the way. Don't overfeed her because you definitely don't want larger babies in a mum so young.

I have no experience with pregnant piggies this young so hopefully someone like Suzy will spot this thread soon - she gives great advice with pregnant mums of all ages so she will definitely be able to give you more tips to help your little girl! I hope all goes well for her and I definitely look forwards to pictures of your lovely little lady when she has settled and any babies once they arrive (if she is pregnant!).
 
Oh good god....!
Bless you...!... You have done a wonderful thing taking this poor girl in...
Alfalfa hay and extra vit c... That's it really...
Steer away from any herbs really... I do when there preggers...
She needs quiet time... So your spare room sounds wonderful...
Please keep a close eye on her for toxemia...
I recently had a sow go toxic and she had to be taken in for an emergency c-section and spay... All the babies had passed unfortunately....
Some of the symptoms of a toxic sow... Are lack or loss of apetite and little or no water intake.... They some times smell funny... Like nail varnish remover...
If any of these symptoms occur take her to the vets ASAP...
This can also occur up to two weeks after the birth...
Fingers crossed she has a safe and healthy delivery and litter...
I wish you the best of luck and I take my hat off to people like you...
x
 
ghostbusterbunny said:
You have totally done the right thing; please don't think otherwise! Yes, by getting her there is now a spot for another guinea pig but put it this way; if you didnt take her someone wanting babies to make a quick few quid could have got her and not given two figs about her and care for her! You fell in love with her, you got her. Nothing wrong in that at all! :)

She needs the normal amount of food with extra vit c - you're doing so well already with the hay and vit c before weaning her onto veggies. As she is so young the 50g veggies a day is going to take a while to move her on to - I wouldn't want to risk giving her an upset tummy if she is pregnant! Plenty of hay and normal amount of pellets alongside what you're doing and you're well on the way. Don't overfeed her because you definitely don't want larger babies in a mum so young.

I have no experience with pregnant piggies this young so hopefully someone like Suzy will spot this thread soon - she gives great advice with pregnant mums of all ages so she will definitely be able to give you more tips to help your little girl! I hope all goes well for her and I definitely look forwards to pictures of your lovely little lady when she has settled and any babies once they arrive (if she is pregnant!).
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I've just thought of something else to worry about - in the store they were giving her something similar to the wagg mix where as i feed pellets -should i get her something similar to the wagg and then slowly put her on the pellets? i honestly never thought of that! She's not moved since popping her in the cage so she's not eaten any yet.

Gawd why do i feel so nervous?
 
piggie-power said:
I've just thought of something else to worry about - in the store they were giving her something similar to the wagg mix where as i feed pellets -should i get her something similar to the wagg and then slowly put her on the pellets? i honestly never thought of that! She's not moved since popping her in the cage so she's not eaten any yet.

Gawd why do i feel so nervous?
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Wagg is crap...
Feed her your normal pellets...
If your concerned about the intake of food... Syringe feed her some critical care and bio lapis to tide her over...
x
 
claremw92 said:
Wagg is crap...
Feed her your normal pellets...
If your concerned about the intake of food... Syringe feed her some critical care and bio lapis to tide her over...
x
Click to expand...

Fantastic - i really didn't want to feed wagg i had my boys on it for awhile and to be fair since they've been on pellets i've never known them so shiny and energetic!
 
piggie-power said:
Fantastic - i really didn't want to feed wagg i had my boys on it for awhile and to be fair since they've been on pellets i've never known them so shiny and energetic!
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She'll be fine...
Most of the recent piggies I've had in have all been fed that 'economy guinea pig mix'... Totally crap...
And I put then straight on science selective and never had any reprocussions from the change...
Crap food like that gets under my skin... Full of colourings and crap... Hardly any vit C in it...
She'd be better off on your pellets...
x
 
Will keep her on them. I hate the first few days of new guinea's where they barely move/drink/eat it makes me soooooooo worried! I'm that worried i've ever put a sheet over her cage so she feels more secure! Think i'll have a coffee and go spoil my boys for an hour and try and calm myself down!

If it wasn't for this forum i'd be a nervous wreck lol
 
piggie-power said:
Will keep her on them. I hate the first few days of new guinea's where they barely move/drink/eat it makes me soooooooo worried! I'm that worried i've ever put a sheet over her cage so she feels more secure! Think i'll have a coffee and go spoil my boys for an hour and try and calm myself down!

If it wasn't for this forum i'd be a nervous wreck lol
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Lmao... Bless your little cotton socks...
Your doing all you can... :)
And I'm sure she'll blossom now she's with you... :)
Good luck...
And big hugs...
x
 
Best i can get for now - she's sat in the same spot for 2 hours - not eaten or drunk anything -they sure know how to make us worry!

As you can see she's rather plump but then she is curled up so its still hard to tell - i've never seen a 10 week old be this round though.

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Oh bless her what a sweetie. You are wonderful taking her on and committing to her and her possible babies.

I am wondering if perhaps putting a towel or blanket over her cage may make her feel more secure initially? Just a thought. I know what you mean re worrying, its heart breaking when they are that scared.

Good luck with her, she is a real beauty. x
 
She is a beautiful crested girl (coronets are the longhaired ones); it can easily be that she is pregnant.

My Minx (which my hub reserved and bought for me as a present after I fell in love with her during a visit, right up to having dreams about her years ago) had babies although the piggies were neatly separated in the shop. However, piggies are NOT neatly separated into genders during transport and that is where is must have happened with her, adding up the times.

Best of luck for her! Keep weighing her once weekly. Increasing weight gain is next to increased thirst and elongated/swollen nipples the safest way of judging whether a sow is pregnant before you can feel any hard balls.

Just give her time to settle. It is always harder if they are not close to other piggies.
 
Wiebke said:
She is a beautiful crested girl (coronets are the longhaired ones); it can easily be that she is pregnant.

My Minx (which my hub reserved and bought for me as a present after I fell in love with her during a visit, right up to having dreams about her years ago) had babies although the piggies were neatly separated in the shop. However, piggies are NOT neatly separated into genders during transport and that is where is must have happened with her, adding up the times.

Best of luck for her! Keep weighing her once weekly. Increasing weight gain is next to increased thirst and elongated/swollen nipples the safest way of judging whether a sow is pregnant before you can feel any hard balls.

Just give her time to settle. It is always harder if they are not close to other piggies.
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Crested! Thats what i ment i always get the two mixed up! lol i swear my head is all over the place today with this beauty. I'm not going to be handling her at all until i know she isn't pregnant or she's had pups as she really disliked being picked up and i would be soooo scared of hurting the pups if there are any! I wish i knew either way!
 
claremw92 said:
She'll be fine...
Most of the recent piggies I've had in have all been fed that 'economy guinea pig mix'... Totally crap...
And I put then straight on science selective and never had any reprocussions from the change...
Crap food like that gets under my skin... Full of colourings and crap... Hardly any vit C in it...
She'd be better off on your pellets...
x
Click to expand...

Wagg doesn't contain any colourings, it's Gerty that does rolleyes

Actually Wagg isn't that bad, okay they do feed selectively, but foods like Science Selective has alfalfa in it (disguised as Lucerne) which may cause bladder stones. I never had a problem with stones when mine were fed Wagg, it is approved by the CCT & Vedra has probably dealt with many more stones than anyone has ever seen on this whole forum put together lol :))
 
Yay! shes not moved but she's eaten some grass and quite abit of hay! Phew! i'll rest a lil easier tonight! now i just need her to drink then in a few days i can give her lots of these xoxo xoxo xoxo
 
Hopefully these bird eye pics might be a little better as she's not squished in the corner (Yes she moved round the cage - only for cabbage though lol)

Ok ok i couldn't resist a pic of her face!

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I'll post more bird eye pics in a few days if she seems to get any bigger.

Just to add she's between 12-13 weeks old now - she arrived at the pet store at 10 weeks
 
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claremw92 said:
She does look suspiciously well fed... :^-
x
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LOLOL! Sorry but that really made me chuckle!

Yes she is rather rounded! i keep trying to get her to stretch out instead of hunching herself up but shes having none of it!

She has let me have a stroke of her though i tried to feel the sides of her tummy but she got moody and ran and hid - her confidence is certainly comming through! Don't think i'll see her for awhile now she knows where to hide :))
 
Lol...
I've had sow come in a couple weeks ago... And I started saying it then... :))
Mamma really did look suspiciously well fed... Haha...!
If you can get a quick prod is she firm...?
Although if she's not too far along there's not that much to feel...
Has she started nomming yet...?
x

Is her fur puffed out...?
Hunched up can mean pain... (I'm sure you know this... So sorry for pointing out the obvious)
But could just be that's she's scared...
x
 
She's eating drinking and skipping round the cage now - i had a gentle feel at her belly in the pet shop it feels very firm -couldn't feel any lumps or bumps though she just felt ............. hmm not sure how to explain - i guess her skin was very tight and she felt bloated - best way i can describe it.

Fur isn't puffed out and she seems bright, healthy and cheeky and looks suspiciously over fed LOL :))
 
piggie-power said:
She's eating drinking and skipping round the cage now - i had a gentle feel at her belly in the pet shop it feels very firm -couldn't feel any lumps or bumps though she just felt ............. hmm not sure how to explain - i guess her skin was very tight and she felt bloated - best way i can describe it.

Fur isn't puffed out and she seems bright, healthy and cheeky and looks suspiciously over fed LOL :))
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Lmao... :))
Bit like a really full water balloon...?
She sounds like she's settling in well.... :))
You probably won't feel lumps and bumps for a few weeks yet...
She's really fell on her feet finding you... :)
x
 
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claremw92 said:
Lmao... :))
Bit like a really full water balloon...?
She sounds like she's settling in well.... :))
You probably won't feel lumps and bumps for a few weeks yet...
She's really fell on her feet finding you... :)
x
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Yep just like a water balloon!

I really hope she has landed on her feet - ideally i wouldn't have taken on a female with my boys but i couldn't have left her and theres no way i could rehome her or her possible babies - she's been through enough without moving from home to home! Would be nice if she had pups if they were female she would have company then - if not i will have to see what i can do for her - but thats a while off yet.
 
piggie-power said:
Yep just like a water balloon!

I really hope she has landed on her feet - ideally i wouldn't have taken on a female with my boys but i couldn't have left her and theres no way i could rehome her or her possible babies - she's been through enough without moving from home to home! Would be nice if she had pups if they were female she would have company then - if not i will have to see what i can do for her - but thats a while off yet.
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Lol...
Don't worrie too much about keeping boys and girls close together...
I have 6 bores and plenty of Girlies... And the only problems I have is if the boys run is close to the girls... And even then it's just posturing and showing off...!... Lol
Don't think too far ahead... Guineas have that wonderful habit of supprising you... :)
One thing I will add...
When you feel her tum... Feel underneath round the sides and right on top at the back...
Feel for her pelvis... You'll feel two small bones just above her bum... Follow her spine back... Keep an eye on that... It will get a bigger gap as she comes close to giving birth...
Should separate to a gap about the width of a finger and that is usually a good indicator that there will be babies within a week... :)
x
 
Ooooo i'll do that.

IF she is with pup - how far along would you think she is? If i'm right there pregnant for 10 weeks? And for a first litter its between 1-3 pups?

And sugar i've just realised - chances are they will be inbred is that going to cause problems for the pups?
 
piggie-power said:
Ooooo i'll do that.

IF she is with pup - how far along would you think she is? If i'm right there pregnant for 10 weeks? And for a first litter its between 1-3 pups?

And sugar i've just realised - chances are they will be inbred is that going to cause problems for the pups?
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At a guess... And probably a wild one at that...
If she's 10 weeks... We can make the assumption she has cought at 4-5 weeks...(?)
So roughly 5 weeks...
Please don't take this as set in stone it's just a guess... :)
Depending on litter size could be 9-11 weeks... I can't remember exactly... I think it's between 60 and 70 days...
She could have any size litter... Ideally she'll have a small litter...
As far as inbreedin is concerned... Mamma is obviously inbred... Has deformed feet... Her babies she had are obviously inbred... The ones perfectly fine... Touch wood... The other has some dental issues... Could be connected to being inbred... Could be connected to being roan(?)
Inbreeding can cause horrible side effects... But also majority of pet shop small animals are inbred and go on to live healthy life's...
Totally luck of the draw really...
Weigh her weekly if you can to track weight gain... Roughly 60g a week... Again litter size depending... maybe because of her size... Might be more like 30-40g a week... 60g is what I'd expect an adult sow with a good size litter to put on... Over the last half of the pregnancy...
x
 
Ok i'll give her a few days then try and weigh her - tbh i dont want to pick her up cos i'm a big wimp and scared i'll hurt her lol

Really hope she's just fat but the more i look at the pics the more she looks pregnant.

Thanks for all the info, even if she isn't going to have pups i would rather be prepared just incase.
 
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