New little lady?

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poshpiggies

I took in a little guinea pig lady today, her owner needs to cut back for personal reasons (genuine to be fair), anyway without going into all their details this lady is pregnant but I'm not sure when she is due and neither were they.
Now my question is, as she could be due very soon should i try to intergrate her to one of my groups now or should i put her on her own untill she has given birth?
She is pretty timid and for now i have put her in a hutch in a quiet corner to let her sttle down however I'm also a bit concerned as she has been used to company.
Any ideas what would be best for her please?
 
I tend to let pregnant sows be by themselves for birth unless they are already very closely bonded. The stress of moving her, followed by the stress of new cagemates, might be too much for her.

You might be able to tell how pregnant she is - depending on whether you can see / feel the babies moving and how separated her pelvic bones are at the back. They start to separate a week or two before birth, and separate up to two fingers width 24-48 hours before (ish!).

Sophie
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sophiew said:
I tend to let pregnant sows be by themselves for birth unless they are already very closely bonded. The stress of moving her, followed by the stress of new cagemates, might be too much for her.

You might be able to tell how pregnant she is - depending on whether you can see / feel the babies moving and how separated her pelvic bones are at the back. They start to separate a week or two before birth, and separate up to two fingers width 24-48 hours before (ish!).

Sophie
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thankyou for such a quick reply, is there any way you can show a photo of the bone and how to distance it.
I will be keeping her quietly on her own as you say.
 
Um not really a photo, you have to feel...

First, do it with one of your own pigs who isn't pregnant. Hold the pig on your lap and run one hand down the spine towards where the tail would be if they had one - at the base you will feel the pelvic bones (no gap).

On a pregnant sow, there will be a gap widening between the pelvic bones and it's the best indicator of how far on she is.

You can also hold her on your lap, and gently cup a hand each side of her tummy (don't squeeze) - you should be able to feel the babies turning and kicking, if she's about 4 to 5 weeks or more pregnant

Obviously make sure she gets plenty of Vitamin C rich veg in the meantime

Sophie
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Thanks again.
All my piggies have fresh veg daily with peppers and corn on the cob etc,
None of my other girls are pregnant so that should be an easy job lol!
 
Here is more info on pregnancy:
http://www.guinealynx.info/reproduction.html

A pregnant sow needs about double the normal intake of vitamin C (preferably through veg).

I would also recommend to keep her apart if she has no closely bonded friend coming with her - she'll have her babies soon, anyway, and will be free to bond or live with any daughter she has.
 
Ok i did the 'feel' test and i can feel babies moving, then i ran my finger down her spine and about an inch from the bottom it feels like it goes into a v shape, is this what you mean?
 
sophiew said:
Sounds about right! It's so much easier to show someone than try to explain in words!

Sophie
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so how long does that mean she has to go approx?
sorry for all the questions but as i have said before i have only ever had the occasional litter, i keep my girls away from the boys:))
 
When there is a little finger's width between the bones she's probably got a week or two to go - some go longer! When it's open really wide, like an inch or so, she's got 24-48 hours ish to go (some go sooner, some later!)

Sophie
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