Whether you have concerns about your dog, cat, or other pet, trained vets have the answers! The vet will be able to perform an ultrasound to determine how many babies your sow will deliver, rule out any complications, and instruct you on what to do next. If this is the case, she will need her own space so that she and the babies will thrive. I had always been told that guineas didn't have phantom pregnancies until that is my little Rosie had a phantom pregnancy: gained weight, increased water intake, moody etc etc. Female cavies will eat their babies if food is scarce, or if the pup has a life-threatening deformity. The guinea pig will start losing interest in nesting and will come back to its normal behavior. This Is What You Should Know! This refers to the time between your guinea pig becoming pregnant and its offspring being born. 2. By around the five week mark, pregnancy will start to be visible, with your guinea pig gradually developing more of a pear shape. You will need to stay alert to the fact that your guinea pig could go into labour at any point, so try to be extra vigilant. Female Guinea pigs often develop a false belief of them being pregnant, which is quite common in animals. Guinea pigs are highly sexually active, even from a young age, so they are likely to breed when they are around males. There have been instances of male guinea pigs impregnating their mothers in as little as five weeks. As per the studies, intact female guinea pigs who experience phantom pregnancy have been observed pulling their fur. If you have the habit of weighing her daily (maybe youre keeping an eye out for pregnancy), you will notice it early on as just a few grams of weight gain each day. We do not control or have responsibility for the content of any third-party site. aggrevate your pet. Some of the most common symptoms of pregnancy toxaemia include a loss of appetite, lethargy and muscle spasms. When they are born, they are born with hair, teeth, and the ability to walk around. Some vets may even recommend vitamin C supplements. No babies this morning, but I can hear her stomach rumbling!Sophie x. However, the nodules will continue to grow until birth only if the sow is pregnant. Great content! Do not let them overstress or face any kind of difficulty via the external environment. Just became parents? It is a psychological behavior that makes them believe that they are pregnant when they are not. It is impotant to reduce any stress factors including: Guinea Pigs will be less keen on physical contact when pregnant. But anywhere in the range of 59 days to 72 days is regarded as normal. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Each week, Theo grew in size and became more pear shaped. Although guinea pigs can have more complicated births, if you follow your vets instructions, you will be sure to have a healthy mom and babies by the time the birth rolls around. Pseudopregnancy is the development of signs of pregnancy without the presence of an implanted embryo or fetus. Female guinea pigs (sows) typically mature sexually at 2 months of age (55 to 70 days). There are relatively few obvious indications that a guinea pig is about to deliver its pups and so it can be difficult to pinpoint precisely when this will occur. The unspayed guinea pigs mates with an unneutered male and is impregnated, In this case, the guinea pigs ovulate due to stress and consider that she is pregnant, She will start eating more and more as she is eating for 4-5 babies, In this case, she will eat more and become aggressive towards other guinea pigs. Although you need to be careful not to apply any pressure to the region. How do you no if a guinea pig has a phantom pregnancy? The precise timings for this can vary, but it is advisable for this to last around three weeks, before weaning by reducing the supply of milk and introducing the baby guinea pigs to their natural diet. PetKeen.com does not intend to provide veterinary advice. As the pregnancy progresses, you may find that your guinea pig becomes less mobile. Guinea pig keeps having phantom pregnancies. It increases the mortality rate either of the mother or the child. Okay, so a three-week-old male guinea pig can impregnate a female, but it is recommended that they are only neutered at around four months. Great (British) products, high mortality rate when it comes to a guinea pig pregnancy, Small servings of fruits rich in vitamin C, Although it isnt essential, lucerne hay will provide extra protein and calcium. You may not be able to tell right away just by looking at your guinea pig, though. Separating bonded guinea pigs can cause stress to them, which can also lead to ovulation. Delaying further would make their pregnancy complicated due to the fusion of pubic joints, which functions in the newborns natural passing out of the mothers womb. If you give your piggy a varied diet of pellets, fruits and veggies, she may favor the vitamin C-rich ones while pregnant, as they need more of this nutrient during this time. Poor girl! By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Pet Keen is reader-supported. Such a helpful man who went the extra mile to ensure that the carrier had precise instructions on where to leave the hedgehog house and food etc., as the recipient would be out. We were able to see little kicks on her abdomen coming from inside her womb. In the most serious cases, the condition can result in prolonged unconsciousness (coma) and can ultimately lead to death. | what precautions you need to take I #guineapigphantompregnancies #guineapigs #pets It is imperative that your care focuses on minimising stress. Therefore, the smaller the litter (one or two pups), the longer is the gestation time. It is often difficult to find homes with caring and responsible pet owners for young guinea pigs. Charlotte. Neutering a male is generally easier than spaying a female. Does she have a partner some of the time? Regardless of the size of the litter, labour tends to be a relatively short process for guinea pigs, with delivery rarely taking longer than half an hour in total. The towels should be changed at least twice a day. They belong to the family Cavidae, which contains 14 species of animals commonly known as cavies and Patagonian hares (or maras). This website was inspired by our guinea pig pair, Theo and Remmy, and is our familys journey to becoming the best guinea pig parents. Female guinea pigs (or sows) have a pregnancy of 68 days (range 59-72 days) and an average estrous cycle length of 17 days (range 13-25 days). . Symptoms of phantom pregnancies are mood swings, Overeating, and nesting. making major changes to the cage or hutch. However, there are many health benefits of spaying your guinea pigs. Also, seek advice from your vet doctor about the prenatal and postnatal care of your guinea pigs. Females become reproductively active as young as of age 2 months, whereas the males achieve sexuality of age 3 months. She loves to research the best methods and products out there and cut through the jargon so you can see plainly what something is or how something is done. The typical gestation period for this species is 59 to 70 days, so by the time guinea pigs start to show a larger abdomen they may be well into their pregnancy. This means that males must be separated from females until the procedure can be done. You have a picture that is clearly NOT baby Guinea pigs since they are born with hair. Male guinea pigs can breed when they are 3 months of their age, while females can breed somewhat at 2 months from their age, whereas some guinea pigs attain sexual maturity early to this period. We hope that this article answered some of your questions on guinea pig pregnancy. Featured Image Credit: Miroslav Hlavko, Shutterstock. But by the time they are ready to give birth, they may have doubled in weight. Still, there is nothing to worry about as she can resolve it on her own. By day 50, her body began to look like a pear. So, I did thorough research, and here is what I have learned. A Guinea pig will start making the nest. Thank you. Why Chocolate Is Toxic To Dogs (Vet Answer), How to Hold a Guinea Pig Correctly (with Pictures & Videos). Couldn't find anything on google, only phantom cat pregnancies! Search our database of over 13360 posts with up-to-date information from our experts and veterinarians. 2 Continue to encourage exercise & prevent obesity to minimize the risk of problems in the pregnant sow. With their cute little faces and quirky personalities, pets provide hours of entertainment, devoted friendship and unconditional love. it may also be necessary to separate your pregnant guinea pig from any other guinea pigs you have. It was hard to tell in the beginning; however, by about day 30 she was definitely much rounder. Either way, its a good idea for your vet to check it out in either case. Great products, but what impressed me most was the speed at which I received them. Do Guinea Pigs Nurse Their Young? In general, the labor will last for 5-15 minutes. This is going to be all the more obvious if she was a very active female before she was pregnant. Pregnant piggies will need lots of food and water. Please confirm that you are a health care professional. We learned that female guinea pigs will nearly double in size during pregnancy with the baby guinea pigs making up more than half of her weight. Ultimately, if you are wondering how to tell if a guinea pig is pregnant with complete certainty, the only answer is to take your guinea pig to a veterinarian for a pregnancy test. But there is vast variation, depending on the age and sex of the hog and the time of year. Their gestational period may last between 59 - 72 days. We allowed supervised visits once or twice per day so that they could hang out together. With all the risks involved in breeding guinea pigs, especially as they get older, we recommend that you have your guinea pig neutered or spayed as soon as possible. If you do feel lumps, it would be wise to take your guinea pig to the vet to check for pregnancy. Guineapigden.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Its a misconception that is developed by the guinea pig, which lasts for approx 20 days. shows the mating ritual : The middle stage of pregnancy is the period where you will start to notice some of the more obvious physical and behavioural changes in your guinea pig. JavaScript is disabled. Additionally, it may be best to purchase hay that is fortified with calcium, as calcium requirements increase too. But the duration of pregnancy may alter depending on the litter size (the number of babies given birth to at a time.) A pregnant guinea pig will also show aggression towards other guinea pigs. Which Ones? Also, the babies reach sexual maturity early too, so its possible for the dad to impregnate the female babies. Why Is My Guinea Pig Always Hungry? Because if you try to remove the nest of guinea pig, there are chances that they might get upset and stressed. You will want to make sure that you remove any males because your female can become pregnant again within hours of giving birth. At What Age Can Guinea Pigs Get Pregnant? Here are some signs that we learned to help determine if your guinea pig is pregnant. Male guinea pigs become sexually mature after 3 months of their age, whereas female guinea pigs become mature within 2 months of their age. Most of the mammals undergo pubic symphysis, and so does the female guinea pig. Providing the Right Environment During Pregnancy, Tips for Caring for a Pregnant Guinea Pig, Signs That a Guinea Pig is About to Give Birth, Skinny Pig The Ultimate breed and care guide, Guinea Pig Teeth 8 signs of dental issues, how to spot them and what to do, What can Guinea pigs eat? It also gets painful for us to decide by looking at their behavior because they have all symptoms which are there in pregnancy like mood swings, and overeating. It is also possible that you have to handle mood swings, elevated hunger, and unusual behaviors. Also, dont be surprised if she gets pregnant right after giving birth, as female guinea pigs go into heat right after they give birth. Stay tuned! By this point, your guinea pig will be noticeably larger and may even have some difficulties with mobility, so you need to be extra careful to ensure that access to food and water has not been accidentally cut off by the layout of the cage or hutch. Your Female Guinea Pig Has Been in Contact with an Intact Male. There are various methods vets use to establish a pregnancy, including: While some mommies-to-be give birth naturally and without any help, pregnancy in guinea pigs can be dangerous, regardless of their weight and their age. Study now. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Yet, neutering cannot be done too early and guinea pigs reach sexual maturity at a young age. The estrous cycle length is 16 days. The gestation period in guinea pigs varies between 59 and 72 days. Guinea pigs mature early in many ways. You really should be a proud business because you always go above and beyond, thank you so much for your help. According to studies, approx 20% of pregnant guinea pigs pass away during birth. A typical guinea pig litter size of 2 4 is most common with a range of 1 to 8 pups. Unfortunately, this means that death during or immediately after labour is a relatively common complication and something you need to consider. Especially if there are any narrow passages to navigate. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Almost 60% of Brits own a pet, and for a good reason. Better opt for cesarean by a vet to get the pups out. I literally knew nothing and they were so helpful! Try to apply a trial and error approach, which helps to remove anxiety and makes your guinea pig calm. Though age is not a matter of concern in males for mating. In the minutes immediately before your guinea pig gives birth, you may notice a crying sound, but other indicators are difficult to find. But it is worth stressing that changes in appetite can occur for a wide variety of reasons. The guinea pig gestation period is 59 to 72 days. Support a Family Business like Home & Roost! Copyright 2021 - 2023 Guinea Pig Den | Jennifer Franklin Media LLCThis site does not constitute pet medical advice, please consult a licensed veterinarian in your area for pet medical advice. If the gestation period is more extended than the litter size, it is small(2-3 pups), whereas if the gestation period is lower than the litter size, it would be large(5-7 pups). These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The average Guinea pig gestation period is 68 days with a range of 59 72 days. A period of an extra week is good for them. Use to remove results with certain terms It is, therefore, important that unneutered guinea pigs are separated after a couple of weeks, in order to avoid unwanted additional pregnancies. It should get at least an inch wide, maybe wider. Within a week of bringing home our guinea pigs we were shocked to discover that Theo is a girl. Keep it up! Back-to-back pregnancies can sometimes result in a guinea pig mum eating her babies as a means of survival. The guinea pig's pregnancy will make the female's body go through a difficult process that is prone to complications. Guinea pigs can especially sexually mature early for animals. and factors such as age or relation are not something they worry about! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Toxaemia is common in guinea pig pregnancies, and overweight sows are more at risk. We brought home our male guinea pig pair 65 days ago and never in our wildest dreams imagined that within a few weeks we would have a guinea pig pregnancy! Try not to disturb your guinea pig as that time she will be irritable and territorial. If she is not pregnant and has lumps, it could mean a serious health problem. By day 51, she was massive in comparison to when we brought her home and she moved with a distinct waddle. The expected date came and went and no pups arrived. Phantom pregnancies last about 20-30 days in the guinea pig. There are various signs of pregnancy in guinea pigs. Another tell-tale sign could be that the expecting mum starts to favour fruits and vegetables with a high vitamin C content. Guinea pigs pregnancy lasts about 9 to 10 weeks. If bred between 3-8 months, there is a relatively good chance of having a pregnancy with very few complications. However, if a female of age more than 10 months is bred for the first time, than the severity of pregnancy increases and thus putting in danger both the mother and the child. Dont let the family cat or dog (or any small children!) Provide hours of entertainment, devoted friendship and unconditional love general, the nodules will continue to grow until only! Way, its a misconception that is fortified with calcium, as calcium requirements increase too starts favour. 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Another tell-tale sign could be that guinea pig phantom pregnancy expecting mum starts to favour fruits and with... Will also show aggression towards other guinea pigs we were able to see kicks! A serious health problem to minimize the risk of problems in the beginning ; however by! Walk around to see little kicks on her abdomen coming from inside her.! Get upset and stressed especially if there are any narrow passages to navigate hard to tell right just!