Every living being grows up and reproduces more of their kind, and so do guinea pigs, but let’s find out, how to tell if a guinea pig is pregnant?
Getting a pet for yourself is a big responsibility in itself.
Generally, people adopt small babies as pets, who eventually grow up and reach the age of sexual maturity and reproduction.
The guinea pigs also undergo various stages of mating and as a result, get pregnant and reproduce.
For pet proprietors, gaining an understanding and knowledge of this part of their pets’ life is also important.
Table of Contents
How To Tell If a Guinea Pig Is Pregnant
The knowledge empowers them to be prepared for any situation, and they can take care of their little friends accordingly.
Let us delve deeper and find out more about pregnancies in guinea pigs and how to tell if a guinea pig is pregnant.
More about Guinea pigs
Guinea pigs, additionally called cavies, are individuals from the Caviidae family, a gathering that incorporates a few types of rodents from South America.
All cavies are social creatures that like to live in gatherings.
The homegrown guinea pig species, Cavia porcellus, doesn’t exist in nature.
Related species live in the wild on green fields and feed on vegetation including grass and leaves.
Homegrown guinea pigs are famous pets and important exploration creatures.
Cavies were tamed at any rate by 900 BCE and conceivably as right on time as 5000 BCE.
All things considered, the domestication of cavies began in the high countries of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.
In these regions, native Americans domesticated them for food.
Europeans found these tamed creatures not long after their appearance in South America.
Cavies were initially brought into Europe during the 1500s.
Today, they are kept as pets around the globe.
The male guinea pig is called a boar, while the female is known as a sow.
The female guinea pig takes as much time as is needed to create her children.
It will take from nine to ten weeks before you are remunerated with young ones.
A sow can birth one to six young ones, yet three to four is normal.
Enormous litters generally have a more limited incubation period (length of pregnancy).
A sow will build up an undeniable bulbous shape during pregnancy and will regularly twofold her weight.
You should give bigger amounts of water to the ‘mother to be’ as she will frequently drink more than ordinary.
To decide when the introduction of the young ones will happen is frequently troublesome in that they have a long development period, and that the sows don’t assemble homes.
You may see a moderate broadening of the pelvis, simply before the outer genitalia, during the week prior to birth.
This partition increments to more than 2.5cms in the hours not long before conveyance.
Reaching Sexual Maturity
Guinea pigs arrive at sexual development at a youthful age – 2 months for females and 3 months for males.
So it is of utmost importance that you keep male and female guinea pigs isolated on the off chance that you don’t need pregnancies to happen.
Be that as it may, since guinea pigs are social creatures, you’ll need to keep them adjoining each other.
How To Tell If a Guinea Pig Is Pregnant
You probably won’t see numerous physical and social indications of pregnancy in guinea pigs from the start.
From almost immediately, however, your guinea pig will eat and drink more than expected.
Guinea pigs need extra vitamin C during pregnancy, so you may see her favoring the products of the soil having the vitamin C in high quantity over those lacking it.
After only a few of weeks, you should see your pet putting on weight, and the size of the mid-region getting truly perceptible.
Pregnancy can have many hindrances for the sow, the female guinea pig.
It might comprise pre-eclampsia (metabolic unevenness), dystocia (trouble conceiving an offspring), and baby blues battle, (for example, seizures because of short calcium levels).
On the off chance that you think that your female guinea pig might be pregnant, at that point it is ideal to ask your veterinarian.
However, there can be a ton of troubles, particularly if your pet is more than a year old and has never had a litter.
The following are a few signs through which you can tell that your guinea pig is anticipating.
These signs you can watch at your home.
Think about whether your guinea pig was in the contact of a boar
The very first thing you can do is to think about or consider whether the guinea pig was in the contact of boar or not.
This thing will assist you with moving towards the additional examination.
Boars are male guinea pigs.
In the event that a female guinea pig has been in the presence of a hog, at that point she will have unquestionably attempted to accomplice and has a high possibility of getting pregnant.
Prior to pregnancy, the two lovebirds should mate.
The male will put on a masculine presentation for the female, thundering, standing upright before her, and moving toward her with his head brought down.
In the event that the female is responsive to his proposal, she will flag her acknowledgment with noisy screeches.
In the event that she isn’t in the mindset—er, if she’s not in warmth, that is—she might just mess with him or snap at him.
In the event that he endures, she’ll hose his excitement by peeing on him.
Male guinea pigs as young as 3 weeks old can impregnate a female, and a female guinea pig as young as a month old, can get pregnant.
Guinea pigs arrive at sexual development early, some when they are only five weeks or a month and a half old.
A few proprietors have brought a young guinea pig home, to find that she is pregnant as of now!
Keep a watchful eye on her eating habits.
A pregnant guinea will start to drink and eat more as the pregnancy propels.
She may eat up to the triple measure that she typically eats.
She may likewise drink more water than normal.
Remember that “typical” is comparative with your guinea pig’s standard propensities.
Watch out for what your guinea pig eats.
Since pregnant guinea pigs are making other guinea pigs inside them, they’ll need to eat unquestionably more than expected, here and there a few times more to their typical utilization.
Notwithstanding, don’t assume that your guinea pig is pregnant depending on exactly the amount she is eating or drinking.
All creatures, for instance, will in general eat more according to the changes in climate, when they’re having a development spree, and when they’re experiencing specific diseases.
Roll your fingers softly along her sides
If you sense your guinea pig’s womb very deliberately, you may be able to detect the unborn if she is pregnant.
Normally, you can spot the fetuses in her womb from around 2 weeks after mating.
If your guinea pig has been pregnant for more than about two or three weeks then you might be capable of very gently feeling the unborn in your pet.
Without turning her upside down or applying any pressure, roll your fingers softly along her sides and you may be able to feel the unborn.
Handle the sow with care and never treat her roughly.
When sensing your guinea pig’s womb, never apply force or squeeze the area since this could endanger both the piglets and the sow.
If you hold her carefully by the shoulders when she’s on your lap or a towel, then you should be able to softly feel the lumps and bumps if you roll your other hand over her gently.
Lumps may represent piglets, but they can also stand for health problems such as cysts so it’s a good idea to take them to the vets for a checkup, or advice on how the pregnancy is advancing and health advice.
how to feel the unborn
To feel for the unborn, place the pig on a towel on a firm surface.
This will keep your guinea pig from sliding.
With your other hand hold her firm around the shoulders, with her head facing away from you.
Utilize your dominant hand to feel her belly.
Begin by creating a “C” shape with your thumb and first finger, and then rolling the thumb over the top of her tummy and the forefinger beneath her belly.
Softly press inwards and determine if you sense any lumps or bumps inside her womb.
If your guinea pig is pregnant, she may have a single piglet or up to 3 or 4.
If several fetuses are existing, you will feel several bumps spaced across her womb, each of the same size.
Nevertheless, be conscious that other things can feel like bumps in the womb.
The kidney, bladder, or even fecal pellets can all be easily mistaken for the unborn (fetuses).
Bumps can also refer to ovarian cysts or tumors.
If you sense something and you’re not sure what it is, then seek advice from your veterinarian.
Monitor the weight of guinea pig
A female guinea pig’s weight will rise remarkably if she’s pregnant.
Guinea pigs usually weigh about 1.5-2 lbs.
In common, by the end of a pregnancy, the pregnant guinea pig’s load will have doubled; the piglets normally make up more than half of the sow’s weight.
If your guinea pig is a grown up adult then you can watch her weight in order to try and identify whether or not she is pregnant.
You most likely won’t be able to do this without a proper instrument, as she will only probably put on a few grams per day.
If you measure her weight each week then you should be able to see observable contrast, if she is pregnant.
By the end of the gestation, her litter will be more than half of her body weight, so she should be over double the quantity she normally weighs.
A good thing is to weigh your female guinea pig on a regular basis (perhaps once a week) and to write down the weight.
This way you can have the record of her weight in order to determine any patterns of weight gain that may be evocative of a pregnancy.
Nevertheless, if your sow is not yet matured and is less than 6-8 months of age, she will still be growing and thus weight gain may not be symptomatic of pregnancy
In the event that you notice any of these signs, at that point, our recommendation is to take your guinea pig to the vet.
Some other methods to know whether the guinea pig is pregnant or not:
Visiting the Veterinarian
Get an appointment with your vet
In the event that you speculate that your guinea pig is pregnant, at that point it’s basic that you counsel a vet.
You won’t have the option to tell without a doubt until the guinea pig is analyzed and evaluated by a talented veterinary expert.
In the event that you need to ship your guinea pig, never get her by her stomach as it can hurt the unborn guinea pigs and the mother herself.
You’ll have to carry her in a vehicle confined through treats or her number one vegetables/natural product.
Have your vet do a physical assessment
A veterinarian will examine your guinea pig and distinguish between the various knots and knocks, something that you will be unable to do.
Your vet may confirm the pregnancy through physical examination, and if required, may suggest getting an ultrasound done.
Your vet may likewise hear the piglets’ pulses in the sow’s mid-region.
Get an ultrasound done
An ultrasound check is the best quality level for pregnancy conclusion among guinea pigs.
Not at all like in different species, the pressure of taking blood can antagonistically influence the wellbeing of pregnant guinea pigs.
Additionally, there is no pregnancy test accessible for guinea pigs.
An ultrasound output can picture precisely what the knocks are and affirm a pregnancy.
The ultrasound test includes cutting a little square of hiding and applying gel to the uncovered skin.
At that point, the ultrasound machine is put on the skin and transmits a high-recurrence sound that is quiet to human ears.
The test records the echoes as the sound waves skip back to decide the size, shape, and consistency of tissues and organs in the body.
This data is then converted into a picture.
All in all, you will be given a visual of your guinea pig’s mid-region and the specialist would then be able to affirm or negate a pregnancy.
Ultrasounds are non-intrusive and don’t need sedation.
Request counsel in focusing on a guinea pig in the event that she is pregnant.
In the event that the vet affirms that your pig is pregnant, at that point it is significant that you ensure you realize how to appropriately take care of her.
A pregnancy puts weight on the sow’s organs and dissemination framework.
Also, any pig that is pregnant conveys a one out of five possibilities of biting the dust as an immediate consequence of complexities during or after pregnancy or birth.
Caring for a Pregnant Guinea Pig
Have the data of a vet.
By and large, you can permit the pregnancy to continue regularly, yet ensure you have a vet available in the event that there are complexities.
Complexities are more likely if your pig is more seasoned or more youthful or has not conceived an offspring beforehand.
Attempt to find a vet who has considerable experience in dealing with rodents and other little creatures, instead of simply a nonexclusive vet.
Eliminate any male guinea pigs
In the event that you have numerous sows, eliminate the male pig quickly to keep others from getting pregnant.
Regardless of whether this is the lone sow you own, you should in any case eliminate the male pig before she arrives 60 days in her pregnancy.
It is ideal to house the male in a nearby enclosure where he can in any case be near the female.
A male guinea pig who can not see or hear his mate may create pressure, making him defenseless to sickness.
Male guinea pigs will keep on mounting pregnant sows, which can put pressure or torment your pregnant sow late in the pregnancy (after the 50-day mark).
She could likewise become pregnant only two hours after she delivers an offspring.
Ensure your guinea pig has enough food and water
You’ll need to ensure your pig is getting adequate food, water, and supplements since these things are additionally helping the embryos.
Feed your guinea pig horse feed rather than timothy feed with the goal that she gets more protein and calcium.
Your pregnant sow will require more Vitamin C, about twice so much, so fuse all the more new foods grown from the ground high in nutrient C into her eating routine.
Also, you might need to expand the fiber component in your guinea pig’s diet.
Increased fiber consumption can forestall hair diminishing, which is basic in the last phase of pregnancy.
Limit your guinea pig’s stress
Attempt to make your guinea pig’s life easier by following a daily routine.
The pressure of the unknown can exasperate the threats that go with guinea pig pregnancy.
Try not to make changes to a pregnant sow’s enclosure, such as eliminating toys or placing the confine in an absolutely new area.
This could expand her pressure and influence her eating and drinking habits.
Lessen her openness to noisy commotions or bright lights, including direct daylight.
Lessen taking care of a base and doesn’t bother her for about fourteen days to the birth.
Note that the incubation period is normally 66 – 72 days.
Final Thoughts
There are some signs which you can look at to determine whether your guinea pig is pregnant or not.
Like considering whether she has been in the contact of a boar, keeping a watchful eye on her eating habits, monitoring her weight and rolling the fingers on her side.
Legitimate administration of the pregnant sow requires a comprehension of the danger factors for pregnancy related sickness and a capacity to perceive early indications of issues.
Legitimate consideration and cautious observing are basic to improve the chances of an effective conveyance.
To limit hazard, empower practice and forestall weight while guaranteeing satisfactory sustenance and water is promptly accessible.
Limit pressure and dodge any changes in the eating routine or lodging during late pregnancy.
