After looking up some info on the net, I'm pretty sure the non-pregnant one is male. I'm going to get the store to help place the babies, but I need to take care of them until they are weaned. I'm also worried about all the compications that guniea's can have with pregnancy and birth! Any advice?
Answers:
That sucks about Petsmart. I actually work there and am very adamant about these things, and it angers me to hear that this happened, especially since I'm a guinea pig owner myself! Personally, I would NOT let the store place the babies. They most likely have their own best interests in mind, and not the animals, judging by how they housed a male with a female.
Definitely check out Guinea Lynx - it's the most comprehensive site you can find. Not only do they have all the information you'd need, they also have a forum where you can post about the babies - it's possible you'll find an owner through them. You can also try Cavy Spirit. Good luck!
I had a hampster that ate her babies when I was a kid.. so just watch the guinea carefully to make sure she dosent go cannabalistic.
We raised Guinea Pigs and they are so cute when they are born. They are a miniature version, they have their fur, eat food and are so much fun!
The parents take good care of them and your job is to keep the cage clean, clean food and water and enjoy them. We never had any difficulties during the births. The dad helps as much as the moms. Just enjoy the excitement of the cute babies along with the parents.
As long as your Guinea Pig's healthy, cannibalism shouldn't be something to worry about. Animals only eat their young when they are malnourished, most of the time.
First thing, I'd place your male and female away from each other in seperate cages. I don't know if you plan on keeping all of these babies, but maybe you could keep one of the female babies and have Petsmart place the male along with the other pups in homes. So you'd have no fear of another accidental litter.
To get your girl ready for pregnancy, I'd give her healthy, high-protein foods and make sure she's getting plenty of vitamin C. Female GPs can run into some nasty birth problems, so keep close eye on her.
Best of luck! :)
Make sure your female has plenty of healthy food and water, and gets enough vitamin c (either give her orange wedges or get a vitamin supplement for guinea pigs from the pet store). when she is getting close to giving birth, she will really want to nest so give her shredded newspaper or hay, or plenty of clean shavings to nest in. In my experience, guinea pigs usually do well giving birth and raising their babies, but make sure she is separate from the male when she is going to give birth, and that she is in a quiet low-stress environment . The birth itself should go quickly, and i would expect between one and six babies. The mother will clean them after they are born, and should start nursing them soon. She will take care of the babies for you as long as she has good food, you can supplement her guinea pig pellets with fresh fruit and veggies. Things can go wrong, if anything seem wrong or the birth seems to take too long, or any of the babies isn't quite right GO SEE THE VET! Guinea pigs are delicate creatures and things can be very serious for them quickly. Here is a source I found that should help you : http://www.comfycavies.com/care/breeding...
And, please keep the male you have in a separate cage from the female from now on, there are a lot of guinea pigs and though they are cute, there are more of them than good homes, so breeding your pets is a bad idea. See this site for info on why: http://www.cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm...
Don't touch any of the babies! Other than that, just give the mother to be plenty of nutrients and water, maybe some healthy fruits or a nutritional additive. They shouldn't have too many problems, you should be able to just let the mother do her thing. Good luck!
My guinea pig Lola has given birth 2 times already and got pregnant at an early age of 4 months! But she never went cannibal. She carefully cleaned her pups and nursed the lil' ones. So don't worry about your cavy eating her youngs. That is not their nature unlike the hamsters.
If you don't mind having many cavies then I won't suggest placing them for adoption. It would be nice to wean them off about until they are almost 2 months. I have personally given my little ones to my friends and relatives who I know will love my cavies as much as I have when they were 2 months already.
Complications arise when your mommy cavy is malnourished. So give her enough greens and Vit. C (from tomatoes) in her daily munchies. Also give a lot of fresh hay.
As much as possible, give her ample room to move around because the later part of her pregnany (almost around the 2nd month of pregnancy) will make her finicky. She will move around, looking for nice and cozy place to hide herself. Give her used clothes you can bundle but not big enough to suffocate her. An old small rag will be fine so she can settle on it when she wants comfort. She will be rather cranky at that point so watch those little fingers of yours getting "accidentally" snapped on. She thinks it's a baby carrot!
Enjoy your cavies! Give them love because they are worth it...
P.S. My daughter teases me that I am a "grandmom" now of 8 cavies (all Lola's offspings). Her not-so-baby Fluffy is on her way too...Uh--oh. I will need a bigger cage!
Your pig will not eat the babies. But Female Guinea pigs can have a lot of trouble during birth and need to be watched closely, they can die easily. We have a rescue and medical site for Guinea Pigs called Guinea Lynx, you can get top notch advice from there and reasons why you should never buy from a pet store, especially Petsmart or Petco. Most of the time you will find those pigs are infested with mites,and it can kill them. They buy from breeders, and the pig is usually sick with many problems, or as in your case pregnant.
Go back to Petsmart and tell them they sold you a male, they only sale female pigs. Demand they pay for vet bills for the pregnant pig, and they usually will so you won't cause a scene. Baby guinea pigs are born already to eat solid foods, and the mother will nurse them until she weens. But you must remove the male baby, if she has any, in 4 weeks or he will get his own mother pregnant.
And just because people worked in a pet store , well that don't mean squat! The only Vets who know about Guinea Pigs is an Exotics vet. Guinea Lynx is a free site wth free advice and a listof pig Vets in any area of the country!
Good Luck!
Remeber
Guinealynx.com
Try to keep the babies and the mother aqway from the male. Make sure their bedding stays clean, they keep fresh water and food. They should be fine. If need be take them to the vet just to get checked out.
if u have the male still in with the female take him out now as guineas mate again as soon as the female has given birth(at nite)i didnt realise my female was pregnnt so by he time she had had them the male had already mated again and she died giving birth..they are fully furred nd eyes open and are able to eat normally when they are born but plz take the male out now xx
Usually a pet store piggy is young enough that the risk of complications is less. I also got a pregnant piggy from a pet store (we didn't know and they didn't know at the time). Anyway, mine gave birth and everything was fine. Make sure you give her lots of hay (timothy, not alfalfa or a mix is ok, but too much alfalfa gives them too much calcium.) She needs hay for fiber. Also, keep her at a comfortable temperature (for any pig really not just a pregnant one). They are sensitive to extreme temps. Baby piggies are great. They can eat adult food as soon as they are born! They still need mommy's milk though.
I agree with almost all of these answers. Keep on researching, you're on the right track. I would just like to let you know that you can touch the baby cavies after they are born. Guinea pigs are not like hamsters, they don't really mind.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment