my update, pregnant guinea pig

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chyna_mn

Post   » Fri Jan 04, 2002 4:37 pm


Hi everyone. Remember me? I was posting on the old forum about a month, month in a half ago. I had just lost a pig, purchased a new one a week or two later, and had another come down with a bladder infection? Well I kind of fell out of the loop there for a bit. We lost the pig with the bladder infection. We don´t really know the real reason why. We had him on an antibiotic and all i can think is maybe it messed up the flora and he got sick from that? We were feeding him yogart. and then he stopped eating and we had to syringe feed him and there are some real gorry details that i just can´t go into still...

So now we´re down to two pigs again. Two sows, Sheba 1 and 1/2 years and Penelope from what the pet store 2 months old. But i think she was only a month old when we bought her, she was just little. So anyway they had her in some pretty horrible conditions. there were about 15 pigs in one cage. males and females obviously. we quarrentined her for 3 weeks and she was healthy so we set her up with sheba. they get along really well. P hates it when we take sheba out, sheba doesn´t really mind either way, i think she likes the cuddling though.

Well from the beginning we suspected that P might be pregnant. I mean how could she not be? so from the day we got her i started to feel her belly the way the sites told me to and finally a few weeks ago a felt these little lumps on either side of her belly. They continually got bigger and then there seemed to be 3. and then they started kicking a week or so later. It´s really an amazing experience but i am a little worried about the whole thing. I pray that she delivers well and that nothing goes wrong with her or the babies.

I didn´t plan for this to happen but there´s nothing that can be done about it so am excited for the new life. Depending on how many babies she has we plan to keep them. I´m hoping it´s only 3 or maybe 4 that way we can keep them all. and if there are more we have people lined up with good homes. from my calculations we should expect babies anywhere from the 16th on but from what some have said about feeling the babies kick and the arrival time being 2 or 3 weeks from then they could be here as early as next week... eep.

Anyway so that´s where we are now. It´s good to be back on the board again. Good to see all of you. If anyone has advice on labor and what to expect let me know. I have read and re-read and re-read the lynk in the medical lynx and probably will read it several more times before the babies come. I´ve also read Peter Gurney´s info on delivery. So ok this is getting REALLY long. Thanks everyone!

chyna_mn

Post   » Fri Jan 04, 2002 4:44 pm


I just remembered what else i was going to ask. how soon can you hold the babies? should you hold them right away or wait a few days? i would like them to be very familiar with humans and holding but i don´t want to freak them out either =) thanks

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lisam

Post   » Fri Jan 04, 2002 5:05 pm


Hold them right away. The more they are held the more friendlier they will be.

By the way, welcome back. Sorry for all the trouble you´ve had.
Last edited by lisam on Fri Jan 04, 2002 5:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jan 04, 2002 5:12 pm


Gee, the only thing I would have suggested is reading the normal labor page on Guinea Lynx but it looks like you´ve done that already.

Make sure she gets a topnotch diet. Maybe some extra alfalfa (you can buy cubes in many pet supply stores). Lots of fresh vegetables, adequate vitamin C. There are lots of links on that page -- I´d check them all out.

And good luck!

chyna_mn

Post   » Fri Jan 04, 2002 5:35 pm


well we´re going to town tonight and I´m gonna make husband go to the pet store... he hates when i go to the pet store lol. i´ll pick up some alfalfa. the girls get a daily supply of veggies, they love lettuce and parsley and well anything that crunches =) I´ve noticed sheba eats way more veggies than she used to, i think she´s trying to eat as much as she can before P gets to it =) what they don´t know is i have way more on hand then they can eat. They also get two hay racks full of hay a day, they don´t always eat it all but they love it and it´s always there for them.

About the vitamin c i have human vitamin c tablets but i haven´t actually given them to her. I was told to get them for Confucious, the one we just lost, but never actually got to give them to him. I know there are other forms that are better but this is what i found... should i try to crush these and give them to her? suggestions on that? if there is something better that i might actually FIND can someone give me an exact name? people look at me like i´m crazy when i try to find vitamin c in forms other than pills for humans. thanks again guys =)

Sumerlei

Post   » Fri Jan 04, 2002 6:31 pm


I held the little ones as soon as they were born, I couldn´t resist! Give her lots of love and veggies high in vit. C. Rogue just loved that! Make sure she has enough water, because Rogue really chugged it down just before she gave birth and when she was nursing. I think Rogue was about the same age as Penelope and she came out alright, better young than old, the way I see it. Oh, and don´t be surprised if you see Penelope lying on the little guys, I was a little scared at first, but she´s just nursing and keeping them warm!

I´m really sorry about the losses, I really hope that the little ones make up for it. They are really precious when they´re born and grow really fast so take pictures! And don´t forget to post them here!

Good luck! Big wheeks from Rogue, Chantilly, Rum Tum, and Alfie!

Summer

cea2001

Post   » Sat Jan 05, 2002 3:10 am


Hi there

You could always crush the Vit C tablets and then sprinkle the powder onto their pellets, or even over ´wet´ veggies.

I put a little bit of sugar in my sows drinking water in the last few weeks of pregnancy (can help prevent toxemia) but I know not everyone likes to do this so it´s up to you. Put her food and water bottles at opposite ends of the cage to ensure she has to exercise a little.

Baby pigs are fantastic - cute, funny and very lively. They just grow up too fast...


chyna_mn

Post   » Sat Jan 05, 2002 4:48 am


thanks for the vitamin C ideas guys. i´ll try crushing them over the lettuce and such. i looked for liquid c or something similar again tonight but can´t find it. i might go to town again this weekend and try to get to a gnc, might have luck there.

exercise doesn´t seem like a problem yet, she runs crazily around the cage like always =) i don´t know how she can do it with her belly that huge but she does it´s quite a sight!

I´ll be sure to take tons of pics and post them here, i have a feeling they´re going to be ADORABLE she´s some kind of purvian mix i think. she has rosettes with longish hair =) but babies are always adorable!

how do you guys think the other sow will react to the babies? she´s pretty mild mannered but should i be concerned about her at all?

oh and there´s two water bottles in the cage and i have more =) my cage is a 4 x 2 grid cube one so there´s tons of running room =)

thanks again guys for all your advice =)

cea2001

Post   » Sat Jan 05, 2002 8:46 pm


I wouldn´t worry too much about Sheba - she´ll either be interested in the babies and may even help out with the birth/mothering or she´ll completely ignore them! Just keep an eye on her - if in the very unlikely event of her harassing the babies (and I can´t emphasise enough that this is very unlikely) you may have to seperate her from Penelope. But really, she´ll probably be absolutely fine. Let us know how it goes!

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