pregnant guinea pig??

Question

Baylene   Hi! I have a guinea pig that i suspect to be pregnant, she would be at almost five weeks now. I'm just not sure if she is and was wondering if you could give me your opinion. She gained a lot of weight right away after mating and i thought i noticed her hips expanded as well. She seems to be bigger on one side of her body which made me think maybe she's carrying more pups on that side.but today i noticed her vagina looks slightly redder and she is acting hyper with her female cage mate trying to push her around. I'm afraid maybe this is her in great and she's not pregnant after all? What do you think? I could send a picture if that would help.

Answer
Since a cavy's gestation is 10 weeks they don't always show that much half way through pregnancy. I'm glad to made comment of the mite problem. That's the first thing my eye was drawn to by the picture.

The redness in the area of the vent may well mean she's in heat again. Her behavior sounds very much like she is, with the crabby behavior and hyperactivity. It's very difficult to pinpoint the moment of conception since they're only in heat for a few days and only receptive for a few hours of that time. That doesn't mean it's not impossible, just unlikely.

If she is larger on one side than the other that could mean something entirely different than pregnancy.

The concern is ovarian tumors, which typically show a lopsided growth appearing much like pregnancy. They're not uncommon in guinea pigs. They're seldom malignant and the only issue is the out of control hormones. Most pigs with ovarian tumors manage to live with them without any bad side effects. The cost of surgery to remove a tumor is not cheap, so most owners simply choose to let the condition go.

If she is pregnant you should start feeling movement about two or three weeks from now. That will be the defining diagnosis. It's unusual for a weight gain right after mating. The signs of pregnancy don't always appear until the last month. I she is over two and has been bred before she may just have what we call a 'potty' shape, much like we get as we age.

At this point it's just a wait and see thing that time will tell. Treating her for mites is safe during her pregnancy if you are using Ivermectin paste, but not while she's nursing pups.

I hope this helps you out. If she is pregnant I would love to see pictures of the babies when they come.