Swollen tummy guinea pig

Question
QUESTION: Hello there,
My guinea pig has a very swollen tummy, feels soft, both sides. She is 6 mths old, and eating/drinking normally. She has been like this for 6 days, and I am very worried for her. She has a female buddy, but she is ok. They both have eaten the same food etc. Please could you offer any advice, could it be bloat?? Gas? She has not been dropped or anything like that. She eats vegetables and guinea pig mix. I have had her for 6 weeks, so I am wondering could it be she is pregnant? But it seems to have happened very suddenly (the size of her stomach). Many thanks. Hope you can help. Regards, Raelene

ANSWER: Are you absolutely sure that her buddy is a female? If you know for sure that she is then she may well have gotten pregnant before you got her.

If she's eating and drinking normally it's unlikely this is bloat. A guinea pig's appetite is the best indicator of how she is feeling. When they are ill or in pain they stop eating and drinking.

The gestation period for cavies is 70 days, so if she's pregnant you will know for sure very soon. If you feel movement in her tummy she's about two to two and a half weeks from delivery. Do a double check on your other pig and make sure you have another female. If for sure you do then the deed was done before you got her. It's not unusual at all for the sow to suddenly show signs of her belly growing. My guess is that she is pregnant.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello there Pat,
OMG I just had to tell you!! Scurry had 2 babies this morning, so cute, and I don't know how the poor little thing did it! They are huge.
You were "spot on", so much for my gas theory.
Anyway, thank you very much. If they are male, I will be separating them from Scurry and Flower (female), how long should I leave them all together please.? How long do the babies feed off mum?
Thanks for this wonderful site. Best regards, Raelene

Answer
Congratulations!  Aren't newborn guinea pigs the most adorable things you've ever seen? They're just little miniatures of mom and dad.  It's always amazed me how very young cavy moms can give birth so easily. You wonder just where they were carrying what appears to be a litter of babies that almost equal mom's weight.

Mom will nurse the babies for about six weeks. It's okay to pull the baby boars at four weeks because by then they've already learned how to use the water bottle and eat from the pellet bowl.

As with any animal the longer they stay with mom the healthier they will be. I leave mine with the mother until she weans them on her own, which is about six weeks. The boys I pull at four weeks unless they are small and benefit from the additonal nutrition they get from their moms.

If mom is looking worn down you can safely pull the babies as young as three weeks. Pulling them too soon can cause her to get mastitis, an infection in her breasts. Mastitis can kill mom as the breasts get so inflammed with milk and pus that the infection spreads through her body. If I need to separate a litter early I leave one baby with mom to continue nursing to help aleviate her discomfort and prevent mastitis.

I would love to see pictures of your new family if you can send them. You will be amazed at how fast they grow. So take lots of pictures. My best wishes to your new little family. And again, congratulations!