guinea pig pregnant

Question
QUESTION: okay so i left my female guinea pigs in with the boar guinea pig for 2 weeks i put them together 5-26-2011 they have been eating and drinking alot more i have been filling up the water bottle every day twice a day and they have been eating alot more food then usual.

I think it already has been two months sense i put them together but i am not good on dates but i was told 12 weeks is when they give birth to babies' they are 5 1/2 weeks into the pregnancy i feel tightening firm stomach and they are looking plump and pear shaped stomachs but it is hard for me to tell if they are pregnant or not. any information would be great

ANSWER: Assuming they were bred on the 26th of May (which is unlikely) the due date would be approximately 70 days from conception. Since cavies come into estrus every two to three weeks and are only in heat for a couple of days it's always hard to calculate exactly when they will deliver.

The general rule of thumb is that you feel movement about 2 - 2 1/2 weeks before delivery. Again these are estimates. When the sow is within about 48 hours of delivery you can feel the spreading of the pelvic bones. Usually you can only get about half of your finger between the bones. As they spread you can actually feel them moving when you touch them and your entire finger will almost fit between them. Be very careful when feeling the pelvic bones as they are sensitive and may not want to let you touch.

You're right, the sow begins to drink more water during the latter part of the pregnancy and they do take on a pear shape. You won't truly know for sure until you feel movement. Remove the boar from the pen as the sows come back into heat within about three hours of delivery. Although it will not hurt them to be bred back it's best not to.

Cavies are great parents and the dads actually do participate in the care and nurturing of the babies. However, baby sows can come into heat at less than three weeks of age, so keep dad out of the family.

You should also be prepared that it's common to lose at least one baby in a litter. The loss of the sows during a difficult delivery is higher than in other species. That's why we discourage pets owners from breeding just for the fun of having babies. Although they are indeed a delight to watch, there are high risks involved.

If you have any other concerns don't hesitate to ask.  

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

QUESTION: so i am probably going to put my boar back in with the female then because i know i should have left him in their longer then i should. so thank you for all of you're answers.

owe do you have by chance any good veggie and fruit list for them because i can't seem to find anything that they like.

Answer
Usually the veggies most pigs like the best are parsley, romaine lettuce and carrots. Mine like the rinds of melons of any kind. They love watermelon rinds, cantaloupe rinds, honeydew, etc. The parts we don't eat are the parts they like the best.

Having said that, I must caution you not to overload your pigs with too much in the way of fruits and vegetables. If you're going to breed your sows you want the bulk of their diet to consist of a good quality cavy pellet. The fruits and veggies are treats, not staples. Apples are okay, but not on a regular basis. The acid in the apples can cause mouth sores. So a small piece maybe once a week is more than ample.

A very small amount daily is more than enough. Mine also like the celery tops. So they're great for the ecology because they'll eat the things we don't. Some pigs like strawberries, mine won't touch them. Some will eat frozen green beans. That's a nice treat on a warm day.

Whatever you want to feed to supplement just keep in mind you aren't replacing their pellets. You're just adding to them. The only thing you shouldn't give are potatoes. That's because of the chance for any green parts being toxic to the pigs.  You'll just have to try a little bit of this and a little of that to see what they prefer.  Their preferences are just as picky as yours and mine sometimes.

I do have a list of vegetables on a food chart that lists a number of different veggies and compares their Vit C contents so you can see which foods are best for adding Vit C to their diets.  I need your e-mail address to do that.  I will send you a private message with my e-mail and when you respond I can send the list to you.  I think you'll find it very helpful.