I THINK MY GUINEA IS ABOUT TO DELIEVER!

Question
hello, my family got our first guinea about 65 days ago. I noticed 2 weeks ago how very plump she has become and my family joked that one of the mice running around got her pregnant. Tonight me and my sister were holding her talking about how BIG she has gotten and then we felt babies move and realized she IS pregnant. So waiting on her to deliver I wonder what i can do for her and babies and what about touching the babies after born? is this a no no or will it be ok for us to bond with them as we have MOMMY. Any advice you can give will be very helpful and appreciated.

Answer
To prepare for the babies, switch your guinea pig from a timothy based food to an alfalfa based food, as she will need the extra calcium for her milk and for nourishment.  She should be kept on alfalfa based food until she is done nursing, and the babies should be kept on alfalfa based food for six months after birth.

You should also supply alfalfa hay to her while she is pregnant, nursing, and for the babies until they are six months old.  Do not only give alfalfa hay though, mix it with timothy hay and have it available at all times.  

Feed her some extra veggies, as she is now not only eating for herself, but for her expected family.  You do not need to double the amount of veggies, but give her extra.  You should also be prepared to buy more vegetables, because when the babies come out, they will munch on the veggies almost right away.  So you will need to put enough in there for every piggie.  

Try not to hold your guinea pig too much until after she gives birth, because you do not want to press on the babies too much.  It can cause problems, and you do not want this.  Speaking of problems, research your area and find a small animal or exotic pet veterinarian and keep their number on hand just in case your guinea pig has complications while delivering.

I also suggest researching guinea pig birth ALOT before she has the babies.  You need to be prepared for everything, so go to the library and get some books on guinea pigs, and look at every internet source possible.  You can never be too prepared.

Lastly, I don't recommend holding the guinea pigs until they are at least one day old, then you can hold them all you want.  The mom will not kill them if she smells a person, and you will find out that the guinea pigs look all grown up right after birth, just very small.  They come out fully developed, so you do not have to worry about them being very fragile (even though they are babies- remember that).  

Good luck with the birth and the pregnancy, and remember, do you research!